Waiting for the play to begin, he isolates himself offstage. With his undivided attention, he asks himself how he will be able to inspire his audience.

Freshman Thomas Schartner is a professional actor on the Dionysian team. He performed in his first play in fourth grade and has been performing in plays ever since. He got into acting by attending a summer acting camp the year prior to his first play. He has always wanted to act even before performing on stage.

“Before I started doing theatre I kind of looked at my life as like a reality show,” Schartner said. “I felt like there was always cameras watching me. Now that I’m really into theatre, I’m always kind of being a different person. I like putting myself into someone else’s shoes, just to see what it’s like for that day. It gets fun, especially when people don’t know when you’re doing it.”

Schartner was originally going to attend his local public school but was not willing to invest himself in the undeveloped theater program that his public school had to offer. He looked at a few private schools and fell in love with the people involved in De Smet’s theatre program.

In addition to performing in school plays, Schartner also performs in professional productions at places like The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

“The experience of being in a professional production is something that is incredible,” Schartner said. “A lot of people I’ve met through doing theatre are big role models; people that I look up to, especially on the professional level. I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of professionals who are really inspiring with what they do. I’ve learned a lot from them.”

Without a doubt, Schartner has a passion for acting.

“The best part about acting is being able to inspire someone else through a story and being able to share that story as the person who’s telling the story. I think that’s a big thing; being able to be someone else and use your experiences to become that person.”