Nicole Goodman

Andrew Cusmano performing his monologue in West Highs 2023 Spring Play “Dear Chuck.”

Andrew Cusmano has been acting for seven years, three of which he has dedicated to the West High Speech and Theater program. His acting career began with simple community theater plays like “A Christmas Story” in 2016 and “Amazing Grace” in 2017. In 2023, he went to the IHSSA Individual Event All-State festival for his storytelling piece, “And Tango Makes Three”.

When reflecting upon what got him into acting, Cusmano stated, “It’s been so long that I honestly cannot remember the very first thing to get me into theater. Even before I started acting, I always loved the idea of getting to tell a story and be someone who wasn’t me.”

“I enjoy the escapism,” he says. According to him, the feeling of “being a brand new person” allows him to live in the life and background of his character. “I love getting to convey a message and theme through my work. It’s such a rewarding experience to put on a show and have your audience understand exactly what you mean.” Andrew wraps his audience members in any scene he performs by adding a very strong level of emotion, allowing them to feel the way his character feels.

Cusmano’s biggest influences are absolutely heartwarming. “As of recently, my biggest influence to continue my acting journey has been Mr. Hirdler, a counselor at West!” Hirdler has constantly pushed Cusmano to reach his full potential as an actor by encouraging improvement and offering constant critique and recommendations. He also states that his mom has influenced his acting career the most. His mom, Robyn, has continuously supported his theater journey and has always been on board when he wants to take on the stage for another show. His mom never really did anything theater-related until she saw Cusmano audition for his first play, “How to Kill a Mockingbird”. Since then, his mom has been involved in a handful of plays and has even been a featured extra in a few local movies. “I owe a lot to that lovely woman.”

Cusmano’s world after high school is unsettled, but he states, “In a perfect world, I would love to make acting my entire career.” Anything from directing to costume designing overjoys him. Anything theater-related is something that he loves. “Theater has been my biggest passion in life since I learned it was a thing and I don’t plan to ever stop it after high school.”