Chris Gallerani ’15 graduated from Dartmouth last spring with a theater major. Gallerini now lives in New York City pursuing a professional career in acting.
What has the transition from Dartmouth into the real world been like?
CG: Transitioning into “the real world” has been challenging in ways I expected and in many ways I wasn’t prepared for. Moving to New York has made me aware of how large the theater industry is because it can feel the theater department at Dartmouth is so small. It can make you feel very small when you realize how many other people there are out there who are doing the exact same thing. I think the biggest challenge for me has been finding ways of keeping in touch with myself and staying healthy physically and mentally.Almost every day I wonder why I am doing this — I could be pursuing something more administrative, maybe work in an office. One of the things I’m finding about being an actor is that it can feed your soul in a way that can feel very satisfying and makes you feel very alive. But when you’re just starting out it doesn’t pay the bills and in order to get to the place where you are producing what you want artistically in some form regularly, you have to do work that isn’t as satisfying mentally, but will pay your bills and rent.
Can you talk about your apprenticeship at the Williamstown Theater Festival this summer?
CG: I wanted to do something that would bridge the time between graduation and the time that I would be moving out from home and so I decided to apply and got into the apprenticeship program. It was a really eye-opening experience — I learned so much about the world of professional theater, especially the world of professional theater in New York.The Williamstown apprenticeship program is a program for young actors, many of whom have either just graduated or are still in school. The idea is to give young artists a view into world of professional theater. My job as an apprentice was primarily to assist the main stage production with lighting, working on scenery and carpentry and doing work calls, as well as being on at least one backstage work crew. We also get some experience acting in small shows for the rest of company — there was a late night cabaret series that I was involved in as an apprentice.
What work are you doing now?
CG: I’ve just been cast in a show with a small company called AlphaNYC. We’re doing a production of “An Ideal Husband” by Oscar Wilde [(1895)]. That’s very exciting — I haven’t done anything for a couple months, so this is my first opportunity to get back on my feet. The first show I did in New York was part of a small theater festival called the Bad Theater festival, which looking back is very ironic and appropriate.
When did you become interested in pursuing theater?
CG: I came to Dartmouth thinking I was going to be a music major. I was kind of interested in musical theater and I took “Acting 1” my freshman fall, and I fell in love with it and decided to declare a theater major my sophomore year.
What interested you about theater?
CG: I was very interested in theater history classes and sort of the more practical side of theater — how theater responds to society, responds to current events and to different parts of the human condition. I think a big change in my interest happened my sophomore year, beginning with taking theater history classes and then learning more about writing and culminating with my thesis my senior spring where I wrote a piece.
What do you appreciate most about the experience of writing your senior thesis now, looking back?
CG: Looking back what I really appreciated was the autonomy that was given to me by the entire theater department. I miss that now that I’m going to open calls and hoping someone will notice me and see me. As an actor you are always at someone’s beck and call — you’re at the hands of casting directors and other people. What I really appreciate about having the experience of my thesis was being able to have a say over what I showed people and not having to rely on a casting director to say, “This is how we see you and this is how we want to cast you.”
What aspects of your Dartmouth and your liberal arts education do you appreciate now?
CG: My professor Jamie Horton said that one of the most important things that any person in the theater world can do is speak the languages of different theater artists so as an actor being able to understand the language of a director or costumer or stage manager and being able to understand how the different aspects of a theater production come together and how each operates on their own. My education at Dartmouth in theater was so good at providing me with that. The theater major requires students to take classes in theater history, to take design classes, to push themselves out of things they would normally be drawn to. I’m grateful that I had that experience at Dartmouth.Are you interested in pursuing a graduate degree in theater?
CG: It’s something I’ve definitely thought about — I haven’t really made a decision yet. Ideally I’d like to spend one to three years in New York putting in some time and gaining some experience and deciding if this is the path I want to take. I think what’s best for me at this point is to learn how to be an adult, how to be a human.
What advice would you give to Dartmouth students looking to pursue theater after graduation?
CG: I would say remain open and find routines and behavioral things that keep you healthy physically and mentally and be prepared for things that aren’t the best work. I was doing things that weren’t close to the level of work that I was doing at Dartmouth or things that I was capable of doing. I would say be as open to as many opportunities as you can, but don’t be afraid to protect your own integrity and your own health.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
