Photos courtesy of @CoverPhoto and Birdsall Photography
Swearingen performs with Gahanna-Lincoln High School Student Sara Tuohy in a production of Cats
In the third grade, Kyle Swearingen and his class settled down into their seats for the Dublin Jerome Kids Camp performance of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
As the lights dimmed and the show began, Swearingen’s face slowly began to light up. He had found his calling.
Now a junior at Dublin Jerome High School, Swearingen has participated in more than 20 performances since 2012. He’s acted in camps, school musicals and plays, and on community stages such as Columbus Children’s Theatre and Short North Stage.
“I’m an actor, but I like to consider myself an artist. I like all aspects of art,” says Swearingen. “My life goal is to never stop creating, because I always have this need to create.”
Swearingen’s artistry ranges from painting to reading modern plays to dancing and even aerial silks, an acrobatic performance in which fabric is used to suspend the artist.
Acting is still his biggest dream, though. And for a young adult who has already gained several awards, including the highest rating of Triple Superior at the International Thespian Awards in 2017, his accomplishments mean a bright future.
As of now, he plans to attend New York University, DePaul University or the University of Michigan for acting and integrate another passion into his performances.
“I also love ASL (American Sign Language) and the deaf community,” he says. “I would love to be able to incorporate that into my theater work.”
In 2015, Swearingen attended a deaf rendition of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening. Mostly deaf actors and actresses signed the entire performance, while the songs were sung through the characters’ perceived consciousness.
“It changed my perspective,” says Swearingen. “I would love to push the boundaries and include disabled actors in shows, because there is no reason they shouldn’t be in shows.”
Swearingen has been teaching himself ASL since he saw Spring Awakening, and plans to take classes in college. He says he would love to sign for a show or even be involved in a deaf rendition someday.
“With being an actor, I could fall flat on my face, but I’m going to go for it. I’m going to fight for it, because it is what I love to do. There is nothing that gives me that same feeling as performing on stage.” - Swearingen
But an even bigger goal is to one day direct, whether for a signed performance or an audible show.
“That idea of making a show your own, and making the idea of this play be alive on stage is so exciting to me,” he says.
Swearingen enjoys constantly meeting new people with fresh perspectives, new stories and different techniques to strengthen his skills in both directing and acting.
“I love getting to know peoples’ perspectives,” he says. “There are plenty of people in a cast, who I’m in the same show with, who look at a point in the show completely differently than I do, and they blow my mind with this new interpretation. I build off of what a lot of people talk about, but also stay true to what I think is my form.”
With a little less than two years of high school left, Swearingen says he’s excited to continue his involvement in the school’s drama club, and hopes to participate in Jerome’s One-Acts program, which allows students to direct a show of their choice.
“Being humans, there is so much we can do and express … and you have to want it more than you’re afraid of it,” says Swearingen. “With being an actor, I could fall flat on my face, but I’m going to go for it. I’m going to fight for it, because it is what I love to do. There is nothing that gives me that same feeling as performing on stage.”
Lydia Freudenberg is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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