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Lillian Whelan

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Bio

I am Lillian Whelan, an 20-year-old Theatre Education and Performance Major at Emerson College. My life goal is to create an inclusive theatre company where I can lift up those who thought they might not be able to participate in theatre. I want to create a safe space for children of all ages and backgrounds to express themselves through the arts. It is also my mission to provide theatre opportunities to those who might not be able to afford it.

Education

Emerson College

Bachelor's degree program
2020 - 2024
  • Majors:
    • Fine and Studio Arts
    • Education, General
    • Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Master's degree program

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Education

    • Dream career goals:

      Theatre Arts Educator and Director

    • Camp Counselor

      Seacoast Repertory Theater
      2022 – 2022
    • Music Teacher

      Independent
      2019 – Present5 years
    • Camp Counselor

      Garrison Theatre
      2016 – 20182 years
    • Counselor in Training

      Upside Arts
      2019 – 20201 year
    • Waitress

      Fogarty's Restaurant
      2018 – Present6 years
    • Substitute Teacher

      MSAD #35
      2020 – Present4 years

    Sports

    Softball

    Junior Varsity
    Present

    Research

    • Present

    Arts

    • Upside Arts

      Acting
      Pippin
      2022 – 2022
    • Garrison Theatre

      Performance Art
      Seussical the Musical
      2015 – 2015
    • Prescott Park Arts Festival

      Performance Art
      The Little Mermaid , Seussical the Musical , Mary Poppins , Beauty and the Beast
      2017 – 2021
    • MSAD #35

      Performance Art
      The Jungle Book, Oliver, Alice in Wonderland, The Railway Children, Miracle on 34th Street, James and the Giant Peach, The Little Mermaid, The Pajama Game , Brigadoon, Newsies, Once on this Island, Mary Poppins
      2008 – 2021
    • Seacoast Repertory Theatre

      Performance Art
      Heathers The Musical
      2017 – 2017

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      Table of Plenty — Cook
      2010 – Present

