Name: Jason Newsom
Year attended GSA: 2005
Discipline: Drama
College: Otterbein University Class of 2010
Degree: BFA Acting
Current home: New York, NY
A recent Otterbein graduate, Jason Newsom packed up his bags two months ago to take on the theatre world of New York City.
"If you would have told me on the first day of GSA that in 5 years I would be hold a BFA in Acting and live in the best city on this planet (NYC), I would have told you that you were crazy. When I was younger, I had no plan and no aspirations as to what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to go to college, but I did not know why or what I wanted to study."
"People say that GSA helps you decide if you want to pursue the arts or not. For some, it puts a fire in your heart and under your butt. I am one of those people."
"I thought that I was hungry for the arts before I went to GSA, but you should have seen me when I was done. I couldn't get enough. In the weeks following GSA I was UNSTOPPABLE. I started reading new plays, writing my own plays, seeing every minute of theatre I could, and I also started looking at colleges."
"I auditioned everywhere that I could afford the application fee. I got into or was wait-listed at every school I auditioned for, but eventually settled on Otterbein. I have also been an RA at GSA for the past 3 summers - they were the best summers of my life. I thought attending GSA was fun and rewarding, but to have a hand in making 250 kids dreams come true - there is seriously nothing like it in the world."
"So here I am, in New York City, trying to 'make it' as an actor. It feels like it took me forever to get here, but the time really has gone by quickly. After about a month of living here, I finally got a job in the mail room of an awesome advertising agency. Also, I just started rehearsals for a show I was cast in. There is no better feeling than booking your first show in New York. I'm auditioning a lot and just trying keep myself busy. It’s definitely not time for graduate school just yet, but I do think that it is somewhere in my future."
"Speaking of futures, at GSA we were asked to write down "Where you will be in 5 years" – and everything I wrote down has come true. I said I wanted to go to college for acting, I wanted to move to either New York or L.A., and I wanted to be working as an actor in that city. But now that I think back on those little writing exercises where you have to predict your own future, I wish I would have worded it differently. As I realized at GSA, I am not just an actor. I am not just a performer. And I am certainly not just a comedian. I am a true artist. I am an artist in every sense of the word. And so are all of my fellow alumni."
His commercial - Jason gave us a link to a pretty funny commercial he was in. His cameos are at 0:15 and 0:21: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CllK7Nccqx0
Learn more about The Kentucky Center's Governor's School for the Arts by visiting the GSA website.