The light glared on his face as he glanced over at his co-star reciting her lines for the musical “Singin’ in the Rain.” His throat was parched, but he kept his pose. He looked out into the audience, took a deep breath, and spoke the lines that he had been preparing for weeks.

Senior Chris Washington is a four-year veteran of the theater department. He approximates that he acted in about eight plays each year and starred in four during his high school career. He was also voted Most Likely to Succeed by the senior class. Washington will attend The University of Michigan and study musical theater after graduation.

“The University of Michigan’s drama department is really competitive, so the fact that I got in was kind of amazing and that’s what made me want to go there,” Washington said.

With so many acceptances to different colleges across the country, including Yale, the influence of the people in his life helped him come to a decision to continue with drama.

“I have a lot of good friends who are pursuing drama right now,” Washington said. “They’re in college or working because they have already graduated college. My friend group is honestly the biggest influence in my decision.”

For many people acting is a form of escape, and according to Washington, people also learn about themselves through the characters that are portrayed, which he feels is the most important part.

“Drama to me means portraying someone else’s circumstances so that the audience can better understand theirs and I find it really important to do a show that teaches other people something about life,” Washington said.

Washington plans to learn more about the university he plans to attend with a visit to Michigan this summer, before he leaves officially for college in September.

“I’m really excited because I get to meet all the other members of my musical theatre class,” Washington said. “We’ve been talking online, but it will be amazing to finally meet in person.”