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Volunteering

    Entrepreneurship

    Selma Luna Memorial Scholarship
    I hear the wind cue and rush on stage. I plant my feet in first position and clutch my umbrella. The lights shine on my layers of makeup and Mary Poppins costume. The audience roars with excitement. I wish everyone could experience the life-changing moments I consider a huge part of my identity. As the applause ends the scene, my eyes are stuck, not on someone in the audience, but on one of my peers. Katherine, a friend since we were 2, stood up out of her wheelchair and walked on stage. The feeding tube in her throat still caused restrictions, but with the little voice she had left she performed. There were days I knew Katherine was in pain, but her smile while taking a bow showed me how much the arts truly affected her. That feeling of belonging and community gave Katherine something to look forward to, even from her hospital bed. In the ten years I’ve been honing my theater craft, I have worked with students who enjoy music and theatre but, like Katherine, are restricted from participating due to physical or mental disabilities Music is life-changing. I am taking steps to ensure everyone can participate. I am focusing on improving as a performer and on teaching the craft that I love so dearly, whether in the classroom or as a director, in a setting where all students, no matter what they are capable of, can perform. I am currently studying theater education at Emerson college to become a person that makes these changes in the theatre community. I want to be the one to make sure every single person is included in the arts. The curtain closes and the spotlight dims. Though the lights are off, I know that I can touch the hearts of others and create a new reality to give kids with disabilities a place to shine.
    "Your Success" Youssef Scholarship
    I hear the wind cue and rush on stage. I plant my feet in first position and clutch my umbrella. The lights shine on my layers of makeup and Mary Poppins costume. I sing the first note I have practiced a million times, but in front of an audience, it becomes different; I leave my stress backstage and experience the world for the first time. The audience roars with excitement. Throughout the performance, I watch people crack a smile and fall into the story. I wish everyone could experience the life-changing moments I consider a huge part of my identity. We are all born a blank slate. Each human interaction is a new line drawn and each color brings this picture to life. Each giggle or tear shed adds to this picture and forms our identity. Every hand I shake and every child that runs up to me after the show constructs my canvas-- performing and making others happy. As the applause ends the scene, my eyes are stuck, not on someone in the audience, but on one of my peers. Katherine, a friend since we were 2, stood up out of her wheelchair and walked on stage. The feeding tube in her throat still caused restrictions, but with the little voice she had left she performed. There were days I knew Katherine was in pain, but her smile while taking a bow showed me how much the arts truly affected her. When on stage, the energy from every performer comes together to form magic. That feeling of belonging and community gave Katherine something to look forward to, even from her hospital bed. In the ten years I’ve been honing my theater craft, I have worked with students who enjoy music and theatre but, like Katherine, are restricted from participating due to physical or mental disabilities. My dream is to help all kids perform, so I have proposed an after school program at my high school that unifies all children through the arts and introduces basic acting, singing, and dancing to students who are not usually able to participate in musicals. At the end of the program, students showcase what they have learned in front of their family and friends. Music is life-changing. I am taking steps to ensure everyone can participate. I am focusing on improving as a performer and on teaching the craft that I love so dearly, whether in the classroom or as a director, in a setting where all students, no matter what they are capable of, can perform. I am going to continue theater studies in the college classroom and through extracurricular programs and community service. I would love to perform professionally, and I am going to construct opportunities for others to add to the design of their own canvases. Though the children don’t believe what Mary Poppins is teaching them is real, she is creating a reality. Performing as Mary Poppins taught me that I can create a new reality. As I run on stage to take my bow, I look around the auditorium. I understand the performance I completed was not only a new line on my canvas but a line on Katherine’s too. It was also a line on every single audience member's canvas. The curtain closes and the spotlight dims. Though the lights are off, I know that I can touch the hearts of others and create a new reality to give kids with disabilities a place to shine.
    Kozakov Foundation Arts Fellowship
    I hear the wind cue and rush on stage. I plant my feet in first position and clutch my umbrella. The lights shine on my layers of makeup and Mary Poppins costume. I sing the first note I have practiced a million times, but in front of an audience, it becomes different; I leave my stress backstage and experience the world for the first time. The audience roars with excitement. Throughout the performance, I watch people crack a smile and fall into the story. I wish everyone could experience the life-changing moments I consider a huge part of my identity. We are all born a blank slate. Each human interaction is a new line drawn and each color brings this picture to life. Each giggle or tear shed adds to this picture and forms our identity. Every hand I shake and every child that runs up to me after the show constructs my canvas-- performing and making others happy. As the applause ends the scene, my eyes are stuck, not on someone in the audience, but on one of my peers. Katherine, a friend since we were 2, stood up out of her wheelchair and walked on stage. The feeding tube in her throat still caused restrictions, but with the little voice she had left she performed. There were days I knew Katherine was in pain, but her smile while taking a bow showed me how much the arts truly affected her. When on stage, the energy from every performer comes together to form magic. That feeling of belonging and community gave Katherine something to look forward to, even from her hospital bed. In the ten years I’ve been honing my theater craft, I have worked with students who enjoy music and theatre but, like Katherine, are restricted from participating due to physical or mental disabilities. My dream is to help all kids perform, so I have proposed an after school program at my high school that unifies all children through the arts and introduces basic acting, singing, and dancing to students who are not usually able to participate in musicals. At the end of the program, students showcase what they have learned in front of their family and friends. Music is life-changing. I am taking steps to ensure everyone can participate. I am focusing on improving as a performer and on teaching the craft that I love so dearly, whether in the classroom or as a director, in a setting where all students, no matter what they are capable of, can perform. I am going to continue theater studies in the college classroom and through extracurricular programs and community service. I would love to perform professionally, and I am going to construct opportunities for others to add to the design of their own canvases. Though the children don’t believe what Mary Poppins is teaching them is real, she is creating a reality. Performing as Mary Poppins taught me that I can create a new reality. As I run on stage to take my bow, I look around the auditorium. I understand the performance I completed was not only a new line on my canvas but a line on Katherine’s too. It was also a line on every single audience member's canvas. The curtain closes and the spotlight dims. Though the lights are off, I know that I can touch the hearts of others and create a new reality to give kids with disabilities a place to shine.
