A Rising Star

到三年级时，15岁的韦斯利·巴恩斯(Wesley Barnes)就知道自己想要做什么:表演.

Since graduating from Concordia University Irvine, the New York City resident's career has flourished, with appearances in Magic of the Dance in Germany and Taiwan, a production of In the Heights at Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas, the play Choir Boy at the Briggs Opera House in Vermont, and The Scottsboro Boys at Phoenix Theatre in Arizona.

那么，一个来自洛杉矶中南部的孩子是如何在世界各地的戏剧作品中表演的呢?

在巴恩斯的成长过程中，他看到其他人屈服于他所在社区的苦难. 对巴恩斯来说，在艺术中找到一个出口就像一盏安慰的灯塔指引着他.

“(洛杉矶中南部)是一个你能看到和听到很多东西的地方, 所以你被迫成长得比你想的要快一点," he said. “我有些朋友和家人的故事和我的不太一样..."

对于一个有天赋和决心的人来说，一所好学校可以带来不同. 在参加了一次大学招聘会后，巴恩斯在欧文的康考迪亚大学找到了一份非常合适的工作.

这所私立路德教会大学吸引他的因素包括它强烈的社区意识, personal attention from faculty, 还有第一年上戏剧课的能力.

"... I loved that class sizes were small," he continued. “我喜欢你不局限于一个学习领域. I loved that I didn't have to wait to be in productions, as other schools would make you wait two years. 康考迪亚大学欧文分校是一个地方，我知道我会得到关注，我需要培养和(使我)成长为一个艺术家, student, human being, and believer, 这是我以前在学校没有考虑过的一个加分项."

崔是一个地方，我知道我会得到关注，我需要培养和(使我)成长为一个艺术家, student, human being, and believer, 这是我以前在学校没有考虑过的一个加分项.

A star is born

大约在三年级的时候，巴恩斯得到了多里安的角色 the Wizard of Oz.

“那一刻我意识到，不仅仅是教会里的人认为我有才华," Barnes said.  

他的天赋使他进入了洛杉矶县艺术高中. As a senior, 他把目光投向了专门的音乐学院项目和以戏剧项目闻名的大学. 康考迪亚大学欧文分校(Concordia University Irvine)还没有引起他的注意，直到他参加了一次大学招聘会，并与招生顾问交谈. 那次谈话促使巴恩斯参加了康考迪亚大学欧文分校的美术预展日.

A welcoming campus

"From the moment my mother and I pulled up to the gate, I was impressed by the beauty of the campus," Barnes said. “在整个访问过程中，我对我所受到的热情好客感到惊讶. 我见到了学生和教职员工，他们和我分享了他们的经历. I felt at home. 我觉得这是一个需要我的地方." 

巴恩斯于2011年开始在欧文的康考迪亚大学就读, 主修戏剧表演，以表演和导演为主，辅修音乐剧和传播学.

From the outset, his talents made a strong impression. 他在舞台剧《博彩平台网址大全》中扮演哑巴，他的表演为他赢得了奥斯卡金像奖的提名 Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). 这是他获得一系列表演奖学金提名中的第一个. During his senior year, he was one of ten finalists.

His subsequent roles included a starring role in Footloose and playing George in The Drowsy Chaperone-在康考迪亚大学欧文分校制作的作品中，巴恩斯也是他与康考迪亚大学欧文分校的一位导师合作的助理编舞, choreography and dance instructor Tyson Garner.

During his senior year at Concordia University Irvine, 巴恩斯在加纳的舞蹈工作室和休斯顿音乐学院教授音乐剧舞蹈和踢踏舞, appeared in Concordia University Irvine productions of Proof and Reckless并在这部四人音乐剧中进行了编舞和表演 Songs for a New World.

除了他在尔湾康考迪亚大学的戏剧表演, he also participated in two choirs, 康考迪亚的戏剧部和康考迪亚大学欧文分校的舞蹈团, 除了担任各种学生领导角色之外. Wesley also took on-campus jobs to help with tuition.

在康考迪亚大学期间，韦斯利找到了几位导师来帮助他. 戏剧教授Tony Vezner和Lori Siekmann对他来说就像父母一样, 生物学教授罗德·索珀花时间在生物课上帮助他成长. 他的一份校内工作的主管Kamaura Taylor也成为了他的导师.

There's no limit to the stories that we can tell. We get to actually be a part of the narrative. It's expression; it's life. We get to hold a mirror up to society and comment on it. It's a beautiful thing.

回顾他在康考迪亚大学欧文分校的经历，巴恩斯对自己的经历充满感激.   

他说:“康考迪亚给了我一直都知道自己缺少的信心。. "... 他们在我身上看到的潜力是我所能要求的最大的祝福. 他们告诉我，我拥有成为一名专业演员所需的所有技能, and that the only thing standing in my way was me. "

A bright future

除了他在全国各地和国际上的表演, Barnes is also a house manager at St. Luke's Off Broadway Theatre and Second Stage Theatre, 也是纽约68美分剧团的一员. 目前，巴恩斯正在为即将到来的一场演出编舞， String of Pearls, with the 68 Cent Crew Theatre Company, 演员阵容包括康考迪亚大学14年级的学生劳伦·温嫩伯格和15年级的亚历山德拉·多明格斯.   

As he looks to the future, 他希望有一天能回到他的社区，为孩子们建立一个表演艺术附件.

"...我能够在艺术中找到一个出口，这对我的生活产生了巨大的影响. I just want to give them what was given to me..."

As for performing, he hopes to continue his journey, whether it be on Broadway, off-Broadway, tours, TV or film. He would also like to teach.

"I feel as actors ... 我们有能力讲述有可能改变人们生活的故事 ... 让他们感受，思考，学习，质疑，改变他们的想法。. "... There's no limit to the stories that we can tell. We get to actually be a part of the narrative. It's expression; it's life. We get to hold a mirror up to society and comment on it. It's a beautiful thing."