BCT alum June Gustafson
BCT: What was your first show at BCT?
June: I worked for several shows backstage before landing the role of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland.
BCT: What was your favorite role at BCT?
June: Even though it was a small part, I loved being an Angel in The Red Shoes, since the role included dancing, so all those years of ballet training did not go to waste. I also enjoy being part of stage crew, since nothing can really happen on stage without an effective crew.
BCT: What other roles did you play at BCT?
June: I believe that those were my only two on stage roles, but I did props and costumes for other shows: Aladdin, which was stage-mobile, The Secret Garden, and others.
BCT: Was there a person – staff member or fellow performer – who you remember in particular?
June: I remember so many people, so who I am still in touch with today. There was a real bonding experience that occurred at 263 Commonwealth Avenue (the old headquarters for BCT). Of course auditioning in front of Adele Thane was memorable, also chatting with George Roland in his office that overlloked the avenue. However, it was Vivian Dooley — she was in charge of the costumes, kept on the top floor of 263 — that I remember most fondly. In that costume room, actors would be transformed, she would let us try on items not related to our current production, and she was very kind and generous.
BCT: What is your favorite BCT memory?
June: I loved my acting lessons with Jan Smith, who had worked with Al Pacino, who had started to gain some fame as a movie actor. There was a “canteen” on the main floor, where one could buy soda and hang out prior to the lesson. There was something about 263 that fueled my imagination. It was this old Back Bay mansion, complete with formal mirrored rooms, huge windows, and wonderful floors. The staircase was a tremendous piece of architectural wonder, made more fascinating by the fact we could not ascend past the second floor, unless we were going to a costume fitting with Mrs. Dooley. I would spend hours, imagining who must have lived there and pretending I was part of an old Boston Brahmin family (as a first generation American, I was also figuring out how to assimilate!), gaining visualization techniques that would help me later on in life.
BCT: What are you up to now?
June: After several years in NYC in a business career, I returned to the Boston area and stayed at home with my two sons. When they began school, I returned to school as well, getting a Masters in Education and then a post graduate degree. I teach sixth grade humanities for the Hingham Public Schools, a place where I can act, direct, produce, usher, set the stage, and just about every other theatre job there is! My two sons, Max and Harry are also actors. Max is currently in The Fifth Son, a play about Oscar Romero at Boston College High School that will compete in the Massachusetts Drama Guild’s Festival. I can’t list all the shows Harry has been involved with both at Boston College High School and Boston University. Although, they both were cast as King Duncan in Macbeth at their respective schools during the theatre season last year.
BCT: What message would you like to share with BCTers?
June: As wildly developed as my imagination became form my BCT experience, I never imagined myself in the role of a mom to two amazing actors. BCT is a hugely mind expanding experience, embrace it and embrace your lives. I did not always have big stage roles, but the lessons I learned from both on and off stage at BCT gave me confidence and conviction to try things that I might not have otherwise pursued. If any parents of current BCT students doubt how important this experience can be, let me assure you, it took me from a sad, reluctant, quiet child and transformed me into a confident, imaginative, and disciplined person. I am sure I am not the only person who came away from the BCT experience aware and enriched.