He’s training for a career in the world of make-believe, but Aaron Burstein ’19 has already begun to make his mark in the real world.
A theatre/performance major, Burstein created and runs Intuition Theatre Group, a small company comprised solely of students, in his hometown of Lynchburg. The company’s first-ever production, a comedy staged last summer, was a hit. In three performances, The Nerd sold about 900 tickets and cleared a profit of $1,200, which was divided among the seven cast and two crew members.
Plenty of producers have lost money on their first efforts—so how did Burstein do it? Drawing on his network of contacts from his internship at Lynchburg’s Academy Center of the Arts and from his theater work in high school, he saved money by arranging to borrow sets and props. He also scored interviews with a local TV station and the Lynchburg newspaper to promote the show.
He financed the rest primarily through the crowdfunding website Indiegogo, making all the arrangements for rights to the play, the venue, the printing of the playbills and myriad other details.
“It was tough, but it really paid off. I got great acting experience [in the title role] and directing experience. And I made a ton of connections and a little bit of money,” Burstein said. “But, most of all, I now see endless possibilities for the future.”
There was a point when he saw his future possibilities diminishing rather than growing. After his first year at Longwood in 2016-17, his parents were unable to lend him the money for the current academic year.
“The scholarships I received were make or break as far as whether or I could come back for my second year,” said Burstein, who received a theatre department scholarship and a Jarman Theatre Scholarship, and entered Longwood with an associate’s degree he earned while in high school. “If not for the donors who contributed to these scholarships, I wouldn’t be here.”
He sees being at Longwood as a gift, and he’s determined not to waste it. He has acted in four Longwood productions, including as Linus in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and as Hysterium, head of the slaves, in this spring’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He has a weekly music show on Longwood’s student-run radio station WMLU, and he’s a member of a fraternity. He also works part time as a driver for Domino’s.
It comes as no surprise that he’d eventually like to make it on Broadway, but he realizes there’s no guarantee he’ll achieve that goal. His plan is to get as much acting experience as he can before graduating, and then work as hard as he can in the theater world for as long as it takes.
“You have to keep your guard up because there’s a lot of rejection, but I can’t let that stop me,” said Burstein. “I think I have the spirit and the drive to make it.”
If you are interested in learning more about scholarships at Longwood, please contact Ashley Crute ’10 at [email protected].
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