Portsmouth actor strikes balance between stage, school

Posted 1/14/16

PORTSMOUTH — From Quvenzhané Wallis, 12, to Max von Sydow, 86, it seems as though acting has no age limit.

This may be a result of some great actors and actresses having a late start to their careers. On the other hand, others start …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


Portsmouth actor strikes balance between stage, school

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — From Quvenzhané Wallis, 12, to Max von Sydow, 86, it seems as though acting has no age limit.

This may be a result of some great actors and actresses having a late start to their careers. On the other hand, others start performing during their years of adolescence while dedicating years to the stage, continuously growing in age as well as in talent.

Fourteen-year-old Portsmouth resident Charlie Amand is a primary example of someone who found his calling at a young age.

“It started out when I was 8, and I wasn’t really into sports,” said Charlie. “I tried stuff like soccer and T-ball. My mom told me in Little Compton they’re putting on “Seussical the Musical.” I tried out and got in, I’ve been doing it ever since.”

For Charlie, acting started out as a way to connect with new people. As he ventured into the world of theater in his first production, “Seussical the Musical” at Little Compton Community Theatre, he began to uncover his love of theater.

Charlie joined Newport Children's Theatre (NCT), and through that organization gained the opportunity to explore the dramatic arts as he was cast in show after show, with roles ranging from ensemble, to character parts and finally leads.

“I was not that good,” he said. “I was 11 (and) had only done small roles. I think that I have improved my skills since then.”

Of course, Charlie had no way of knowing acting would become so important to him — or that it would take up so much of his life. It all seems peachy when viewing a production from the audience, but backstage it’s not always as much fun.

Time management

Charlie, a freshman at Portsmouth High School, has anywhere from one to three tests a week and at least three homework assignments each night. Managing both school and theater is not easy, but Charlie is getting straight As while taking lead roles in plays or musicals.

“Sometimes it can get a little bit stressful. For example, this week I also have a science fair and I held everything off until the last minute. I was doing another camp during winter break and just put it off. For the most part I have managed to stay on top of my grades,” Charlie said.

Even when schoolwork seems to be progressively piling on, he manages to give as much of his time as he can to theater — studying and completing assignments during study hall, in between scenes at rehearsals, and spending late nights working his butt off to keep his grades up. This theater prodigy is no slacker.

That wouldn’t be the case if theater wasn’t his passion. Charlie plans to pursue a future career in the arts as an actor, with experience in both the technical and onstage sides of theater.

He recently finished playing a leading role in NCT’s winter production of “The Hunchback Of Notre Dame” as Pierre Gringoire, the quirky, young poet who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The next production he hopes to star in is “Into the Woods,” NCT’s spring musical.

Advice to others

Although theater has influenced Charlie’s social life in a positive way, it often makes school more stressful as a result of all his commitments as an actor. He shares advice with anyone who wishes to begin acting at a young age.

“If you’re struggling with school outside of theater, it can drop your grades,” said Charlie. “Make sure you’re on top of all your schoolwork. If you have a project that is due in a week, start it now. Don’t hold anything off. I’ve learned from that mistake, and it can be hard to come back from.”

Charlie Amand, Little Compton Community Theatre, Newport Children's Theatre, Portsmouth High School

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.