First-Year Focus: Ellie Larson

Here at St. Ambrose, we are blessed to have many extremely talented First Year students. This month, we will focus on Ellie Larson, who you may have seen as the Female Admirer in Picasso at The Lapin Agile and/or as Bella, Cinderella's fashion-forward mouse friend in this year's children's production of Cinderella.

Major: Theatre

Why do you enjoy theatre?
I enjoy theatre because there are a lot of things we can all disagree about in life, but putting on and watching shows brings people together in a way that nothing else can. For a few hours, we can all shut out the "real world" and live in the story, and when we walk away, we all take part of the show with us. I think that's such a beautiful thing.

What are some of your favorite shows with which you've been involved?
I was Ronnette, one of the doo-wop girls, in Little Shop of Horrors, which was so much fun. I also enjoyed being in Picasso at the Lapin Agile, because there were so many magical moments throughout, and it was a great first show at Ambrose. Almost, Maine, Pippin, and Rock of Ages are also towards the top of the list.

The SAU Theatre department recently got the incredible opportunity to attend the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Des Moines, what were you involved with there?
At KCACTF I participated in Costume Runway, an intensive in the spirit of Project Runway, and the Theatre Collaborative Challenge, which was an intensive in which we grouped into production teams and essentially planned out all the design aspects for an original play. The playwright was there to offer her feedback, so it was very cool to hear how she pictured the show and what she drew inspiration from.

What are some of your other hobbies?
Outside of theatre, I like to hang out with dogs, preferably my dog, but I'm not very picky. I also enjoy taking care of my plants and knitting scarves. I specifically knit scarves because I can't knit anything else.

What are your dream roles?
My absolute dream role is Harold Hill from The Music Man, but I've come to accept that the chances of that happening are pretty slim, so I would be ecstatic if I were cast as the Leading Player from Pippin or Velma Kelly from Chicago.

We are incredibly lucky to have Ellie in our department, and we cannot wait to see the amazing things she has in store for us!