Junior CJ Roche has dreamed of performing in plays and singing on stage from a very young age. At Geneseo, he has embraced his goals by participating in Musical Theatre Club, Between the Lines and a variety of plays and musicals from “Equus” to “Anything Goes.”
Roche said that one of his favorite parts of acting is getting into character.
“I really love the beginning of a rehearsal process when I get to channel what makes [the character] tick, why they say certain things that they say, why they react to other people in the show the way that they do,” he said.
Roche said that his favorite acting experience so far was playing Marius in “Les Misérables” during his senior year of high school. Another of his favorites was playing Fredrik Egerman in “A Little Night Music” at Geneseo during his freshman year.
“I was the only freshman in a prominent role in the play, so it was an interesting dynamic,” he said.
Notably, he also played the role of the tall and dynamic Horse in “Equus,” his theater debut at Geneseo. The play depicts a disturbed boy who becomes enamored with horses.
“[‘Equus’ is] a really weird play; it’s a really well-written play. Quite an interesting introduction to theater at Geneseo,” he said.
While Roche is interested in pursuing theatrical endeavors, he is not dead set on strictly performance as a potential career. He said he wanted to pursue something he “would enjoy but [would] look good to potential employers,” so he added a major in communication alongside his theater major.
This process was very deliberate for Roche, who is interested in pursuing theater business if his own performance career doesn’t work out.
“That’s what I love about Geneseo: how willing and flexible [the college is] to accommodate double majors,” he said.
No matter what happens, Roche plans to dedicate his life to theater and performing.
“I love just being on the stage and sharing a story with the audience,” Roche said. “I think that’s the root of why I love to do what I do.”