2016 Scholarship Recipient
​Bridget Connell

​Walpole Children’s Theatre and every theatre organization I have been involved in taught me to think on my feet. Improvisation exercises made me think quickly as well as solve problems in creative ways. Often times on stage, someone drops a line or misses a cue, and over the years I acquired skills to make up for such glitches in the run of a show. As I grew older, I realized that the skills I learned to save a scene benefit me far beyond the stage. When I am on a film set, problems arise quickly and often. Because of my improvisation skills from theatre, I can more easily come up with creative solutions to fix the issue and move on. As soon as someone solves a problem on set, production moves smoothly again, and the final product is far cleaner. Additionally, working with such talented directors in my theatre experiences inspired me to work around blocking issues and create structurally sound scenes. I am endlessly grateful for the lessons of friendship, loyalty, and confidence I got out of the Walpole Children’s Theatre, for these lessons improved my character so immensely; however, the skills that benefit my future career —resilience, strengthened thought processes, and technical skills — are just as important to me.

Bridget Connell (right) in Jack and the Magic Beans
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