AFA News

AFA Summer Music Festival Alumnus and Alumni Intern Juan Sebastián Cruz is steadily making his way in the theatre community. A multifaceted artist, Cruz is the first graduate from the Rice University Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts (VADA) to perform on the mainstage at the Alley Theatre.

When did you attend AFA?

I was a student from 2009- 2011 in the Summer Music Festival Symphony Orchestra and an intern in 2012 and 2013.

What are you currently up to?

I am currently a professional actor in Houston. Most of my work right now comes from being a Teaching Artist with Theatre Under The Stars and the Alley Theatre. I’m also currently doing Teaching Artist work with the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Florida. Some of the specifics include a residency with Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, making guided learning videos called Imagination Journeys for elementary schools, and creating a curriculum for a Spanish adaptation of Hamlet.

What are some things you learned as an AFA student that you’ve carried into your career?

I think the main thing I learned is just to remember to have fun with whatever you are doing. Being a student at AFA really showed me that I loved music and art enough to want to willingly give up part of my summer to be a part of the orchestra. And that would not have been the case if I didn’t have a blast learning and playing music alongside getting into shenanigans with friends. Of course, it was very difficult as well learning challenging orchestral rep, chamber pieces, and solos, sometimes all at once. But you have to find what brings you joy along the way in those moments, and that’s something I learned that holds true now in my adult professional life as an artist. Also, I know this question says “as a student” but I want to give a quick shout out to the staff when I was an intern for all the things I learned then too, which was A LOT.

What would be your advice to a young musician thinking about a career in the arts?

Diversify! At the very least, this has personally helped me tremendously in my career. I think the more you learn about your entire field and the performing arts in general, not just your specific role within it, the more opportunities you’ll have in finding paid work within the arts and in turn you’ll make better connections and learn how to communicate and respect everyone involved. For example, I’ve done jobs painting walls for theater sets, stage managing small events, even one time just turning sheet music for a piano recital with AFA. Humility and a positive attitude go a long way in this industry. The more you expand what you are willing to learn and try, the greater chance you will have at finding paid work alongside progressing in whatever your main discipline is.

What do you enjoy the most about performing?

I love that it’s exciting and liberating, that it’s the ancestral joy of storytelling, of exploring all the nuances of human imagination, expression, and emotion. I love all of that. But what do I enjoy the most about doing it? Hmm… all I know is that performing gives me an energy, a feeling, that I simply don’t get with anything else. I like doing it. Even as a little kid, I remember always choosing to present in class if I had the option to. I like connecting with other people. I feel like I’m good at it. Whatever that feeling is, that’s what keeps bringing me back.

How can we find out more about what you’re up to?

Follow my Youtube account NumberJuanSpot and Instagram @numberjuanspot.