Tea Time with Kenneth Kremer
Kenneth Kremer, senior, is a beloved member of choir and theatre, a hard worker with charisma and a kind spirit. I got the opportunity to chat with Kremer over a cup of tea.
What’s your favorite color?
“It changes all the time, but right now it’s orange.”
What is your favorite part about coming to school?
“Just being able to see my friends every day, especially in concert choir. I’ve been doing it for four years, so I’ve gotten to know them the most.”
When and why did you start theatre?
“It all started back in sixth grade, when I went to middle school. I was usually a shy kid- I still am now, I don’t like to start conversations. When I saw this poster saying ‘Hey we have auditions for this new show: Willy Wonka Junior, and I was like, ‘you know what, that would be kind of interesting.’ So, I auditioned, and I got the part of Charlie Bucket, which was super exciting and my first ever opportunity to do something like that. Being able to collaborate and just help each other [the other actors] improve over the process; it was just an amazing feeling, which is why I keep doing it every single year.”
Do you plan on continuing acting?
“I’m not sure yet; it depends on where I go to college. I’ll probably look around for separate and different companies, and see if they are doing musicals because I’m a singer kid, so that would be extra fun.”
What is your favorite part about acting?
“I’d probably say that I have two favorite things. Number one is being able to know exactly what you need to say because sometimes I don’t know exactly how to say certain things in normal conversations. But if you are reading a script, you have the exact words that you need to memorize. I’d say the second thing is being able to work with different characters. It’s just a very flexible process that you get to accomplish because it’s your character, like how he or she acts, it’s all in your free thinking. The limit is your imagination.”
If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be and why?
“I’d probably say, if anything, it would be my usual at Panda Express. I get a bowl and it’s fried rice, teriyaki chicken, and broccoli beef. It has just a little bit of everything and I never get tired of it.”
What is your go-to feel good song?
“As a theatre kid, I’m always into musical-type songs, so I usually stick to albums like Newsies and Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton, and stuff like that. They’re always very catchy, especially when you listen to them so many times that the lyrics are stuck in your head.”
How do you think you have changed since freshman year?
“Knowing that I was a freshman, I knew that there were some limits to what I could do. Like, of course I couldn’t get the lead roles at first, or I couldn’t get leadership skills at first, because that’s a job for the seniors, because it’s their last time. So instead, I took that opportunity to learn how the seniors were using their leadership roles. If there was a situation that past seniors were in, I would look at how I would do it, and then I would compare it to how they reacted to it, and I would probably save that in my memory for later because it helps in the future. Like if they do a certain thing, and it results in something even worse, in the future I’m not gonna copy that mistake.”
What advice do you have for younger high schoolers as a senior?
“As a senior, I’d probably say: don’t waste your time here. If you hate going to school every day, then try to find as many opportunities as you can. Go to a whole bunch of clubs, take different classes that interest you the most, because you’re gonna look back at school and you’re gonna think: ‘I did not enjoy this procedure, because I learned a lot, but I don’t know what it’s gonna help. It wasn’t fun.’ But, if you find stuff that you enjoy, then do those things, because you’re going to find friends within those clubs that match your same interests, and you’re gonna have closer bonds with them, and that makes the experience more fun.”
