Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Madeline Weinstein is a junior studying theater at Western Oregon. Originally hailing from Seattle, Washington, Weinstein didn’t have much enthusiasm for the idea of college after her graduation from high school.

“It’s really cheesy, but then I visited Western Oregon, I was very hesitant. And then I realized, this is a very friendly place. People are waving ‘hi’ to each other, even on the weekends,” Weinstein said.

After visiting Western, Weinstein knew she wanted to apply.

“My mom actually said something that is going to stick with me forever, and it’s: ‘pick a school where you feel comfortable walking into a room and feeling confident that someone would help you,’” commented Weinstein, “that was the deciding factor.”

Weinstein had plenty of acting experience when she started at Western. She acted in all twelve shows that her high school produced in her four years there. In fact, Weinstein’s main inspiration was her high school drama teacher. Because of that one teacher, she decided to get her bachelor’s degree in theater and then continue on to get her master’s degree in education.

Weinstein hopes to relocate back to Washington after graduating to teach high school drama; “I want to give back and inspire my high schoolers,” she remarked.

Since coming to Western, Weinstein has participated in multiple shows in a various number of capacities. As a first-year, she was responsible for the sound in Western’s production of “Shakespeare in Hollywood.” She has also been a part of paint crew, and has acted in one-acts and ten-minute plays.

“Even if I don’t get into the main stage shows, I know that there’s still a chance for me to act in the one-acts and the ten minutes,” said Weinstein.

Something that Weinstein loves about the theater program is that “they don’t always put the ‘perfect’ actors in there, they put people who they know can learn from the experience and… who can grow more.”

Overall, Weinstein’s experience in the artistic community at Western has been positive: “I’m not a number, I’m an actual person with a name.”

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton