Artist Profile: Jennifer Greenfield

Jennifer Greenfield has been performing in plays and playing the piano for several years, and as this senior prepares to graduate, The Voice got the opportunity to ask her about her start in art. Here is what she shared with us in an interview.
The Voice: What first got you interested in theater and music?
JG: Well, I’ve always been a very imaginative child. I started reading at a very early age which helped create the foundation of my vivid imagination. I literally played dress up until 6th grade. So, my imagination and dramatic nature have been evident from any early age. My grandma pulled her old keyboard out of the attic one day and let me have it. My mom says I used to freak her out because I would start playing a song I had heard playing in a store. There was one time when I started playing the song “Every Breath You Take” that I had heard earlier that day in Noah’s Bagels when I was in third grade, I think.
When I was a wee freshman, I was very gung ho about Speech and Debate. I won third place in my first novice tournament in Original Oratory. But after a while, I realized it wasn’t Speech and Debate that I wanted to do, but acting. Somewhere, Mr. Case is crying in a corner. Tears of joy, perhaps?

The Voice: Do you want a career involving theater and music?
JG: I don’t know what I want to do. On my list of goals, between marrying Harry Potter and winning an Oscar, I’d like to pursue a career as an actress. But I know that it’s a very difficult field to get into, so I want to make sure I have back up plans.

The Voice: Are you planning on studying theater or music in college next year?
JG: The thing is I’ve got so many options open. I like acting, reading, writing, design, drawing and painting, public speaking, and so I don’t want to pigeonhole myself into one major. But I know that whatever I do, I want to be able to express my creativity. I could never be stuck in a cubicle.
I definitely want to be involved in theater in college. I don’t know if I want to major in it. I haven’t declared anything as my major.

The Voice: Which do you prefer—acting or playing the piano?
JG: Oh, that’s a loaded question. The thing about acting is that I can only really do it when I’m part of a cast, when performing. Of course, I act everyday among my peers. But, most of time I only act when part of a play. However, piano is something I can do every day. When I come home I can sit down at my piano and play for hours. It’s such a stress reliever for me. I’m going to be noncommittal and not decide between the two.

The Voice: Who are your main theatrical or musical influences, and why?
JG: One is definitely Tim Burton. When I went to New York City, I had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Modern Art and the Tim Burton exhibit there. I look up to him because he’s so talented, not only at directing, but also as an artist, an illustrator, a writer and a film maker.
The other is George Winston. He’s a contemporary piano player whom I’ve seen in concert twice. I love his piano playing style. One of the songs he played was sort of a jazzy tune, and it inspired me to remix Lady Gaga’s Pokerface.

The Voice: Do you perform in other locations?
JG: Yes, I play piano for children’s first communion masses at St. Christopher and for graduations. I also like playing piano every opportunity I get on vacations. Last summer, my family and I took a trip to Glacier National Park. Where we were staying, there was a huge grand piano that was 100 years old. I asked at the front desk if I could play it, and I had a great time entertaining the guests.

The Voice: What inspired you to create such an eclectic mix of songs for the Talent Show this year?
JG: Well, I’ve wanted to perform for the Talent Show ever since Elaine Higashi played that spiffy medley on the electric violin for the Talent Show a few years ago. Ever since then, I’ve been sort of thinking of what I would want to do for the Talent Show and what songs might sound neat. I actually learned all of the songs separately and then a few months before the Talent Show tryouts, I mooshed them into an arrangement in my mind. The original arrangement was a lot less songs, but as I went through the list in my mind, I kept thinking, “Oh that would sound really cool too, and so would that!” So I kept adding more songs into my mind arrangement.

The Voice: How would your life be different now if you did not participate in theater or play music?
JG: It’s difficult to imagine, because I need some kind of export for my creativity. I’d probably still be involved with clubs on campus, and I would continue doing horseback riding lessons. I’m also very passionate about nature and the environment. I like hiking and taking photos of nature. So if I wasn’t involved so heavily with art and theater, I might get more in touch with my green thumb.

ITS For Change: Habitat for Humanity

Problem: Nearly 3 million people in the United States alone every night do not have a home. The average age for those that are homeless in the United States is only nine years. 1.3 billion people worldwide live on less than $1.00 every day with no access to clean water, sanitation, or electricity.  A solution: Habitat for Humanity.

