Holley Kaiser

When Holley Kaiser began to look at colleges for Musical Theatre and Dance, her former English teacher — a Russell Sage College alumna — suggested she check out Sage. 

“I came, did a tour and I absolutely fell in love,” Holley said. 

Shortly after her first visit, she returned for Theatre Honors Weekend, two days of master classes for prospective Sage students. 

“I met all of the professors I currently have. They were super-welcoming,” she said. ”I was just like, all right, that’s it, I’m coming here.”

When she looks back, she says “it’s mind-boggling” how much she has grown in four years.

“My professors pushed me. The friends that I’ve made inspired me.”

Even classes outside her major, including several in Sage’s general education program that  emphasize cultural awareness and civic engagement, “really opened me up to what’s happening outside of our Sage community and what’s happening in different countries,” she said.

Then, there’s been the Theatre Institute at Sage, the professional theatre company on the Troy campus. 

“By doing, I learned my responsibilities,” Holley said of the opportunities TIS offered her as an actor, assistant stage manager and crew member.  

She gained even more professional experience during her summer internship at the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, where she worked front-of-house and backstage positions for Billy Elliott and Once. 

“I had the foundation from TIS,” Holley continued, “and the internship allowed me to build on that.”

She’ll graduate in May and is eyeing the Disney College Program, which accepts recent grads as well as current students for positions in entertainment, operations, hospitality and other business divisions. 

“It’s fun,” she said, “seeing how what I’m learning in school applies to the professional world.”