Living the theater life in America

To some, the “American dream” means instant economic success, a healthy family and a stable lifestyle, but for Radick Cembrzynski, another dream comes first: acting under theater spotlights.

“I’ve always liked being in front of people and doing something funny. I can’t remember when it started; it was just in me. I was just born that way,” said Cembrzynski, a third-year theater student. “If I can find a job in theater where I can be happy like I am right now, that’ll be perfect.”

After moving to the United States from Poland five years ago, Cembrzynski realized that he could only see himself involved in the performing arts. After taking GE acting courses at Santa Monica College, he discovered that he wanted to pursue acting more than anything else. His life in the performing arts, however, began with dance. When he grew up in Poland, Cembrzynski trained in ballroom dance from the ages of 5 through 15 and studied hip-hop, jazz and break dancing in his teens.

Despite encouragement to pursue dance in Poland, Cembrzynski recognized that options there were limited.

“Friends of mine graduated from the best universities (in Poland), and they’re still looking for a job,” Cembrzynski said. “There are a lot of educated people, but there are not a lot of opportunities. You have to have connections to get somewhere, and there are so many educated people in Poland. Most of my friends are either in London or other parts of Europe, not Poland.”

Cembrzynski’s uncle, an opera performer and dancer in Poland, recognized the limited number of opportunities for artists like Cembrzynski and gave him a trip to the United States as a graduation gift.

“I came here for a vacation first and then I took a couple of English classes through Santa Monica College for free, and I decided to stay here,” Cembrzynski said. “(My uncle) gave me an opportunity and I’m trying to use it as much as possible and not waste it. I think it’s a waste to come here and not work hard.”

Initially, Cembrzynski performed with a break dancing troupe on Third Street Promenade on the weekends, but he soon decided to attend school full time. Working hard proved essential for Cembrzynski as he still had to overcome one great barrier to access the greater opportunities to theater: language.

“I would gesticulate to people what I wanted. I had a dictionary on me and the first couple of months, I was really afraid of opening up my mouth because of my accent, because of my poor grammar. … I felt really awkward. Sometimes people were laughing at me,” he said.

Jerry Perez, a third-year theater student and one of the friends who transferred to UCLA from Santa Monica College the same year Cembrzynski did, remembers the language difficulties his friend initially faced.

“When I first met him, he had been here for a couple months and he didn’t really talk much,” Perez said. “He would just stick to friends, and he would laugh at jokes that he’d already heard people say. He would repeat a lot of things that people said, like a lot of jokes and things that he found familiar.”

Cembrzynski, however, was not content with his limited knowledge of English.

“There was a point where I said to myself, “˜There are so many people out here and they can’t speak English, and they’ve been here for over 30 years. … I don’t want to be like one of them,'” Cembrzynski said.

“You have to be brave and you have to be open and you have to just believe in what you’re doing. … I just went out there and I just started talking to people and studying English and meeting new people.”

On the bus and in classes, Cembrzynski spoke to new people for practice.

“You cannot imagine in Poland, sitting in the bus and meeting four or five people each day,” Cembrzynski said. “That’s how I made friends.”

Cembrzynski decided to apply to UCLA two years ago, after researching the university and the theater professors, but was rejected the first time he applied. He decided to take a year off and explore theater through a professional internship with the Santa Monica-based theater company, “A Noise Within.” With greater acting experience and English language acquisition, Cembrzynski was accepted to UCLA the following year.

UCLA acting professor April Shawhan auditioned Cembrzynski into the theater school and recognized his potential.

“What I saw in the audition was passion and commitment and talent,” Shawhan said. “He is an excellent student and very committed and a hard worker.”

Now, Cembrzynski pursues a full acting curriculum at UCLA, taking 21 units of theater classes and starring in one of the leading roles of the theater department’s production of Sarah Kane’s “Cleansed.”

“I know that I want to do theater, and every day, it’s a beautiful day,” Cembrzynski said. “From 9 in the morning until 12 at night, I’m at school. If not studying, then rehearsing. If not rehearsing, then being in classes. If not in classes, then studying scenes.”

Stage manager Brooke Baldwin recognizes Cembrzynski’s enthusiasm for theater.

“When he got cast and when he found out, he saw me outside and picked me up and said, “˜Oh my God! I’m so excited!'” Baldwin said. “He keeps everyone in good spirits, and he’s just one of those actors you just enjoy being around. He tries different things and he gives other actors stuff to work with. He’s always willing to help out.”

Along with his busy daily schedule, Cembrzynski makes time to continue improving his English as well as explore theater opportunities in the Los Angeles community.

“I’m very limited right now in terms of my accent. Everywhere you go, you need to have an American dialect,” Cembrzynski said. “That’s the main obstacle, and that’s the main reason why I was thinking about acting as my job because … if you have an accent, you’re very limited. But, hey, I got in (to UCLA), and I’m the only one who’s gotten into the undergraduate program with an accent, so I think I’m doing a good job.”

Despite Cembrzynski’s concerns, his cultural background has helped more than hindered his progress.

“I think it’s so wonderful for his fellow classmates to have someone from another country, from another culture, who can bring so much of that to the class,” Professor Shawhan said.

Cembrzynski’s acting style and technique, too, have improved since his admission to UCLA.

“At community college he had that huge presence that you just have to pay attention to, and I think coming here, he’s learned to bring it down a little bit,” Perez said.

“He maintains the intensity but does not have to physically show it all the time. You can tell that something’s brewing inside of him, but he doesn’t necessarily have to show it. I think that actually intensifies his acting a bit more because you’re anticipating the explosion.”

Most importantly, Cembrzynski continues to pursue his dream of living the theater life.

“You have to find the right thing for yourself, and if you find it, that’s 80 percent of the success. In whatever way you can do it, just pursue it.”

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