On Oct. 1, Presentation’s Community Involvement Club, Amnesty International, Peer Ministry, and the International Thespian Society (ITS) put together a mind-blowing event that will not be forgotten. This year, the annual ITS concert focused on the idea of shelter and gave special focus to Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit housing organization that concentrates on providing affordable housing for deserving impoverished families. Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 and has since grown to have operational locations in all 50 states of the United States and in 90 countries worldwide. With the help of incredibly selfless volunteers, over 300,000 houses worldwide have been built and this number increases every day. Their great cause makes it obvious why Habitat for Humanity was this year’s ITS pick for the concert.

Organizers took turns telling audience members the importance of affordable housing. The night started off with a solemn prayer read by Peer Ministry students, explaining that help is always there for those who need it. Amnesty International representatives spoke about the impact that homelessness has worldwide and explained the various causes of it in other countries. Their words further established the idea that no matter what the cause, homelessness is something that all of humanity can commiserate with. CI representatives explained through a beautiful presentation that when volunteers come together to build houses for families, the house becomes more than just a building; it becomes a shelter and home for people in need, which is one of the most important aspects of community work that Habitat for Humanity tries to emphasize.

The concert itself was packed with talented dancers, singers, actors and other performers, all of whom truly communicated to the audience their dedication to the stage and to providing inexpensive shelter for those in need. Jazz choir sang a beautiful Italian song from “The Mission” and the dance team performed with exceptional talent when dancing to Greg Laswell’s “Off I Go,” an emotional song that depicts the feeling of hopelessness experienced by several impoverished people across the globe. Other talented singers from both Presentation and Bellarmine sang mesmerizing songs that truly tied the event together, with voices filled with genuine emotion and dedication.

An obvious amount of effort went into producing this stunning event, with some students going above and beyond what was required for this event. Sophomore Emily Griffith wrote and composed her own song titled “Alone,” a moving song that touched the audience through both the wonderful music and the accompanying vocals provided by the composer herself and by sophomores Mandy Heiser, Morgan Locke, and Demi Pace. Senior Jennifer Greenfield also displayed an exceptional amount of commitment to the event both by creating her own arrangement to the song “Home Sweet Home” by Motley Crue and making a presentation to accompany it with statistics describing the hopelessness of being homeless. Other performers in the concert also showed amazing talent in both singing and acting.

This year’s ITS Concert for Shelter was a truly beautiful event that had talent and dedication bursting out of the seams. The concert truly showed the ever-present hope and determination that is found in each and every person at Presentation. It was an inspirational event that will motivate students to actively participate in volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and other related organizations. So now, let’s fix this problem, because with the help of everyone on campus, Presentation High School is the new solution to homelessness.

Simply SnipITS

The curtains of the Valenzuela Theater opened upon two angels dressed in white shirts, black pants, halos and wings who were plotting over the lives of the humans they were about to create.

“So, women get to have the offspring.”

“The males will be really jealous.”

“So there has to be some kind of trade-off…like make it really painful…”

So began Simply SnipITS, a collection of scenes performed and directed by students. The International Thespian Society, or ITS, performs SnipITS each year with different themes.

This year had the distinction of a performance of an original scene written by Presentation seniors Jennifer Greenfield, Jacquelyn Pass and Kaitlyn Jensen. “The Greatest Play. Ever” centered around three American girls stuck with French actors who mistakenly believe that they must finish writing a play by morning, with hilarious results. “We started by brainstorming about the weirdest things that had ever happened to us,” explained Greenfield. “We figured that people always say, ‘Write about what you know.’ We know about weird and wacky stuff, and it just sort of evolved from there.”

Other scenes included Barbie and Ken, Semi-Superheroes and much more. Though the show was directed on only by students, they put together an entertaining night for viewers. “Directing a scene myself was challenging because it was just me, but I was able to get lots of input from the actors, which made the scene that much better,” said ITS officer and senior Nicki Affonso-McMorrow.

ITS will be performing many shows throughout the year; the ITS concert will be taking place at 7:30 in the Valenzuela Theater on October 1. Be sure to come and watch the talent of the Presentation actresses!