Forrest Bunter, freshman music education major, became involved in theater in high school, after a production of Alice in Wonderland. Bunter will be playing the role of Mr. Feldzieg in the Southern Theatre adaptation of The Drowsy Chaperone.

When did you first take interest in theatre?

Whenever I was in high school, my freshman year of high school. I had a friend in band who was auditioning for the play. It was Alice in Wonderland. And I snuck in on her audition because she kind of wanted some moral support. I kind of ended up just staying there and watching everybody audition. It seemed like something I really wanted to do, so I auditioned and it’s been part of my life ever since.

How long have you been acting and what are some of the performances you have been in?

I would say that I’ve been acting since high school. I was in the majority of plays the high school put on, Alice in Wonderland was my first play. We did a lot; we did Camelot and a couple other things. My senior year, my last year, we did Wizard of Oz and that was also really fun.

What is your favorite role that you have played, and why?

I would definitely have to say the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz, just because you get to be over the top and those are just sometimes the most fun roles to play cause you get to express all of your expressions not only some of them.

What is it like to play the role of Mr. Feldzieg in the upcoming production of The Drowsy Chaperone?

It’s a lot of fun, it’s been a little bit of a process trying to figure out who he is, but I think I’ve definitely got a hold of that. It’s a really fun character because he kind of manipulates, he’s a little bit of a pot-stirrer in a couple spots, so that’s always a fun role to be in.

What first inspired you to audition for The Drowsy Chaperone?

I saw the posters around the music department, and throughout high school I really enjoyed being in plays and musicals. I knew it was a big time commitment, but I love the art form, I love performing, so it was just kind of a perfect fit for me.

Do you ever feel nervous when you go into an audition?

Yes, all the time. There’s never a non-nervous audition but, on that, you find ways to try and get over that nervous; maybe not get over but hide it.

Have you ever had a bad audition in the past?

Yes. I had memorized like a small little monologue for a school play and I got up there, and I had gotten it the night before, ‘cause I didn’t know what to do. It was my first audition for a play. I didn’t know what I was doing, and so I found a poem and thought, this sounds good, the night before, and I didn’t have it memorized. I just kind of fudged my way through and stumbled along.

What kind of roles do you most like to portray on stage?

I like smart roles; roles that are clever. Cleverly put together and layered, I really like those. I mean, it’s fun to be a character, but then once you find the layers underneath that and try to bring that to life so the audience can see, that’s really a fun character to portray.

What role would you most like to play?

I don’t really know. I’ve never really thought about that. I love, like, with musical theater, I just like it all. Actually, I do have one, in Xanadu, I would want to be the protagonist, whatever his name is … I can’t remember. But I think that would be fun.

Who are some of your favorite actors/actresses, on stage or in film?

I really enjoy Sutton Foster, who was in the original Broadway cast production of this musical. I really enjoy Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth. Actually they were kind of the two that my mom bought a CD of Wicked, and I had never really paid attention to a lot of different music or anything, so this was kind of cool, and I developed an interest through it that way, with those people.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

 I would say emotion, especially for a character, because I’m an emotional person, so I like to portray emotion, but also just energy, just pure energy, because energy’s really important for anything.

What do you like to do in your down time?

Sleep.