“There’s something so beautiful about telling a story through a theatrical lens and letting yourself be someone else for a little bit.”

We recently caught up with senior Joy Smith, whose singing and acting talent was widely recognized on campus last year. She received the Junior Dance & Theater Arts Award and a Founders Prize, when it was said that she had "the rare ability to captivate an audience completely through her sheer presence, confidence, and remarkable talent. While her acting ability is extraordinary, her singing is perhaps even more so.”

She is in rehearsals now for the fall play, She Kills Monsters, which will be presented November 4–7 in the Norris Ely Orchard Theater.

Year: Senior

Hometown: Bloomfield, Conn.

Clubs/activities: Theater (she has been in the fall plays and winter musicals since her freshman year). Junior Dance & Theater Arts Award. Founders Prize. Writing Studio. Acapelicans. Member of MLK Week planning committee.

On theater: “There’s something so beautiful about telling a story through a theatrical lens and letting yourself be someone else for a little bit.” She remembers her first play, Our Town, and the memories and friendships made as a freshman. And now she is a senior, preparing for her final play and musical, and with that comes responsibility, she says. “It is now my job to teach the underclassmen how theater works here at Loomis, which is an honor for me because looking back at my freshman year, I was taught by seniors who were so passionate. Now I am the passionate senior, which is a great full-circle moment. Also, theater is so much fun. It’s a big-time commitment, but everyone is there because they are passionate about what they do. And it is definitely an environment where people can be themselves and open up to each other, which I appreciate.”

On singing: She was raised in a musical family, and it was not unusual for the family to spend an evening playing music together. “I’ve been singing since I can remember. My parents will tell you that as a baby I would crawl around mumbling melodies.” At 6 years old she was in the youth choir at church.

Favorite place on campus: The playground near the tennis courts off Faculty Row. She describes it as a relaxing and peaceful area in which to spend time with friends. “It makes us happy. We feel like kids again. We are kids but in a different sense. It’s freeing to swing on the swings, talk about the day, sit on the jungle gym, and talk about what is going on.”

One thing people might not know about you: “I love WWE [World Wrestling Entertainment]. I love watching pro wrestling on TV. My mom says it’s vulgar, but it’s so cool, the techniques, all the villain personas, the storylines of the characters, and walking out to theme songs. I went with my dad this summer. One guy rode in on a motorcycle.” So, is it acting or is it real? “It’s definitely acting, but it’s cool acting. And some of that stage combat feels real. They get genuinely body-slammed. Some of that is fake, but that’s OK.”

Favorite meal: Cachupa, a traditional national dish of Cape Verde that is a slow‑cooked stew packed with such things as carrots, onions, peppers, linguiça, chicken, yucca. “It’s like heaven in a bowl.” Joy and her mom made the dish for Cultural Outburst, an annual celebration of multi-culturalism on campus. “Let me tell you. It took a long time to make it. I was saying, ‘Mom, are we done yet?’ It’s a labor of love, takes a lot of effort but shows the family how much you care for them.” 

Has any experience changed your perspective? “I was in the dining hall [this year] and a friend, a sophomore now, came up to me. I noticed she was much more outgoing, and I commented, ‘You are so cool.’ And what she said, I did not expect. She said, ‘I learned from you.’ That was awe-inspiring. To have an impact and know it was very powerful. You become more self-aware of what you do.”

Favorite season: Summer. She said she spends time with family and friends back home. “It is great to catch up and take those interactions slowly. It’s productively slow. Things are happening, but at your own pace. Sometimes I might get bored in the summer, but with boredom comes creativity. And the opportunity to get bored is a privilege because your mind is not racing, you don’t have five things to do, you get to slow down and figure out what can I do, what can I learn, and it’s at your pace. And it’s really your choice.”