Full Name:
Chelsea Ann Roach
Major/Year:
B.A. in Theatre & Dance
Favorite class in Theatre & Dance and why:
It's hard to choose one class that I love. I love theatre hence the TD Major. I take every class that I have and apply it to my life in a positive way. I have so many classes that have benefited me in so many ways. I would have to say the top favorites are Acting 1 with Black Delong, Collaborative Performance with Stephen Gerald, Improvisational Movement with Yacov Sharir, Movement for the Actor 1 with Andrea Beckham and Speaking Shakespeare with Barney Hammond. The classes in the TD department are so beneficial because you have professors that not only care about you in their class, but they care about your life.
Favorite thing about Austin:
I first moved to Austin from Surrey, England after living outside of the US for 9 years. It was a big change and at first I was reluctant to enjoy anything that wasn't England. Soon Austin won me over because of how beautiful this town is. I love how Austin is such a cosmopolitan place that has a place for every kind of person. I especially love how dog friendly Austin is. I love being able to take my dog, Riley, with me whenever I can.
Favorite place to study:
I love using the Fine Arts Library when I need to get something done. It's a great place to find theatre resources and it's not as crowded as the PCL. Other than that, I study in my room and get distracted by pets.
Brief biography (including projects, awards, accomplishments):
Here we go: I was born in New Jersey, U.S.A. but soon after moved to Fulham, England. Then I moved to Oslo, Norway. After all that, I moved to Houston, Texas and started primary school. After 4th grade, I moved to Singapore and stayed until 7th grade, and then I moved to Surrey, England and remained for 5½ years. After graduating high school at the ACS Cobham International School, I moved to Austin Texas for UT Theatre & Dance. So as you can see, answering the question “Where are you from?” can be a struggle for someone with my background. I'm happy to be living in Austin now and am trying to take advantage of all the opportunities here.
Throughout elementary, middle and high school I was involved in everything performance I could be. During high school, I was in many performances such as My Fair Lady, Funny Girl, The Princess Bride, Arsenic and Old Lace, Grease, and Little Shop of Horrors. During high school in England, I was involved in Destination Imagination Improvisation Competition, which we won World 13th Place. I was also involved in the I.S.T.A. Festival, England. In Singapore, I was involved in Odyssey of the Mind and we won 2nd Place for Singapore. In 2005 I went to Theatre Collaboration, Program at Columbia University, New York. Here at UT I have been involved in the Round About Players work such as Robin Hood and Cannibal! The Musical!
Current projects/research/interests:
I am currently involving myself in the New Works Festival. I'm excited to take advantage of this amazing opportunity to be involved in a festival. I'm also involved in Gigglepants Improvisational Troupe which performs every other Friday, 7pm in Calhoun 100. For this semester performing dates are Oct. 17, 31, Nov 14, and Dec 5.
