Anjali Bose ‘20
His boisterous personality, acting aptitude, and magnetic presence are instantly recognizable in the EA community. Arnav Shiva ‘20, is December’s Artist of the Month for his exemplary efforts and contributions to the Episcopal Academy upper school theatre program throughout his time in the Upper School. First joining EA in sixth grade, Shiva has been actively involved in theatre since his very first year.
“I did all the plays and musicals in middle school, except for the fall show in sixth grade. I’ve also performed in each production of a play and musical each year I’ve been in high school,” Shiva says. He has also taken classes throughout the Upper School, such as Introduction to Acting, Acting 1 and 2, Theatrical Design, and Honors Acting.
“I think it started in sixth grade, because I’ve always loved entertaining and making people laugh. My parents encouraged me to try the play in sixth grade, and after that I was totally hooked. And it’s not just the acting, but the community as a whole. Everybody knows everyone. Everyone has your back. There’s this sense of ownership that we all share for the shows and you can tell that everybody loves what they’re doing and wants to make it the best that it can be. It’s a really inspiring place to be a part of. It’s like family,” Shiva explains.
“I’ve known Arnie since middle school but I started working with him freshman year in the fall play,” begins Daniel Clay, Chair of the Theater Department and US teacher. “I’ve also taught Arnie in multiple classes and he’s a great student and serious actor.”
“Arnie never fails to captivate every single person that’s in a room with him, whether he’s trying to or not. Arnie just kind of has this personality that’s so infectious that when he talks, everybody is drawn to listen to him,” Dominic Minicozzi 20’, a friend of Shiva’s, states.
Throughout his time in Upper School, Shiva has grown both as an actor, performer, and a leader in EA theatre. Clay states, “Arnie’s range has definitely grown throughout high school. He has a niche, certain personality and look that carries him far in acting, but he’s also done a lot of work to increase his emotional range. Everyone knows he’s super funny, but I’m also really impressed by the dramatic work he did in Inherit the Wind and especially Walk Two Moons. He has an authenticity to him as an actor that he’s really grown into during high school, and it’s been amazing to watch him grow as an actor these last four years.”
Shiva’s success in EA theatre has not just been recognized by his own community, but by the greater Philadelphia area in the form of the Cappies, an award program meant to acknowledge excellence in high school theatre throughout the region.
“In ninth grade, I was nominated for supporting actor at the Cappies for the role of Ted in Peter,” Shiva states. “I didn’t win, but it was a cool experience because just the idea that this thing I have so much passion for and am putting so much time into, that people think I’m good enough to get nominated for something, it felt amazing.” His greater success would come his junior year, when he played the comedic role of Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, taking home the award for his category.
“To win ‘Best Comic Actor’ last year for playing Bottom, that was kind of surreal. You don’t always see or think about trophies or awards for plays in high school, but it’s really meaningful to get that kind of recognition after I spend so much time trying to be a great actor and performing. It’s a really nice feeling to feel like people see that and appreciate what you’re doing,” Shiva explains.
Shiva attributes the dedication in the arts department faculty for his growth in theatre throughout Upper School: “The theatre faculty are so invested in what they do. You know, Mr. Clay for instance, when he’s directing, you can see the passion he has for the shows, and he’s always pushing us to be better than we were. You see that from everyone in the department. It’s that sense of commitment from everyone in the department, encouraging us to not just be good but be great.”
At the end of his high school years, Shiva feels he has a deeper appreciation and understanding of acting now. As he sees it, “One of the things I really value about the art of acting now is the idea that you can find yourself in anyone. Take my character in Walk Two Moons for example, he’s a sixty-eight year old farmer from Kentucky. What do I have in common with him? But at the same time, the art of building and creating a character that seems real to you, it reveals things about yourself that you didn’t know were there. You can relate to whatever people are going through, in your own way. People expect that if you seem different from someone else, you have nothing in common and create this idea that you could never understand each other. Acting shows you that we’re all human, and you can relate to anyone.”
Clay says, “It’s been a pleasure to really work with Arnie, not only as a director, but as his advisor too, and watch him, especially these last two years, really figure himself out. He’s grown as a performer, but also as a person, and to see his process of self-awareness and narrowing down where he wants to go to school, what he wants to do, and take the reigns of his life in his hands, is a really cool and rewarding thing to see for me.” Clay concludes, “I look forward to continuing to work with him for the rest of the year, but as I said, we will sincerely miss him.”