I am an actor: Dublin High School’s Mathew Glynn Discovers the Stage

When Dublin High School junior Mathew Glynn joined the drama club his freshman year, he didn’t really consider himself an actor, despite having always been interested in drama. He had taken theatre classes at DHS. He just hadn’t been in any shows. But after a year of helping behind the scenes and being surrounded by people that took drama seriously (and who enthusiastically encouraged him to do the same) Glynn took the plunge and auditioned for My Son Pinocchio at a local theatre company called the Civic Arts Stage Company.

He got the part and officially started his acting career as Gepetto, the love-starved puppeteer that created the beloved childhood character Pinocchio. Glynn enjoyed his experience so much that he auditioned for two more shows, this time at Dublin High School. He played a demon-possessed boyfriend in the student-directed one act He’s Really A Great Guy as well as juror 3 from 12 Angry Men. He says that these experiences have not only jump-started his acting career, but have also changed how he interacts with people everyday.

“I used to be very shy and socially awkward,” he says. “But once I started acting, I noticed that I was becoming a lot more outspoken and confident, and it’s been awesome. I feel like I’ve come out of my shell, and I can gladly attribute that to acting.”

Part of this newfound confidence and openness is due to the fact that Glynn has to make the audience truly believe in his character so that they are drawn into the story. Acting is a task that requires talent and finesse at the best of times. However, this undertaking becomes even more daunting when he must become a person completely different than his true self. While playing this type of role does present many challenges, Glynn has the unique opportunity to not only see a situation from another person’s point of view, but to quite literally walk in the other person’s shoes and speak with their voice. Because acting has broadened his horizons, Glynn doesn’t view drama as a mere hobby, but as an integral part of his life.

“I definitely think acting is important. It’s an outlet for people to express themselves and do what they love. It’s trying and doing things you never would otherwise do. You grow as a person and you learn new things.”

Because Glynn believes that every part he plays helps him grow as an actor in some way, he doesn’t have a least favorite role. However, out of all productions he’s been in, Glynn’s favorite character to play was the contentious juror 3 from 12 Angry Men.

“It was really challenging for me, playing such an angry and mean person. I hate being rude and mean to people, so I really had to push myself to not only make those characteristics come out, but have them come out in a realistic way for me. It took a lot of work, but I really enjoyed playing him and exploring that side of myself.”

Although Glynn isn’t entirely sure whether he will study acting in college, he is confident that he will continue acting at school and for the community; he’s already planning to audition for the DHS fall show and looks forward to trying out for the spring musical. Right now, Glynn is preparing for another role as Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s mother, from the classic Hairspray for a different company, Grand Performing Arts.

While he usually memorizes his lines by constantly going over them, his part in Hairspray requires a slightly different approach. Because Hairspray is a musical, a lot of singing will be required. Moreover, all of that singing happening while the cast is doing “crazy, super high-energy dancing.” Like an athlete preparing for a big race, Glynn must build his endurance up before he can sing and dance before an audience.

“Since it gets really tiring very quickly, I’ve been preparing by running on my treadmill and singing to get used to singing and dancing at the same time.”

Dedication is not an unfamiliar word to Glynn. Because of his passion for drama, his career in this performing art looks as bright as the stage’s spotlight.

For more articles about talented Dublin High School students like Glynn, check out the rest of OneDublin’s Arts & Humanities: I Am series. If you know of anyone who has a passion for the arts and the humanities, email us at onedublin@comcast.net.

Alexandra Stassinopoulos is a Dublin High School junior, and a writer for the Dublin Shield. She is the president of the Young Writers Club and enjoys writing short stories. In her free time, she is an avid reader and is on the school swim team.