Arts Student of the Week Olivia Cesar Cipriani

Currently enrolled in Drama 2 at Niwot High School, performing arts student Olivia Cesar Cipriani has an interest in both acting and technical theater, and she speaks thoughtfully about the difference between the two worlds. "As an actor," Cipriani said, "you get to become someone else for a performance, and forget about the real world. Theater techs create a whole new world onstage, and the actors become the people in it."

According to NHS drama teacher Amanda Foust, who selected Cipriani as Arts Student of the Week, "Olivia is always finding ways to improve, and she is willing to be vulnerable and try new acting techniques within class."

Cipriani thinks that acting requires that she must be vulnerable and put herself out there. "With theater," she said, "you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and do different things. I'm always open to trying new things with theater because I think it's important to always be doing something to improve your skill."

"Olivia is a fantastic sophomore in our Drama 2 class," Foust said. "Olivia took Drama 1 as a freshman as an elective credit and ended up really excelling in the class, and found a deep desire to keep acting."

Cipriani says her overall experience at NHS has been wonderful. "All of the theater students here at NHS are incredibly talented and kind people," she said, "and we all learn from each other." What she loves most about NHS theater is that a good part of it is student-lead. All the school's productions have student directors and student technical directors. There is also a student theater leadership team that helps the teachers plan theater events and run the Drama Club.

Cipriani loves almost all musicals, but some of her all-time favorites are "Les Misérables," "Chicago," "West Side Story," and "The Sound of Music." The person who has most influenced her career in theater was her first vocal coach, Dillon Kenyon, the current executive director at The Spark, A Performing Arts Community, in Boulder. Cipriani took vocal lessons with Kenyon when she was in late elementary school, and those lessons inspired Cipriani to start theater.

Cipriani has worked as an actor in productions at the Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids in Boulder multiple times. She has always worked more as an actor than as a theater technician, since her interest in production and technical theater is more recent.

One of her most memorable theater moments was the closing night performance of last year's "Beauty and the Beast." That show was completely sold out so the cast performed for a full theater. "That last performance was one of the best we ever put on of that show," she said. "Backstage before the show, the whole cast was really excited and energetic about this last performance."

Cipriani's positive experience at NHS, she admits, is primarily because of the theater program and arts programs. Academic classes, too, have been a generally positive experience. "While some classes can be challenging, I think it's good to have a challenge and be pushed to learn more," she said.

Cipriani loves to read and travel. She has an interest in fashion, which ties back to production theater, costuming, and makeup.

At the moment, Cipriani is not entirely sure what her future holds, but she would like to pursue a career in theater and the arts, although she is not completely sure what exactly it is that she will do.

"Olivia shows good promise as an actor," Foust said, "and is always very determined and focused in class. She is always finding ways to improve and is willing to be vulnerable and try new acting techniques within class. Olivia is also involved in our musicals, and she truly shines and is always having so much fun. She is a pleasure to work with."