戏剧专业的大三学生克里斯·格兰特还没有毕业，就已经开始了他的职业演艺生涯。

Grant was cast in a lead role in Premiere Stages production of 砖城 at the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center, working alongside professional actors with Broadway, film and television credits, for the play’s three-week run last month. 首演舞台是基恩的专业剧院驻地，为戏剧专业的学生提供了一个获得演员公平会员资格的机会-美国戏剧演员联盟。 它与基恩戏剧学院密切合作，为学生提供专业发展。

他说：“如果没有基恩戏剧学院，我想我在演艺界不会有现在的成就。”

Grant’s journey to leading man began when he joined Premiere Stages’ Equity Membership program in 2017 and served as an understudy in the production of 骨干船员.

He still remembers the call he got in the middle of class saying he had been cast as Darnell in 砖城, the story of two high school students — the star basketball player and a senior with a disability — who meet in extended study hall.

“我走到走廊里，开始大喊大叫，闹了一场。 这是我从未想过会发生在我身上的事情。”

基恩大学是新泽西州为数不多的拥有专业公平剧院的大学之一。

“这给了克里斯一些学生在大学课程中通常得不到的东西——来自多个戏剧评论家的好评，”首演舞台艺术总监约翰·j·伍滕说。

Ruth Ross at 新泽西艺术专家 praised Grant’s “winning performance,” while Karen Nowasad at 我们去看戏吧 noted that he “makes Darnell a very believable character, one that you like and cheer on.”

基恩戏剧学院（爱游戏体育 Theatre Conservatory）院长霍莉·罗格（Holly Logue）见证了格兰特作为演员的成长。

“他是一个完美的专业人士。 克里斯展现出了非凡的表演天赋。”

格兰特承认他对学习戏剧充满了怀疑，但在基恩大学获得了信心。 He is taking a valuable lesson away from his 砖城 experience.

“不要认为任何事情都是不可能的，”他说。 “我的看法是，如果一个人做到了，如果你愿意投入时间和精力，你也有机会做到。”