Performing in his first musical at age 12 gave Darius Greogry “a rush like nothing else…. It gave me a chance to really share a story with an audience and I loved every single bit of it.”

That experience convinced him to pursue a career in theatre performance, and he describes the people in Appalachian’s Department of Theatre and Dance as driven and passionate.

“My interactions with the faculty have been nothing but positive,” he said.

“The faculty definitely wants you to succeed whether you are pursuing technical theatre, theatre education, general theatre or theatre performance.”

Gregory has been active in departmental student organizations and is an officer in the Musical Theatre Club and Playcrafters. His Musical Theatre Club productions include “The Rocky Horror Show” and “Urinetown” and the department’s production of “Kiss Me Kate.”

He is an accomplished dancer and is pursuing a minor in dance. He is also the recipient of the Ed Pilkington Scholarship for a promising performance major interested in acting.

When he graduates, Gregory said he hopes to intern at a theatre or dance company and then join a theatre touring company to build his professional theatre resume so he can earn enough credits to be a part of the Actors’ Equity Association.

“The beautiful thing about this department is that you get to learn about all areas of theatre regardless of what your concentration is. The faculty helped me learn about a lot of things in theatre that I did not know about prior to coming to college,” he said. In addition, the performance-based classes “really teach you a lot about yourself as an artist.”

His advice to prospective students: “If you are interested in theatre performance, you should definitely come to Appalachian State. The department is small and the faculty and students are on a first-name basis. The faculty legitimately cares about each of the students and they are some of the most intelligent people I know.”