The story of the 99th TJC Las Mas Student Representative Halle Dunn (they/them) begun the moment their older sister stepped on the stage.
“My older sister is my person. She’s my favorite person in the entire world, and she was Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at my elementary school when I was four years old. I played a tree too, and I had one line, and I threw apples at Dorothy, and that was it,” Dunn reminisced.
Dunn later starred in another play with their older sister. “She played a bird in ‘The Jungle Book’ and she just did a phenomenal job. She’s so talented. And I was like, ‘OK, I’ll try a musical, because I want to be just like my older sister, and she’s the coolest person in the world,’ ” Dunn said.
Dunn’s start in theatre lead to them becoming somewhat of a polyglot for extracurricular activities. Dunn also played softball, soccer, basketball and cheered. As Dunn grew in their sister’s footsteps, they started to tread their own path in middle and high school.
From wanting to be a teacher, to possibly considering becoming an astrophysicist, Dunn couldn’t figure out what career path suited them. Until high school when Dunn came to Texas.
“I wasn’t gonna audition for any play. I wasn’t gonna be in theatre. I was actually gonna go back to doing sports. Then one of my friends was like, ‘Hey, you should audition for the play. You like theatre, why not?’ And so I did, and I got one of the leads, and then I auditioned for the next one, and I got a lead, and it just kept going. And I was like, ‘Oh, this is what I’m happy doing,’” Dunn said.
After high school, Dunn searched for a college that offered them opportunities to expand their talents, which lead them to TJC. As Dunn joined TJC’s Theatre department, joining Las Mascaras “was kind of a no brainer.” “I’m an all or nothing kind of person,” Dunn said.
Dunn gave it their all and this lead to their first and most impactful role in TJC’s Theatre Department, when they were cast as Bors in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” directed by TJC professor Ethan Beam.
“It’s hard to come by people who are so accepting and so willing to break gender norms. I wasn’t sure who I was going to be at TJC and who I was going to be cast as at TJC, because in high school, it was all male characters,” Dunn said. “Being cast as Bores showed me that I can really be whoever I want to be in this. Just the way that he [Ethan Beam] handled it. It wasn’t someone who’s trans playing a man, and it wasn’t a woman playing a man, and it wasn’t a man playing a man. It was just a character that’s all that it was. That has stuck with me for so long. I want people to feel the same way about roles that you’re not playing anything. You just are becoming a character. It doesn’t matter who you are.”
As Dunn joined Las Mas, they were introduced to their mentor, Ash. Although they rarely interacted, it was important for Dunn to see someone be successful in theatre regardless of their gender identity.
“This is really, really important and dear to me. She was a trans woman,” Dunn said. “That was so exciting to see as someone who is very gender non-conforming, that I got paired with someone who is successful doing what she does in theatre while still being a trans woman, because that is so hard to do in theatre. It is very, very marginalized. That was so rewarding.”
Another connection Dunn mentioned was how Denise Weatherly Green (W.G.) helped them hone their craft.
“She understands a lot, and so being in the costume shop with her has been just a blessing, because I do costuming. I’ve been sewing my whole life, and she’s made me much better at it.” Dunn said.
Dunn played James in “James in the Giant Peach,” costume dresser, and makeup and hair artist in “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The other roles Dunn has taken on gave them the support they needed to better know themselves as an actor.
“I have gone through this large journey with myself this year especially, and I have found myself being more comfortable in certain things than others. I’m learning that I like to play female roles, and that’s something that I’m taking on,” Dunn said. “It’s just being in theatre is always about exploring, and that’s been something that I’ve been able to do largely this year, and just being the person that I am in theatre is being willing to overcome and to change.”
Las Mas widened Dunn’s scope of abilities and also gave them the ability to work within the officer role. As the Student Senate Representative, Dunn attends Student Senate meetings.
“It is extremely exciting to be able to be someone who’s so in charge of keeping sure that the organization stays an organization,” Dunn said. “We are a tier three organization, which means that we are extremely old, and we have a lot of people, and so that comes with a lot of responsibilities.”
Dunn’s work within Las Mas hasn’t gone unrecognized with her peer, 99th Las Mas Sergeant at Arms officer Sydney Quintana.
“Dunn is very helpful with Student Senate, because we’re always on top of that, and I know how important that is. But Dunn also is always there to work and to act,” Quintana said. “Dunn is actually a double major in dance and theatre, and so I see him a lot everywhere.”
Department Chair of Speech and Theatre, Lara Smith also mentioned Dunn’s dedication to their role.
“They are extremely diligent in getting all the things that are required through Student Life, and it suits them quite well,” Smith said.
Dunn’s experiences within Las Mas has not only helped them grow as an officer, but it also made them grow as a person and as an actor.
Las Mas has given Dunn the ability to meet fellow performers who have given them a “bigger life experience.”
Being a part of Las Mas has helped Dunn grow out of their shell to learn how to interact with others. Although Dunn is an actor of many traits, they stand out at Las Mas as a powerhouse of every setting.
“Being an officer in Las Mas has given me the confidence in myself to insert myself with other people, which in turn makes me interact with my fellow actors and actresses much better, and fellow crewmates much better,” Dunn said. “I become a better actor because of it, because when you’re comfortable in your setting, you do better. You excel in that.”
