“The Tony Awards® and Carnegie Mellon University are looking for the teachers who create the next generation of theatre artists. These are dedicated professionals who discover talented students, nurture them, inspire them, and set them off on a lifelong journey as theatre supporters and professionals.” This is the description of the award that Upper School Theater Director Eric Severson has been nominated for. The award, should Severson win it, includes a 10,000 dollar cash prize for the winner’s school, a flight for two to New York City along with Hotel Accommodations, and a pair of tickets to the Tony Awards Ceremony and Gala.

The Upper School Theater Program of Saint Paul Academy and Summit School has become intrinsically tied to the name Eric Severson. The successes of the US Theater Program continue to mount, and may be rivaled in achievement by only one other group at SPA…the debate team. All jokes aside, SPA has indeed made a name for itself in the MSHL One-Act play competition, winning first place in subsections for performances such as “Black Comedy” in 2012, “Yellow Wallpaper” in 2013 and “Metamorphosis” in 2014.  The continuous presence of the SPA one acts in sections and sub-sections of the Minnesota State High School One Acts Competition speaks to the talents of the actors, and the talent of the person who directs them.

That person is Eric Severson. His style of direction revolves around bringing out both the best in his actors and in the play itself. “I always try to fulfill my vision of what I perceive the play to be while at the same time involving all of my actors as fully as possible in the performance,” said Severson. His passion for the arts is easily detectable. “What I love about theater is that each performance is a unique, shared experience between the cast and the audience, even though the lines may be the same, a play is never performed quite the same way twice and the audience is ever changing. This creates a personal connection between the theatergoers and the actor, and when done right it’s a truly fantastic experience,” Severson said. This is what makes the actors of SPA so enthralling, they have been taught not to be rigid, to go with the flow and be in the moment, and in doing so, these actors create a living, breathing work of art. Severson was rightfully nominated for this award by a former college and professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She and Severson have worked together since the 1990’s and wrote an essay describing why Severson was worthy of the award.

“[Severson’s] directing is unique not because of how he works with the people who are center stage but because of how he works with the kids who are in the background. Seves [Severson] insists, not just suggests, that everyone who’s not speaking should be in character at all times. There’s no standing around picking your nose and watching the singer, you’re standing like your character would and if you’re a guard with no lines then you have to project guardness from every pore,” said junior Riley Wheaton, who has starred in numerous plays directed by Severson and has been under Severson’s tutelage. “Seves has taught me that acting is more than reading a script. No matter how stressful things may get, he makes sure to push everybody to reach their full potential onstage,” said junior Justin Zanaska, who has also been directed by Severson.

Severson cares not only about the play he’s directing, but about the actors performing in it. He has touched the lives of actors and those who watch them. “[Severson’s] been my director since I was eight so he kinda brought me into the theater world and I’m eternally grateful for that. He has taught me so much over the years and I’m just so glad I could work with him for so long,”  senior Maddie Flom-Staab said, echoing the feeling that Severson pushes everyone to fully devote themselves to the production and embodies the ideal that no line is unimportant. He is the definition of the Tony Award, and the whole school is rooting for him to take the prize.