    Ocho Cares Artistry Scholarship
    I hear the wind cue and rush on stage. I plant my feet in first position and clutch my umbrella. The lights shine on my layers of makeup and Mary Poppins costume. I sing the first note I have practiced a million times, but in front of an audience, it becomes different; I leave my stress backstage and experience the world for the first time. The audience roars with excitement. Throughout the performance, I watch people crack a smile and fall into the story. I wish everyone could experience the life-changing moments I consider a huge part of my identity. We are all born a blank slate. Each human interaction is a new line drawn and each color brings this picture to life. Each giggle or tear shed adds to this picture and forms our identity. Every hand I shake and every child that runs up to me after the show constructs my canvas-- performing and making others happy. As the applause ends the scene, my eyes are stuck, not on someone in the audience, but on one of my peers. Katherine, a friend since we were 2, stood up out of her wheelchair and walked on stage. The feeding tube in her throat still caused restrictions, but with the little voice she had left she performed. There were days I knew Katherine was in pain, but her smile while taking a bow showed me how much the arts truly affected her. When on stage, the energy from every performer comes together to form magic. That feeling of belonging and community gave Katherine something to look forward to, even from her hospital bed. In the ten years I’ve been honing my theater craft, I have worked with students who enjoy music and theatre but, like Katherine, are restricted from participating due to physical or mental disabilities. My dream is to help all kids perform, so I have proposed an after school program at my high school that unifies all children through the arts and introduces basic acting, singing, and dancing to students who are not usually able to participate in musicals. At the end of the program, students showcase what they have learned in front of their family and friends. The arts are life-changing. I am taking steps to ensure everyone can participate. I am focusing on improving as a performer and on teaching the craft that I love so dearly, whether in the classroom or as a director, in a setting where all students, no matter what they are capable of, can perform. I am going to continue theater studies in the college classroom and through extracurricular programs and community service. I would love to perform professionally, and I am going to construct opportunities for others to add to the design of their own canvases. Though the children don’t believe what Mary Poppins is teaching them is real, she is creating a reality. Performing as Mary Poppins taught me that I can create a new reality. As I run on stage to take my bow, I look around the auditorium. I understand the performance I completed was not only a new line on my canvas but a line on Katherine’s too. It was also a line on every single audience member's canvas. The curtain closes and the spotlight dims. Though the lights are off, I know that I can touch the hearts of others and create a new reality to give kids with disabilities a place to shine.
    Dale Dance Scholarship
    I hear the wind cue and rush on stage. I plant my feet in first position and clutch my umbrella. The lights shine on my layers of makeup and Mary Poppins costume. I sing the first note I have practiced a million times, but in front of an audience, it becomes different; I leave my stress backstage and experience the world for the first time. The audience roars with excitement. Throughout the performance, I watch people crack a smile and fall into the story. I wish everyone could experience the life-changing moments I consider a huge part of my identity. We are all born a blank slate. Each human interaction is a new line drawn and each color brings this picture to life. Each giggle or tear shed adds to this picture and forms our identity. Every hand I shake and every child that runs up to me after the show constructs my canvas-- performing and making others happy. As the applause ends the scene, my eyes are stuck, not on someone in the audience, but on one of my peers. Katherine, a friend since we were 2, stood up out of her wheelchair and walked on stage. The feeding tube in her throat still caused restrictions, but with the little voice she had left she performed. There were days I knew Katherine was in pain, but her smile while taking a bow showed me how much the arts truly affected her. When on stage, the energy from every performer comes together to form magic. That feeling of belonging and community gave Katherine something to look forward to, even from her hospital bed. In the ten years I’ve been honing my theater craft, I have worked with students who enjoy music and theatre but, like Katherine, are restricted from participating due to physical or mental disabilities. My dream is to help all kids perform, so I have proposed an after school program at my high school that unifies all children through the arts and introduces basic acting, singing, and dancing to students who are not usually able to participate in musicals. At the end of the program, students showcase what they have learned in front of their family and friends. Music is life-changing. I am taking steps to ensure everyone can participate. I am focusing on improving as a performer and on teaching the craft that I love so dearly, whether in the classroom or as a director, in a setting where all students, no matter what they are capable of, can perform. I am going to continue theater studies in the college classroom and through extracurricular programs and community service. I would love to perform professionally, and I am going to construct opportunities for others to add to the design of their own canvases. Though the children don’t believe what Mary Poppins is teaching them is real, she is creating a reality. Performing as Mary Poppins taught me that I can create a new reality. As I run on stage to take my bow, I look around the auditorium. I understand the performance I completed was not only a new line on my canvas but a line on Katherine’s too. It was also a line on every single audience member's canvas. The curtain closes and the spotlight dims. Though the lights are off, I know that I can touch the hearts of others and create a new reality to give kids with disabilities a place to shine.