India Eddy Launches Professional Acting Career with St. Louis Shakespeare Festival

The spotlight is on acting major India Eddy as she prepares for her professional debut with St. Louis Shakespeare Festival.

A senior at Webster’s Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts (WebCo), Eddy has been cast as Alfred and Player Queen in the company’s spring production of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.” The show, which opens March 26, sold out weeks in advance.

In anticipation of her first professional stage appearance, Eddy sat down with Journal staff writer Jacqueline Lynch to sum up what has led her to this milestone.

Webster Journal (WJ): Why did you decide to audition for “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead?”

India Eddy (IE): “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern” has been one of my favorite plays for a really long time. So, that was definitely an exciting play for me to be involved in – something that I am already such a fan of – but also in St. Louis, there is not a lot of theatre work. There is a lot of musical theatre and I do not really do musical theatre, so whenever there is a play, I’m like, “Well, okay I am going to do that.” The [Shakespeare] Festival is really great – a lot of WebCo students work at the Festival, so I have been auditioning for all of their [different] seasons. I just kept showing up, and eventually, it worked.

WJ: What has been your favorite thing about the Conservatory?

IE: There are a lot of things that come with the Conservatory, like the social aspect and connections, but I have really noticed a lot of change in my performance from freshman year. There are a few professors I have had who have really changed my perspective [on acting].

WJ: Would you say the Conservatory has prepared you for your debut?

IE: Yes and no. I think my personal technique has really improved. I am much more ready to warm up and know how to handle the performance for myself. But from the rehearsal process, and being in shows … I have not been in a lot of shows at Webster, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a rehearsal room. So, I feel like there is more that [the Conservatory] can do to prepare [students] for a rehearsal room, but they are really good at preparing you for using technique.

WJ: Have you run into any struggles while preparing for your debut?

IE: Yeah, it’s definitely tough to schedule [the play] and class work at the same time. I was actually in a show at Webster, they cast me a day before I got cast for “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.” I tried to do both for a week and it was not possible. So, I had to pull out of the [WebCo] show and that was hard – we rehearse during the day, so that is when classes are. Some professors are really great about it, and some are not, so it’s trying to make everyone happy. Thankfully, the Festival is really understanding and accommodating. [So,] mostly just managing the schedule.

WJ: How did you overcome the scheduling conflicts?

IE: It’s a lot of doing what I can to prioritize myself and trying to make everyone a little happy, instead of fully happy – a compromise.

WJ: What have you learned since being in your first professional setting outside WebCo?

IE: I’ve definitely learned a lot. A lot of watching the actors, [and] how they navigate the text and rehearsal room. I have really learned a lot about the actor’s role in the show. We spent the first two days of rehearsal just talking about the play and understanding it. They all came in with such clear ideas and a lot of research, and it was really eye-opening to see the kinds of great work actors can do – and from the actors who are getting good roles. It’s been a lot of learning by example. [The actors] are not shy to offer advice, which is so great.

WJ: Alongside acting, you are also a filmmaker and writer. What do you like most about those skills and how has that been a part of your identity?

IE: I actually started writing before I started acting. As a kid, I was like, “Yeah, I’m going to be a novelist.” Long-form writing, that is not possible [for me]. I think I’m just really tied to storytelling as a place of community, and I love creating work that I get to be a part of – just like involving myself in as many aspects of the process as possible. So, I like to write stuff for myself to act in, and then I will have friends in the Conservatory [who say], “Oh you are great; I’m going to write something for you to act in” – [I] kind of make work for myself and for the people that I think deserve to be working. I have a lot of fun getting to create the story, too.

WJ: What are some projects you have worked on?

IE: I’ve directed a couple of short [films] and I have another one I’m going to do in April. I’ve gotten to act in short films and I really admire the people making them. I wanted to try my hand at it. I’m definitely an amateur [and] novice [at it] – just having fun.

WJ: Have your goals changed since being in this show?

IE: I definitely want to keep working. I feel really lucky to have my first professional show be a show like [“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”] that is kind of weird and absurdist, and that is the kind of work that I really love. So, I’d love to keep that going. Obviously, the baseline goal is to just keep working, but I’m definitely very fulfilled doing a show like this. I’d love to keep doing more [shows] like this [that are] thought-provoking.

WJ: What is something that you have learned since being here at Webster?

IE: At Webster, I really have not been cast in very many shows; I have done one here. I don’t know, I see it happen to classmates, too … that is not indicative of your abilities or your performance. There are people who I know who have graduated that were not cast very much here, who have not stopped working since they graduated. It’s been gratifying to get to do the show and kind of rebuild confidence that I’d lost … so, [I] definitely just want anyone else who is having that kind of experience to remember that it really means nothing.

“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” runs through April 11 at the Kranzberg Arts Center’s Black Box Theater. The show is currently sold out, but people can join a waitlist via the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival website, stlshakes.org.