Can a liberal arts education really get you to Broadway? For Deborah Lew ’00—a New York-based actor who played Belle in a Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, among other roles—it did.
Deborah didn’t just study how to act and sing well at Calvin, she studied theatre history and set design along with great literature, theology and science.
“Getting a whole education in the liberal arts gives you a step up in your career. Especially as a performer, I have so much more I can bring into the characters I play.”
Outside the classroom at Calvin, she immersed herself in theatre-related activities, like studying abroad in London and performing with the Calvin Theatre Company.
“I remember working on shows in the Lab Theater until late into the night and going to class and then going back to the theater again to work on a performance. Theatre at Calvin was definitely like a family.”