Emma Siler loves performing on stage.
The high school senior also loves sharing about the school that is giving her the ability to follow her dreams of being involved in theater. Siler, who graduates from the Mississippi School of the Arts in Brookhaven in May, shared her adventures with her former Columbia High School classmates earlier this week.
“It’s such a wonderful experience,” Siler said as she greeted friends outside the cafeteria at CHS. “I moved over my sophomore year. You have to audition as a sophomore and have an on-site audition. You can apply online.”
Siler was at CHS to promote Experience MSA Day, which is set for Dec. 2 with a morning session and an afternoon session at the school, located at 355 West Monticello St. in Brookhaven. It’s a public boarding school for artistically talented students.
“I love it,” she said. “I’m a theater major. I live on campus in a dorm and have two roommates. Academically, MSA is really about college readiness. MSA has also shown me that there is a future for me in the arts. There are so many possibilities – theater isn’t only about going to Broadway. The same goes for any of the arts; it’s not just the screen or stage. At MSA I’ve learned about directing and lighting. It’s not just about the theater.”
Siler and other students are also offered the opportunity to showcase their talents.
“We just finished a production of ‘Crimes of the Heart,’” she said. “I was one of the leads. We also have a musical theater class. There is a piano on each floor of the dorms, so kids will go over and just start playing. We’ve even had a flash mob in the cafeteria. We play monologue tag where if you are ‘it,’ you have to perform a monologue.”
Siler said the programs at MSA have allowed her to excel.
“I could never go back to ‘normal’ high school,” she said. “There’s definitely a lot of work involved. I’m taking college classes through Co-Lin Community College. I’ve also taken ACT prep classes. The academics are strong and they are very important. They are big into getting you into college classes. It is wonderful for preparing you for college classes and it gives you real-world experience.”
Siler said there are fun events at MSA as well.
“We have an Artoberfest,” she said. “It’s like a school-wide haunted house with everyone’s talents on display. We have also had guest faculty come to work with us. John Maxwell came and stayed with us and was with us for ‘Crimes of the Heart.’ We have a lot of guest lecturers come in. It has given me a whole new insight.”
Siler said that current high school sophomores need to apply online by Feb. 1 and can find out more at the website, www.msabrookhaven.org or by emailing admissions@msabrookhaven,org.
“MSA has pushed me so far,” Siler concluded. “The way I look at being an actor has changed. We love what we do and it makes a difference.”
Pictured Above: Jason Bell talks to Emma Siler about the Mississippi School for the Arts earlier this week. Siler, a former Columbia High School student, is a senior at MSA. | Photo by Mark Rogers
