Eighth grade Furlough Middle School student Grayson Sykora is no stranger to the world of theater. After all, he was cast as baby Jesus in his first acting role at the tender age of four; however, it wasn’t until he turned seven that his interest in acting really began. “I was given the opportunity to work with the local theater troupe The Vagabond Players,” he shared. “I played the alter ego of Charles Dickens and I had a blast playing that character.”
As a fifth grader at Terrell ISD’s Global Leadership Academy, Grayson was excited to learn that theater was an elective at Furlough Middle School. During the spring of his fifth grade year, he jumped at the chance to sign up for the class when it was time to make his sixth grade course selections.
As a sixth grader, Grayson had the opportunity to play the role of the “White Rabbit” and the “March Hare” in the school’s performance of Alice in Wonderland. He also continued working with The Vagabond Players and learned how to work lighting and sound.
Grayson shared that his acting skills greatly improved as a member of the Furlough Middle School theater class. “I learned different stage directions such as stage right and stage left and how to better project my voice so I could be heard more clearly by the audience.”
The following year Grayson learned that for the first time in several years the middle school theater class would be competing in the UIL One Act Play competition. That fall he tried out for a part and was cast as the lead role in “The Imaginary Invalid.” “I played Argan, who is a hypochondriac,” he shared. “In this role I had to pretend to constantly be sick and the opening of the show had me opening up a bunch of medical bills and counting pill bottles. It was hysterical,” he shared.
The group practiced throughout late fall and attended the competition in early spring. While at the competition, Grayson learned that he had been selected as a member of the “All Star Cast,” an honor reserved for only ten actors from across the metroplex. “I went up against actors from places like Rockwall, Forney and Royse City and I was so surprised when they called my name, but I also felt tremendous joy,” he said.
Now an eighth grader, Grayson is currently working on a play entitled “Lafayette No. 1” for the upcoming UIL One Act Play season. He has been cast as William Myron Limon who is a 16 year old one-armed orphan who also happens to be an evangelist. “I am working on making this character come to life,” shared Grayson. “I identify with William because he is religious and he tries to be funny but sometimes he falls short in that department. I also like the fact that he has one arm and has to figure out how to navigate life. His story is powerful.”
Grayson believes that theater has helped him to grow as a person and gain confidence as he takes on more in depth acting roles. He shared that working with The Vagabond Theater Troupe opened up the opportunity to work on the upcoming film series "Finn The Downtown Dog" under the direction of M. Legend Brown - a Christian film director who shoots most of his movies in Terrell.. Grayson will play the role of Cody Harris and the film will debut on YouTube on the Black Faith and Family Entertainment Channel.
With high school soon approaching, he also looks forward to signing up for theater at Terrell High School.
“The best part about being in theater is being able to take on someone else’s persona,” he shared. “That 30-40 minutes of being someone else can really open up your eyes. You have the chance to see what other people see when you walk in their shoes and you understand the world through different eyes.”