High school presents the opportunity for students to find their place in life. As a junior, Ben Little found his niche in theater that satisfies his acting and singing interests. While devoting his teenage life to theater, the Carlsbad High School theater and choral department has provided to Little’s career.

“I’ve been through the theater program at CHS, for three years now,” Little said. “I started out in Theater 1,  then moved to Pre-advanced Theater, and now I’m in Advanced Theater. The theater department does shows and performances as finals. It’s very fun and progresses our acting skills. After school, we rehearse for our fall show and spring musical. Anyone can audition, and it’s a fun way to spend after school hours.”

The two shows put on by the theater department allow for Little to exercise both his singing and acting capabilities.

“This year we performed Cinderella and Noose’s Off!. I played Prince Topher in Cinderella and Jake the butler in Noose’s Off!,” Little said. “The two showcases proved the theater program’s ability to put on shows, build sets, and everything that goes into putting on a show.”

As an avid actor, Little joined the Carlsbad Community Theatre for summer practice and to expand his skills.

“I also work with Carlsbad Community Theatre as the assistant stage manager for the upcoming summer production of Fiddler on the Roof,” Little said. “A couple months ago, I starred as Donkey in Shrek the Musical. I’ve been doing that type of theater my entire life.”

As Little reached his junior year, he decided it was time to make acting his priority.

“I enjoyed my involvement in both theater and cross country and track, but I felt that I was more proficient as an actor than as a runner,” Little said. “I want to pursue acting in college so I thought I should focus my time on that.”

Finding time for homework and his love for theater is a challenging daily task.

“It takes a lot of work to balance my school work with my theater and choir rehearsals,” Little said. “The rehearsals are two or three hours after school every day. For a while I was working on both Shrek the Musical and Noose’s Off, switching from one rehearsal to the next was very hard. I had to prioritize by starting homework early in the school day or staying up late.”

Little appreciates not only the acting experience gained from theater, but the life skills.

“Theater helps better my social skills and increases the chance of getting jobs with improvisational skills that are useful in interviews,” Little said. “It also gives me work history to put on my resume. It’s just a very fun thing to do and creates long lasting relationships with my fellow performers.”