Anthony Bullock, AJC Class of 2019 and UPRVA student, discovered theatre during his high school years at St. Christopher’s School, where he performed in plays and announced for the football team

Now pursuing a Bachelor Fine Arts in Theatre at VCU, Anthony reached out to Head of School Mike Maruca with the idea of bringing a theatre elective to AJC. The result? His class performed The Grinch during our Christmas program, sparking confidence among a handful of budding actors.

Seventh grader Ne’Veah, who played the Grinch, shared, “I just really like expressing myself — this was a new way to do that, so I wanted to try it.” She appreciated Anthony’s willingness to model projection and movement in each class. “He didn’t just tell us what to do, he showed us,” she said.

Anthony hopes to offer the elective again next year, giving more students the chance to find their voices on stage. After watching him perform an act from Macbeth, students seem open to tackling a bigger challenge next quarter: Shakespeare, anyone?

Pictured above: Anthony and two of his star performers, Dy’Asia (8th grade) and Jamil (6th grade).