Jayden in “Radium Girls” portraying Tom Kreider alongside Lily Greenberg portraying Grace Fryer

  The Millbrook Theater department is very talented, with many great actors and actresses. Among them is Jayden Paulson, a sophomore here at Millbrook. Not only is Paulson active in theater, he is also a Key Club officer, a member of the Millbrook Executive Board, the Raleigh Change foundation, Millbrook ambassadors, Baking club, Spanish club, and club soccer outside of school. 

  Jayden has always wanted to be involved in theater since a young age when he saw his sister in the play “The Lion King” and has wanted to be on stage since then. “I knew once I saw her I knew I needed to get up there and be a part of that,” Paulson comments.

  Paulson also accredited the “Something Rotten!” actor Christian Boyle for inspiring him to pursue the arts saying, “He’s been in all the shows I want to be in, like the actor I want to be.” 

  In his most recent play, “Radium Girls,” Paulson says it was his most difficult time portraying his character, Tom Kreider. As an actor, he said it was really hard to get into the character because he had never done a more dramatic role before. Paulson said, “It was hard because I’ve never tried to get married while my fiance is dying!” He recounted the recent experience as a really fun way to gain new skills in the dramatic scene. Paulson also comments how the experience was even better acting along with Lily Greenberg, who portrayed Grace Freyer. He said working with her made it “A much more enjoyable experience.” 

Greenberg also reciprocated good words for Paulson saying, “Working with Jayden was a lot of fun, and it was really interesting to get to work with someone that I normally wouldn’t.” Jayden enjoys hanging out with his cast and crew mates outside of the auditorium. “I think it’s really important to stop and have time in your day to talk to the people you’re working with.” 

  When preparing for a new role, Paulson likes to have other people help him practice to immerse himself, “I love to watch video clips of other people performing, or have someone read the script to me.”

Piper Barret, a sophomore who works alongside him in Key Club and theater said he really does a good job with his work, and with his peers. In one word to describe his personality she described him as outgoing, “he’s never shown a shy side, and is open to all!”

    The final words Jayden had for people wanting to get into acting and theater were simple, “try out for anything and everything that you can because you never know what can happen!”

  Kate Ladd, a fan of Jayden’s work, also had kind words for Paulson. She has watched him act for years and spoke about his progress over the years. “I saw Jayden act in middle school and he’s always been really great. I thoroughly enjoyed him interacting on stage with his peers, and the progress he’s made coming into highschool. Keep it up man! You’re a star!” Ladd said. 

  Paulson plans to continue his high school career doing theater and continuing to be an exceptional student. He plans to audition for the musical  “Something Rotten!” in the spring.