Wells’ acting pushes him eastward
by VICTORIA WILKINSON
Roseville High School senior Marcus Wells has been applying to colleges for performing arts, as he plans to go to a four year university to get an education along with an acting career.
All the schools Wells are applying to are on the East Coast, where he hopes he can finish college and immediately start auditioning. Wells’ top picks are Marymount Manhattan, Pace University, and Collaborative Arts Project 21. Wells’ applications will be finished by Dec. 1 and his auditions will be recorded and sent into to the schools this Saturday.
“I’m very anxious to get out,” Wells said. “I guess I want to go to those schools because they’re in New York and that’s kind of the center of what I want to do. They’re specifically known for having really good programs for getting you where you want to go.”
Wells’ mom, Susan Wells, supports his decision of traveling across the country for his education, although she admits that she will miss him.
“I completely one hundred percent support him in going to New York and people are like ‘why would you let him do that,’” Susan Wells said. “But like that’s where he needs to be, that’s where it’s at. So I guess I’m just going to have to move to New York.”
Wells found his love for acting and musical theater when he was in fourth grade. At that time he was required to participate in his class play.
“I had this stupid part of playing a fake violin but afterwards I was like that was awesome, I need to do it again,” Wells said.
After googling “how to be an actor” Wells decided he wanted to make it big. He came across a community theater website and went to one of their auditions.
“He made the decision that was what he wanted to do and he completely pursued it on his own,” Susan Wells said.
He got the part of King Louis in “The Jungle Book” and has been acting ever since. Wells will be flourishing even more in RHS’ play “You Can’t Take it With You” this month as the main male lead of the grandpa.
“He’s one of the most creative thinkers I’ve ever run across,” RHS drama teacher Ashley White said. “He’s just extremely talented.”
Wells loves acting for many reasons, but mainly because of the way it makes him feel.
“It makes me feel more myself… It’s so comfortable and allows me to be myself in a way different from being in the world,” Wells said. ”It’s an escape.”
Wells doesn’t know exactly what he wants to do but is willing to let life guide him.
“I don’t have a set destination. Just as far as it will take me,” Wells said.
His friend Maddie Judd has been following Wells’ efforts to pursue his passion for acting and has been impressed with his approach.
“It’s real stressful … it’s easy to be engulfed by the college audition process … but from what Marcus tells me he seems to be approaching it pretty calmly,” Judd said. “He’s genuinely excited for the future rather than being scared and I think rightly so. He has a lot to look forward to.”
Wells’ parents are very supportive when it comes to his goals and dreams.
“He’s a very good kid, he’s really good at [acting] you know, he works very hard on it,” Wells’ father Clint Wells said.
