People of the Pack: Alex Newcomb-Weiland

People of the Pack: Alex Newcomb-Weiland

Alex Newcomb-Weiland is a sophomore majoring in musical theater.

Cheyenne Alexis: What do you hope to do with your major?

Alex Newcomb-Weiland: I have no idea. Musical theater is kind of hard to do in the world. I would like to maybe go to New York possibly. If I don’t succeed in an actual performance career, I’d probably be more of a teacher in performance because I really enjoy working with kids and working on the arts.

CA: What do you like about musical theater?

AN: Everything. I’m a total nut for it. I just love singing — singing’s my favorite thing to do. It’s always my escape for everything. I can have a horrible day and I sing a song and I’m like, “Wow, my mood changed instantly.” It helps me get through life. I love dancing regardless if I’m horrible at it or not — ’cause I am horrible at it — it’s so fun. To be able to just feel things in your body and just dance is awesome. I actually love learning the technique of it. It’s super interesting to me because I’ve always wanted to learn how to dance and I finally get the opportunity to, which is awesome. I love acting. Though it’s horribly challenging and very, very, very difficult to grasp, it’s one of my favorite things to do. It’s really cool for me to step into somebody else’s life as me and just interpret that. I really like all of it.

CA: What’s an important piece of advice someone has given to you?

AN: It’s actually from my dad and a lot of my teachers, that I need to believe in myself and never hold back on my abilities to pursue what I want to do. I think it’s really awesome because for so long I was so scared to put myself out there, be vulnerable. That’s something that I’ve constantly been encouraged to do and every time I’ve done it, it’s been very rewarding. I think putting yourself out there, being vulnerable and never holding back on your abilities is something that I’ve been told.

CA: Do you have any role models?

AN: My mom and dad are definitely the biggest influences in my life — I love them a lot. I have three brothers and one sister, all older than me, so I’ve always looked up to them. My professors at school — Matt Nesmith, my MT professor, has always been very encouraging and has believed in me a lot. Also my acting teacher Tim Pyles, he’s very encouraging and he’s always been there for me through a lot of things, not just theater-related. My other professors like Chaya Gordon-Bland. I have a lot of role models — I look up to a lot of people.