Many people have fond memories of running around the house in costume, pretending to be their favorite character, but as they grow older, people become more reserved and tend to lose their passion for acting silly and taking on another persona. This is not true, however, for the small percentage of our population that has a natural charisma and tendency to enjoy performing on stage, actors such as junior Chayan Tavakoly.
     Tavakoly has been acting since his fourth grade class put on a production of the novel ByThe Great Horn Spoon. “I was never formally introduced to acting, I always liked playing characters as a kid, and when we did the play for By the Great Horn Spoon I realized that acting was something that I really wanted to do,” he explained. His passion for acting discovered, Tavakoly started attending Stagedoor, a theatrical studio where students work on the fundamentals of acting and put together plays. By the time he was in the seventh grade, he jumped at the chance to be a part of Pioneer Middle School's Theater Arts class where he tried to take on the roles of major characters in given opportunities.
     Throughout his high school career, the budding actor has continued to be involved in theater, when the Beckman High School Theater Arts class participated at the Fullerton and Ontario theater festivals last year, Tavakoly went with them. At the Fullerton Festival, he participated in the improvisation, monologue, and scene categories. Because he was only a sophomore, Tavakoly was not expected to become a finalist in the competition, but his skill and outgoing personality were on his side; to everyon's surprise, he reached on to the finals for both of his monologues. He explained his excitement by saying, “I never expected to make the finals, usually the only people who make it to the finals at these competitions are seniors who have been practicing for four years, I was only a sophomore.” Tavakoly went on to become the fourth best actor in his category in California, an achievement of which he is incredibly proud of. “I'm not sad that I didn't place in the top three even though I was so close because I know that it is really good to have placed so high in the first place; I'm glad with what I've done.” Tavakoly answered.
     During his seven years as an actor, Tavakoly's passion has grown for the industry and theater has become a big part of his life. “Because of theater I can get overly dramatic; simple improvisation has made me a much more outgoing person,” the sixteen year old explained. Inspired by actors Johhny Depp and Tom Hanks, Tavakoly hopes to pursue a career in theater, but he is aware of how hard it is to break into the film industry. “In college, I want to major in business, which will give me an understanding of how life works and is a major that I can apply to all conditions,” he described. Tavakoly also hopes to minor in theater and although he has not yet decided where he would like to attend school, he knows that if he were to major in theater he would want to follow in the footsteps of Beckman High School's drama teacher, Mr. Moon by going to DePaul University.
     With the knowledge that the theater industry is one of the hardest to break into, Tavakoly has been broadening his horizons. An honors and Advanced Placement student, Tavakoly performs not only in theater but has also taken voice and dance classes in order to add different things to his list of performances. “I want to broaden what I can do performance-wise. I know that it is too late in the game for me to ever be an amazing singer, but I also know that I can work towards it and eventually get there,” he explained.
The most important non-theatrical influence on Tavakoly has been Michael Jackson, a person who he describes as an “amazing performer.” In Tavakoly's own performances, he enjoys being able to take on the persona of an entirely different character, while acting on stage allows him to have attention directed toward him for something that he has worked toward and is skilled in.
     A skilled actor, Tavakoly has opened many doors for his own future by pushing himself, following his passion, and participating in something that he is skilled in. As he progresses through his junior year, this young Johnny Depp is sure to have another successful year with the Beckman Theater Arts team.