Sophomore Landen Starkman owns the stage with his talents in singing, acting and dancing. Starkman was born into a performing arts family, which provided motivation to start honing in his knack for performing and auditioning. He started dancing at the age of three in his grandmother’s dance studio. In addition to dancing, his singing career also started at the age of three because his dad was a singer. After getting involved in singing and dancing, acting simply seemed to complete the whole package, and Starkman ended up loving it. Although he auditioned for his first television commercial when he was 10, he has been involved in musical theater since the age of eight.

“An actress I look up to is Jennifer Lawrence…now, I know she is a girl, but she is so talented and really commits to her characters, which is really inspiring,” said Starkman. “A Broadway star I look up to is Neil Patrick Harris because he is an awesome Broadway star and a hysterical actor.”

Starkman’s favorite role to play in theater was Barfee in the 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at CHS. Other roles he played included being an “a-rab” in West Side Story at CHS and being a character named Otis in a short film. Starkman truly feels that what makes him stand out from most people is his appreciation toward the overall art of theater itself.

“Acting is important to me because it allows me to be a character and completely embody someone else.” Said Starkman

Starkman’s plan for the future is to keep auditioning for roles and to strive for what he wants as an actor. Through dedication, hard work and Starkman’s acknowledgment of the art of preforming, he hopes to one day transform his dreams of performing into a reality.