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Kendra Emmett-Goldwasser: From an Internship to an Understudy

By: Dezaray Barr

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Upon arriving at Indiana Wesleyan University in the fall of 2009, Kendra Emmett-Goldwasser was intending on studying education. When she began to register for classes, she discovered all the education classes were full and her advisor encouraged her to register for a theatre elective. Little did she know, registering for this class would change the rest of her life.

Kendra Emmett-Goldwasser during her first show at IWU in 2009.
Kendra Emmett-Goldwasser during her first show at IWU in 2009.

While taking this class, she met a communication professor, Greg Fiebig, who allowed her to feel invested in through the classroom. She decided to change her major to theatre. IWU, being a smaller school, allowed her to have hands-on experience in the theatre, both on and off the stage. “I really enjoyed pretty much anything theatre department related,” she said.

It was not just the theatre program that Emmett-Goldwasser loved, but the entire communication department. She made many friends through the program and felt nurtured within the community of the communication department. One requirement of the communication department is to participate in an internship at some point before graduation. During her junior year, Emmett-Goldwasser interned in Virginia at the American Shakespeare Center as a production assistant.

When Emmett-Goldwasser graduated in 2013, she obtained a theatre degree with not one concentration, but with all three concentrations that IWU offers for theatre students: performance, technical and management. She applied to a graduate program at Mary-Baldwin University for the Shakespeare Performance Graduate program and spent two years earning her Master of Letters. Before completing her third year to obtain a Master of Fine Arts, Emmett-Goldwasser was offered a position at the American Shakespeare Center within the box office and intermission services.

Kendra Emmett-Goldwasser during her internship in 2012.
Kendra Emmett-Goldwasser during her internship in 2012.

Before Emmett-Goldwasser could wrap her mind around the changes her life was encountering, she was promoted to Assistant Touring Troupe Manager and Understudy this past Spring. She is currently in Baltimore, Maryland, touring the shows Romeo and Juliet, Our Town, and Two Men of Verona, the same show she interned with during her junior year. She is excited to return to the stage this December and January performing as an understudy on stage. “It’s been really great, lots of hard work, but really great work. I love what I do,” she said.

In December of 2015, Kendra married Aaron Goldwasser. Aaron is another member of the American Shakespeare Touring Troupe, and they were married on the American Shakespeare Theatre stage. Greg Fiebig, Kendra’s professor at IWU, had the honor of marrying the couple. Kendra is uncertain if she will return to Mary Baldwin to finish off her master’s of the arts degree, but she is content with the spot God has settled her into in the moment, “It really worked out quite well.”

 

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Written by Dezaray Barr, PR Specialist for the Alumni Office. Dezaray is a Sophomore Strategic Communication and Honors Humanities double major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College. At IWU Dezaray is involved in PRSSA leadership and runs both the JWHC Blog and her own blog. Visit Dez’s website at www.dezaraybarr.weebly.com.

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Kim Barth: From the Stage at IWU, To A Stage In New York

By: Heather Cox

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Kim Barth graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2014, after double-majoring in Education and Theatre performance.

The Ohio native found herself at Indiana Wesleyan after visiting five other schools. She said she already had friends at IWU, and stayed the night with them before her visit day. One of her high school teachers told her that when it comes to deciding on a college, go with your gut. That is exactly what Barth did. Indiana Wesleyan was her favorite of the five schools she visited, so she followed her gut and made IWU her home.

Originally, Barth started out majoring in Education. Barth said she always knew she wanted to be a teacher and in a way, theatre helped confirm that being a teacher was possible. “In high school I was actually really shy. So I joined drama club because I was thinking about being a teacher, and in my mind I thought I had to get over talking in front of people,” Barth said. “It totally changed my high school experience.”

Following high school, Barth auditioned for The Curious Savage at Indiana Wesleyan during her freshman year, which Barth described as a very special experience. Ultimately this experience made her decide to add a major in Theatre Performance.

While at Indiana Wesleyan University, Barth was actively involved in the Theatre department. She was a part of many shows such as Women of Lockerbie and Steel Magnolias. Barth was also in University Singers and Women’s Chorus for a few years. In addition to being a part of those groups, Barth attended a Bible study in her dorm.

 

Kim Barth and her roommate from IWU, Christina Bontrager, the last time she came to visit.
Kim Barth and her roommate from IWU, Christina Bontrager, the last time she came to visit.

During her time at Indiana Wesleyan, Barth met some very important people. “I met my best friends at IWU. We all lived together for 3 years and we’re still best friends. We talk all the time so for me that was the best part, I made my friend family,” Barth said. “We’re all still really close, and it was just great to meet those people.”

As graduation drew closer, Barth was faced with deciding what the next step was. “I did a lot of praying and reflecting on what I would do after college, because I knew that I loved kids and I knew I loved theatre, I just didn’t know what to do with that,” Barth said. “I always assumed I would be a teacher of some kind.”

After graduating from Indiana Wesleyan University, Barth decided to take a year off. During this year, she went back to her home in Ohio and worked at a pre-school, as well as did some substitute teaching. Not only did this give her time to decide what was next, Barth said she also collected a lot of good work experience during this time period.

It was during this year she applied to two different graduate programs, one at New York University and the other at Emerson College in Boston, earning her way into both of them.

Last summer, Barth was involved in a Christian Theatre program called Masterworks. The show she was a

Kim Barth and fellow members of Masterworks last summer.
Kim Barth and fellow members of Masterworks last summer.

part of with Masterworks took her to New York to perform. Two months later, Barth decided to make her home in New York. She attended New York University to earn her master’s degree in Theatre Education and graduated this past August.

Today, Barth teaches Theatre to Elementary students at a school called P.S.195, located in the Bronx. “I love that I get to bring what I call the magic of theatre to kids who don’t have a lot of experience with that and wouldn’t if they didn’t have this program,” Barth said. “Introducing kids to an art form that changed me, and did a lot for me growing up, is exciting for me.”

 

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Written by Heather Cox, guest writer for the Alumni Office. Heather is a Junior Journalism major at IWU. She is also the Editor of GrantCOnnected.net, a community news site run by IWU students. She is unsure of where life will take her after college, but she knows she never wants to stop writing!