Last month, Kosciusko native Alexander Cruz began his junior year of high school away from home at Mississippi School of the Arts (MSA) in Brookhaven.
Cruz was previously a student in the Kosciusko School District. After learning about MSA his freshman year, he was intrigued by the opportunity to tailor his studies toward his passion — theater.
Theater has been part of Cruz’s life since he was in sixth grade, when he first began performing in plays sponsored by Kosciusko Junior High. Through those experiences, he discovered he had a love for acting. But he always had a desire to entertain.
The son of Leobardo and Marcela Cruz, Alexander grew up working in his family’s establishment — El Rodeo Family Mexican Restaurant. Constantly meeting new people, Alexander found that he enjoyed putting a smile on the face of a stranger.
“Having a place to work where I talk to so many people, it's nice to see a smile,” he said. “I can entertain them, so it made me want to deeply get into the arts.”
Under normal circumstances, prospective students would visit MSA in Brookhaven to audition live, where applicants would memorize a script and perform in front of judges. Because of the pandemic, that wasn’t the case for Cruz. Instead, he was chosen after impressing judges with a submitted video monologue.
After spending his first month at MSA, Cruz said the biggest change has been adapting to a school that specifically caters to the arts.
“MSA lives and breathes the arts. The entire campus is filled with decorations and talented kids,” Cruz explained. “The school gives students a rare opportunity because they have the resources and power to create beautiful works of art. I've seen others’ art and it is by far amazing.”
While Cruz specializes in theater, other concentrations available at the school include visual arts, vocal music, dance, literary arts, filmmaking, and media arts.
Theater classes have been the highlight of Cruz’s time at MSA so far. He particularly enjoys learning from dance arts instructor Tammy Stanford and theater arts instructor Dr. Robert Brooks.
Cruz said Brooks trains students in acting, while Stanford teaches students the movements choreographed on stage.
“Ms. Tammy always says, ‘We're not making kids into Disney actors, but trying to make them professionals in the arts,’” said Cruz.
Cruz said theater takes a lot more than good actors, and MSA provides the opportunity for students to pursue different avenues related to theatre.
“Theater has multiple routes; there’s not one specific line. You can branch out into different topics. You can be a stage manager, the costume director, or even a critic,” Cruz explained.
Cruz is still contemplating which role he wants to pursue after high school, but he has special interest in being an actor or stage manager.
Although mostly interested in performance, Cruz will be able to explore a variety of theater-related disciplines.
Photo submitted.
He said acting at MSA is rewarding because it teaches students to become their characters rather than asking students to draw from experiences from their past.
“What I like about it is they don't teach us method acting. Method acting is basically when you bring something from your past to help you act as the character. In my opinion, that’s not how it should be done. We should become the character and do what they do, to almost become them in a way,” he said.
To become one with the character, Cruz studies a character’s personality, hand gestures, and beats — whether the character changes motion or objectives of a goal.
When away at school, Cruz said misses his family, but he appreciates the opportunity MSA gives him to prepare for a college atmosphere.
“I live with a roommate now. It shows us all the responsibility of living alone and prepares us for college by living in a dorm,” said Cruz.
After high school, Cruz plans to pursue his dreams in college. Still mulling over schools, he has been working on a plan with MSA staff in order to get a theater scholarship.
Cruz credits MSA for excelling in academics and the arts. He said other residential high schools such as Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science rank first in academics but lack in the arts. MSA ranks high in both categories and makes the effort to keep the arts alive.
“When it comes to art programs, MSA has to be number one on the list. Even academically, we're number two in the state,” said Cruz. “MSA gives kids opportunities who want to learn more about the arts. Nowadays, in most communities, art programs are being taken away. They’re keeping real arts alive.”
