Ripon College Days

Jeff Dodson [Click to enlarge]

A product of a family firmly rooted in the sciences, senior Jeff Dodson-actor, singer, theologian and wine enthusiast-considers himself the "odd duck out" in the Dodson household.

A Colorado native, Dodson wasn't always interested in the arts. He originally studied at Colorado State University with the intent of majoring in biology.

Although he was first introduced to acting in high school, the real turning point didn't come until he acted in his university's production of the "Pirates of Penzance." Dodson had such a great experience with the show he decided to major in theatre, transferred to Ripon College, whose theatre program impressed him as a prospective, and began to pursue the art in earnest.

Dodson was especially taken with the idea of people-watching, something his first acting teacher presented as a way to get into character. "I had already been doing this for a while, so when he gave me a purpose and when I learned that I could apply that to attain a goal like portraying a character on stage, that really impressed me."

His love of theatre carried him through numerous high school and college productions, roles in "A Midsummer's Night Dream," "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," "Blood Wedding," and most recently, "And People Will Say." At Ripon, two of his perfromances begot him nominations for the prestigious Irene Ryan award for acting.

Citing Steve Martin and the other former cast members of Saturday Night Live as his influences, Dodson says he prefers more lighthearted roles. "I love a good comedy, something with a lot of physicality in it," he says with emphasis.

Dodson, a religion minor, is also struck by the link between religion and theatre. "I'm really interested in the global context of faith and religion," he says. "The more I learn about theatre and the more I learn about religion it seems the two go together really well."

His interests extend far beyond religion and theatre. He enjoys a fine glass of Tuscan chianti, is considering studying at the seminary someday, wants to run for president with his twin brother under the campaign slogan "Dodson and Dodson in 2020," and he loves football.

"I juggle a lot of things around in my mind; I want to be a lot of things," he muses.

Next semester Dodson will have the opportunity to dabble and experience the arts firsthand in the ACM London-Florence program.

"I'm really looking for adventure!" Dodson says. "There are a lot of things I hope to experience. I'm looking forward to getting to know a little bit of the world outside of the U.S. and seeing how art is approached in a different culture."

Unabashedly a lover of science fiction and Star Trek, Dodson was influenced by meeting various actors at Star Trek conventions with his family.

"When you meet these actors face-to-face you realize they're just people too," he says. "I think that's what gives me the confidence that even though I'm just some schmoe, I can portray a character and get people to laugh and achieve this movie-star appeal too-it's not unreachable."

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