Luke Lenza from The Dream of The Burning Boy
By Matthew Freihofner ‘15
Here is my interview with Luke Lenza the lead from USC’s play, The Dream of The Burning Boy. He is currently a senior at USC and in the School of Dramatic Arts.
M: Congratulations on the show it was fantastic
L: Thank you, I’m glad you could make it.
M: How many times did you perform this show?
L: We had five shows and one open dress rehearsal.
M: Wow that’s a lot, you must feel relieved. For those who weren’t able to make it can you briefly tell us what the play was about?
L: The play takes place in a high school and starts with a super star student who dies at the beginning. The play is about his friends, family, and teacher coping with the loss and the ramifications of his death. My character, Larry, is his teacher and you find out half way through the play that he is also the student’s father.
M: Was this your first time being a lead?
L: Yes it was my first SDA production as lead. I’ve done independent productions outside of school where I’ve played the lead but this was the first official one through the school.
M: How did it compare with plays you’ve done with SDA in the past?
L: It was different. A lot of the show’s we’ve done in the past are ensemble based. Meaning that everyone is balanced in terms of roles for the show. We’ve done plays where we have shared roles, switching off night to night. Those are fun and it let’s you see the play and characters from different angles. This time around was definitely a different experience. It didn’t change the way I worked or prepared but being on set for 6 out of 8 scenes was a new experience and exactly what you want as an actor.
M: Was it more difficult than you expected?
L: It was difficult in different ways. This play was more like doing a professional production than our normal SDA plays. They brought in a director, Edward Edwards, from out of school who had directed this play before. So there was no coddling. No “Oh I don’t feel this way” or “I don’t know if I’m comfortable doing that”. Normally we work with our teacher who knows all of us really well and our strengths and weakness or insecurities. Which is why it felt much more professional. You had to show up on time be prepared and there weren’t any excuses. It was difficult but a completely new and challenging experience.
M: What is the program within the SDA that your involved in?
L: The way it works in the SDA as far as degrees is a bachelors in theatre, which is pretty all encompassing. You can become an actor, a set designer, sound director, etc… Then there is also a bachelor of fine arts in acting. I’m a BFA and the main difference is that you have to audition. When I was applying to USC I also had to audition a long with my regular application to the school. It’s a smaller group. They give out somewhere between 20 and 30 invitations per year and it usually ends up at around 20 kids. Now were down to 14 from people who have transferred or decided they want to do different things.
M: That’s must be really interesting working with such a small group of people for four years.
L: Yeah it is. That aspect of the work provides for some interesting opportunities. You know each other so well and you get to watch each other grow as you yourself grow in acting. Coming to the tail end of that now as a senior we’re all sort of getting more professionally minded and ready for the real world. Its been a really cool journey and amazing to be a part of.
M: How many shows have you guys done together?
L: We’ve done 4 and this last show they split us up in to two different groups for two different plays. They cast us separately for each.
M: What was the other show?
L: It already happened. It’s called, To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday. It was in the same space as our show, the Scene Dock Theatre. They performed and then we went immediately after them.
M: How did you first get involved in acting?
L: I first became involved in acting when I was in either 3rd or 4th grade. My parents and my sister were involved in a lot of the school plays so I saw all of that from a young age. I always thought these kids were having so much fun so I wanted to be involved as soon as I could. So in 5th grade I started a drama club in my elementary school. My mom helped get some teachers and we put on a skit for them and they would review them afterwards. Funny enough the club is actually still there. It’s sort of like my funny little legacy from elementary school. That was my first intro into theatre and drama and I’ve been doing it steadily ever since. I would do one show a year and then it sort of scaled up the older I got. It brought me from New Jersey to California.
M: What was the first show you did at USC?
L: The first show I did at USC was actually and independent production called, Here’s The Thing.
M: So independent meaning uninvolved with the USC theatre program?
L: Yes not affiliated with the school but it was still here. They rented a space.
M: How do you get involved in these?
L: Well you keep your ear open about show’s happening and then you have to audition when you find one your interested in.
M: What type of acting do you plan on perusing in the future and do you think you will continue with theatre?
L: I want to continue with theater. I definitely also want to get involved with film and television though. But it’s whatever is right for me. Ill do anything. My sort of dream jobs would be an HBO series a comedy drama sort of thing, or something on pay cable or Netflix. I would love to do that.
M: Best of luck, thank you.
