While watching a production by the theater team at West, one is likely to spot junior Riley Pranian somewhere among the crowd of actors, or maybe even catch a glimpse of her changing the scenery between certain scenes. During a choir performance, Pranian is almost impossible to miss when she stands with a microphone in her hand, singing her solo almost flawlessly.
Pranian is one of a handful of students who devotes their time and energy into performance arts. She participates as a member of the Masters Choir Program, Choir Board, Thespian Society, and the Thespian Board. If that weren’t enough, she is also member of the Spanish National Honors Society.
Pranian has been involved in the artistic realm, specifically in the music genre, ever since she was a young girl. Though she has been consistently surrounded by art, she finds that she relates more with her grandparents than her parents on the subject.
“I started singing choir when I was seven,” Pranian said. “I also took art classes when I was really young. Both of my parents aren’t artists, which I find really weird. My dad is an athlete and my mom is all brains. My grandpa loves art and my grandmother was a painter, so art has just been in my house forever.”
Elementary school wasn’t when Pranian first began singing. In fact, she belted her favorite songs even before she could strong together comprehensive sentences.
“I started actually singing when I was seven in my elementary school; I sang in a lot of talent shows. In third grade I remember singing ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’,” she said. “My mom would say when I was three years old, I would sing the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack. I would stand on a stool and just scream Elvis Presley.”
On Choir Board, Pranian takes care of all social media-related jobs. Not only does she monitor the field, but she takes initiative and leads on the Board as well.
“Riley has grown in terms of thinking ahead and thinking forward,” vocal coach Matthew Hunter said. “She does our marketing for choir; she’s responsible for posting things on any social media. Before, at the beginning of the year, I had to remind her about it. Now she makes recommendations; she has stepped up to the point where she thinks ahead. She takes initiative and I’ve seen that growth throughout the year.”
Pranian’s passion for art doesn’t stop there; she is also involved in countless theater programs at West. She has become a member of the Thespian Society and the Thespian Board, having started taking part in theater productions in her freshman year.
Pranian originally debuted her theater career as a crew member backstage in the production of ‘She Kills Monsters.’ There, she found that she was intrigued by the activity and began to find a family in the crew and actors.
“I was in crew, but I was just so fascinated by everyone,” she said. “I love being in crew and cast. I find I have a family there and in choir, too.”
Over the last three years, Pranian has taken part in many theater productions. She has an equal amount of experience as a crew member and as a cast member, which is something that she finds essential for every performer.
“I’m literally split down the middle,” Pranian said. “Half the shows I’ve been on crew and half the shows I’ve been on cast. I feel like, as a performer, you need to know both. As a crew member, I know how to build and how to sew, and I know everything that happens on set. As an actor, I know how to perform, and I’m in director’s studio, so I know how to direct now, too.”
Though she definitely doesn’t lack in terms of experience, she especially enjoys being an actor due to the fact that she can mold the characters into realistic people who she connects back to herself.
“It’s just so awesome getting a script and memorizing lines,” she said. “After you memorize the lines, you can create a person. Then, at the very end, you’ve connected to that person and you ‘get’ that person and you can explore that person as a human being, not just a character.”
Pranian finds that, despite being in several productions in the past, she still gets nervous before going onstage. Before every show, she is calmed down by the ‘energy circle’ that the team does and then later transfers her nervous energy into motivation to do her best onstage.
“For theater, we do this thing called an energy circle,” she explained. “We all hold hands while the seniors talk. Then we pass a pulse around the circle and we’ll just say reassuring things like, ‘Hey, I’m here for you.’ Usually I feel like vomiting before I go up, but I transfer that nervous energy into my character.”
Tackling activities that require an enormous amount of devotion can be difficult, especially when paired with schoolwork. However, Pranian does this, and a bit more, almost effortlessly.
“She’s probably one of the most hard-working people I know, especially because she’s really involved in theater,” junior and close friend Francis Matias said. “She’s part of choir board, she’s a thespian, and she takes care of her two brothers, too. She’s the oldest and she has to be very mature and responsible in the way that she has a lot of obligations, and she takes them on with no problem.”
After high school, Pranian is unsure of what she will pursue in her future. However, she is considering the fields of music education, business, and special education.
“Although I’m considering music education, I’m not sure yet,” Pranian said. “I don’t think I could do that for the rest of my life. I know it’s a hobby of mine, but I don’t know if I could sing seven days a week.”
