About Me!
My name is Courtney Larson. I grew up on a small hobby farm outside of St. Joseph Minnesota. I just finished out my four year BFA Musical Theatre degree and psychology minor at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD 2025).
UMD has given me so many opportunities over my four years. I have gotten the chance to work with the student organized theatre company (Stage 2) as well as take part in many of the UMD department productions. I was in UMD’s production of Cabaret this spring. I found Sally Bowles challenging me in many ways as an artist. Finding her joy and love for performance and it’s contrast to the dark end of the show, really gave me new skills to take with me into my next process. Cabaret really tested me as an artist and I am so glad that I was able to be apart of it.
I have also grown in so many ways as an artist and human during my time in Duluth. Just recently, I had the opportunity to be in my first professional show! I participated in The Duluth Playhouse’s production of Jersey Boys. I then got to work with them the following winter on Cinderella. I am so grateful that I was able to dip my toe into the professional world prior to graduating.
My next step after graduation is to move to the Twin Cities! Now that I am here, I am hoping to start making connections with the many theatre artists in the area!
When I am not in rehearsals or on the stage, you can find me spending time outdoors, painting, or hanging out with my cat. I really enjoy going for hikes and exploring the world around me. Traveling is definitely one of my passions. I am hoping to eventually travel/tour with a production in the future. When I have the time, I often relax by doing paintings for my family. My cat is certainly my little best friend. I got Penny the summer after my sophomore year of college, and we have been inseparable ever since.
Thank you for taking the time to read a little more about me! :)
Artist Statement:
Acting has been a passion of mine since I was very young. I have always been drawn to performance and being in front of an audience, no matter how small. Acting to me, involves a vast, wide ocean. The top of the water is completely still. I then see this small droplet of water fall from the sky and hit the water. This causes a little ripple in the once still surface, growing bigger and bigger as it gets farther from the initial impact. This is how I view my acting. My contribution to the world is that small droplet and it is amazing to think of the effect that my work could have on so many other human beings. I have this urge to leave my audience with a new perspective on life. I want them to sit in their thoughts and discuss what they have seen with other people. As an actor, it is my responsibility to connect with my audience and learn. A person can learn so much from watching a performance, and even more when you are the one performing it. I find so much learning in my acting, but this was not always the case. Before studying at UMD, I was fairly self taught. I used to approach characters in a very vulnerable way that was not safe. I have since learned to distance myself from my actual emotions while still being connected to my character. I go about acting by using the materials I carry with me: my body, my mind, and my life experiences. I am able to stay true to myself by picking acting material that I can connect deeply to and that I share an understanding with. I find that I am the most successful when I am able to find myself in my character. When I find myself, I make sure to separate it from my day to day life. I now know that the best way to begin a piece is to breathe and take space. Taking space allows an actor to ground themselves in their current circumstances and connect to their character, before they are under the eyes of the audience. An actor knows when their work is completed when either themselves or their scene partner feels like their objective was accurately portrayed. Although, in all honesty, an actor's job is never truly done, because theatre is an alive and constantly changing form. 
