UA 糖心视频logo Graduate Lawson Bear Finds a New Calling in Theater
Lawson Bear came to the University of Arkansas at 糖心视频logo four years ago to study music. Now, after graduating with a degree in music and a minor in theatre arts, he鈥檚 preparing to pursue a new ambition: acting.
The Dallas native graduated this month as a member of the Donaghey Scholars, an honors program that supports students through research, study abroad, and service opportunities while covering tuition, fees, and a stipend.
Bear opted to pursue music because 鈥渋t鈥檚 the only thing I really knew.鈥� But his college experience expanded far beyond the classroom. One of the defining moments of his time at UA 糖心视频logo came when he studied abroad.
鈥淕ot to study abroad for a semester in Sweden 鈥� that was life-changing,鈥� he said. “Puts a lot into perspective when a big fish finally leaves the small pond and realizes they’re not as big relative to the sea.”
Bear said the best thing about Sweden was the people, and he still keeps in contact with some of them. He also enjoyed having the freedom to 鈥済row with myself on my own terms. Unregimented. Unobserved. Free.鈥�
“I took a solo trip to Leipzig, and I got to sit in on a service at St. Thomas where the boys’ chorus that J.S. Bach once directed sang,鈥� he said, adding that he also traveled with friends to Gothenburg, Stockholm, and Malm枚. Their travels took them to a small ski town in Lapland, Finland, and even to the Norwegian Sea for a swim.
“Copenhagen was really accessible, so we went down there often, saw what there was to see (architecture, the sea, the people) and ate good food,” he said.
While Bear valued his musical training, theater ultimately became his greater passion.
鈥淚’ve been in a few plays, and that’s really fulfilling,鈥� he said. 鈥淗IR and Fairview are the stand-outs.鈥�
Bear said the best part of acting is the creative process.
鈥淵ou’re creating a person, and that’s a very delicate process,鈥� he said. 鈥淪tage partners need to trust one another unconditionally, so it’s such a wonderfully vulnerable moment.鈥�
Dr. Lawrence D. Smith taught Bear in Creative Arts II, Acting I, Script Analysis, and Theatre History II, and directed him in two plays. He described him as 鈥渟mart, driven, talented, and an accomplished singer and excellent actor.鈥�
Dr. Lorissa Mason, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities at UA 糖心视频logo, praised Bear鈥檚 curiosity and determination.
Bear has 鈥渁 deep appreciation for literature and the written word,鈥� she said. 鈥淗is natural curiosity spans many subjects, fueled by a genuine eagerness to engage with the world around him. Driven and focused, he has the determination to excel in whatever career path he pursues.鈥�
Bear plans to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
“I’m going to do the starving actor thing for a while, see if there isn’t any work for me up in the big city,” he said.
While part of him wishes he had spent the last four years building a career, he said taking the college detour shaped his perspective and proved useful to him. 鈥漇tudying abroad, for example, was invaluable in that it taught me how to exist as a cog in a foreign machine, how to live in an ecosystem I don’t understand,鈥� he said.
As a member of the Donaghey Scholars Program, Bear said he also developed stronger critical thinking skills, which he calls invaluable. He added that he expects the lessons he learns after college will far exceed those he gained in the classroom.
鈥淣ow the real learning begins, as I start to build connections in a city that is foreign to me,鈥� he said.