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Contributed by Max Sobel

Sobel waiting to go on stage during the fall play

PV freshman Max Sobel has taken the first steps into a possible career in acting. After participating in an acting intensive over the summer, Sobel was recruited by a management company. Through the management company, he was able to meet lifelong friends and be introduced to some of his acting inspirations. 

“I think it hasn’t hit me yet but I’m really excited to see what can happen if I improve and what I can do when I practice and really put my mind to something,” Sobel said.

This all started when one of Sobel’s closest friends encouraged him to look into an intensive in New York City with him called The Broadway Star Project. While they had talked about trying out to attend in the summer of 2019, Sobel decided to wait a few years. 

This past summer, they both auditioned and got accepted. This six-week acting intensive gave them the opportunity to learn from professional actors who helped in every aspect: singing, dancing, acting from song, etc. 

“My thinking was ‘let’s just audition and see what happens,’” Sobel said. “I think it is very special [that my friend and I both got into the program] because this person is one of the closest friends I have.”

Sobel worked on some specific forms of acting including acting through song, and he was able to explore all of it in the same city as Broadway. Sobel took part in many memorable experiences throughout the intensive and even got the chance to perform in an Off-Broadway theatre in front of many of his peers. 

“During this intensive, we performed a selection of songs that we got to choose to practice over the session in an Off-Broadway theatre in New York,” Sobel said. “[This] was really special because I got to experience what it was like to really get up and perform in front of people.”

At the end of this intensive, Sobel and other students performed in an audition center through the Broadway Star Project where he got in touch with a manager from Connecting Talent Company who was interested in working with him. Shortly after the manager emailed him, he was able to quickly start taking classes roughly every two weeks with a “very good” teacher who helped him gain confidence and have the realization that he could pursue acting as a profession in the future. 

“[The classes] really make me feel confident about my ability and it’s only going to go up so it’s been a really great experience so far,” Sobel said.

Sobel explained that he takes classes through the management company that encourages him to try new things, keep an open mind, and give him a broad skill set that he can work with when he’s ready to schedule an audition. 

“It pushes you to be your best self in a lot of scenarios and I think that that’s what this acting class has really done for me, it pushed me to be my best self as an actor,” Sobel said.

When this time comes, the management will schedule any auditions for him, send him previews of audition material and work on reading this material in classes. The teachers of these classes are able to provide individualized feedback on his acting, and they can give out helpful advice because they have a lot of experience performing and auditioning. 

“I’m really excited to see what can happen if I improve, what I can do when I practice and really put my mind to something,” Sobel said. 

Sobel also participated in both PV plays as Rerun Van Pelt, in “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” and as Gus Gus in “Night Night, Roger Roger.” He enjoyed “Night Night, Rodger Rodger” and liked that it was a very comedic story but also had a real sense of heart to it. Senior Abby Lange, who also participated in the play,  said she was honored to work with Sobel and that he “took what he was given and really gave it 100 percent.” 

“He is just very passionate and kind-hearted,” Lange said. “He will always check on you and make sure that you’re doing okay. He’s very transparent and a good person to talk to, and a great teammate.”

Sobel has also found inspiration and guidance in watching some famous actors and actresses like Ida Mason who he met recently. He was inspired by her performance in Steven Speilberg’s “West Side Story.” They talked together for a while, he gave her lots of advice, and they shared their love for West Side Story. 

“[Mason] gave me a ton of insight into auditioning for shows that are just being put out— brand new shows that are starting from scratch,” said Sobel. 

Sobel’s skills earned him the opportunity to work on something he is very passionate about. He is very excited to continue working on his skills through his management company, Connecting Talent Company, and to see where it will take him in the future. 

“I got to meet incredible people and learn from industry professionals who helped me in [many] different aspects,” Sobel said.