BY: Olivia Crutchfield
The thing you become passionate about over the course of your life may have been something you never would have thought in a million years would soon be a part of who you are as a person. With the help of encouraging parents and the universe placing you exactly where you need to be at that moment, you can be surprised as to how your path changes instantly.
Kodi Robertson is no stranger to the stage or entertaining people. For Robertson, acting and theatre was his way out of a predictable future. Robertson not only realizes how impactful theatre has been on his personal life, but also how theatre in our society can help people see through different lenses. “The performing arts are, and always have been, important to society strictly because people have been telling stories for years. Stories help us teach, explain, and entertain our friends and families. Without the performing arts we would not be able to progress together as the human race.”
Robertson explains, “Stories like Child’s Play and Fences help audiences understand the mindset and lives of people who suffer from abuse and from racial tension. Television shows like “The Newsroom” have brought forth ideas such as the famous “America is not the greatest country in the world anymore…” Speech. This helps us understand how we can better ourselves not just as a country, but also as individuals.” Robertson has been a part of the engine that has been catapulting Theatre AUM to the forefront of people’s minds. He was a part of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival nominated show Woyzeck and has been nominated for the KCACTF Irene Ryan acting award more than once.
This isn’t even close to all of Robertson’s accomplishments, and he thanks Theatre AUM immensely for its impact on him and his craft. “I will owe Theatre AUM the majority, if not all, of my success if I am fortunate enough to make it into the film industry. I had to make the difficult choice of transferring from a different theatre program after spending my first year of college trying hard to gain a foothold in said school. When I transferred to AUM, I was promised immediate change, and I was given exactly what I was promised. I thank God every day I called Neil David Seibel the fall before my first semester here at AUM. From my first performance in AUM’s “40th Anniversary Showcase” to my recent production of Child’s Play, I’ve grown as a performer and as a person.”
The professors that land on our path in life can leave an impression on us, but the professors that make up Theatre AUM leave positive and life-long impressions on their students. “If it hadn’t been for Neil David, Val and Mike Winkelman, and Sam Wallace, I don’t think I would have the confidence to even pursue this business. Without Theatre AUM, I would have settled for a different degree at a different school. I only hope that I can further my career and do justice to the program that helped me get to where I wanted to be.”
Don’t miss your last few chances to see Robertson in action. He has been on some pretty big stages so far, but he has bigger ones in his future.
Follow Kodi on Instagram for behind the scenes shots on productions and so you can say you followed him on Instagram before he was famous, @kodisan.
To keep up with Theatre AUM follow them on Facebook, www.facebook.com/theatreaum/, and Instagram, @theatreaum.