Student Spotlight May 2021

    Candace Spencer

     

     

    Candace Spencer received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Greensboro College. Candance studied abroad in London, UK at Roehampton University. Candace is currently a Master of Fine Arts in Performance student here at the University of Louisville. Her anticipated graduation date is 2022. 

     

    Interview:

    1. What brought you to the University of Louisville?

    In my senior year at Greensboro College, I participated with the South Eastern Theatre Conference (SETC) and the Unified Professional Theatre Auditions (UPTA) where I auditioned and looked into a variety of theatre companies and schools to see what my next steps were. After a superb audition with the faculty from UofL, I was offered the position of becoming a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) and I gladly accepted it. 

    2. Specific areas of research (how you chose this research, why it interested you):

    I have always been curious about learning new things about myself. I am always asking the question “why” when I am presented with information. My research digs into this curiosity a little bit. My identity is a huge part of my life and in order to dig into my identity, I must bring my awareness to the factors in my life that has helped morph me—my personality, my physicality, and my spirituality. All of which are factors in everyone’s life, whether it is believed or not, that has made each individual authentic. These factors are present even with the characters that I face in theatre. The goal of my research is to pinpoint these factors in myself as well as in my character development, in order to represent the character authentically on stage. 

    3. Long term goals/ aspirations:

    I want to be an actress in a movie or show on Netflix one day!

     

    4. What do you feel is the greatest challenge that graduate students face and how have you dealt with this challenge?

    The greatest challenge that graduate students face is the work load. I have tried to overcome this challenge by setting a schedule for myself and allowing the regularity of procrastination to disappear.  This is still a work in progress!

    5. How would you describe your area of study/ specific research to a friend or family member unfamiliar with your field?

    My research is on the Black Female Identity. More specifically, it’s the recognition of the Given Identity (GI) and True Identity (TI). I am researching the awareness of finding an artist and a character’s TI. (Given identity is how other people, other than yourself, express who that person is—the society/family members/friends, etc. puts subconscious ideas/thoughts onto a person about who they think they are, and thus, given identity is formed. True Identity is how the individual discovered who they really are—this is usually discovered when the individual gets confident enough to speak up for themselves and a drastic life change may occur during this time of realization.

    Fun Facts
    A talent you have always wanted: 

    I have always wanted to learn how to play the piano

    Favorite book: 

    Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough


    Favorite quote:     

    Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation – Zig Ziglar

    Role Model: My grandmother, Edna Bullock
    Favorite Vacation Destination: Las Vegas
    If you weren’t in graduate school, what would you be doing now? If I wasn’t in Graduate School, I would be working with Barter Theatre in Virginia right now.