Jordyn Charkowski said that she was tricked into her first audition.
Sitting on a sofa in her living room with her mother, the Stroud senior chuckled as she recalled the story.
She was in the first grade and living with her grandparents while her mother, Stephanie Charkowski, was deployed in 2013. They told her they were going to go watch some people sing.
“So I go with my grandmother. She’s like, ‘Hey, you want to sing too?’ I guess. And I have no idea what to sing. So I sang my ABCs. And somehow, I landed the role of Molly in Annie Jr.,” she said.
That first audition-that-wasn’t-supposed- to-be-an-audition started a long love affair with theatre and the arts. Charkowski has since played a number of parts, including a few villains, with her next role that of Squidward in Stroud High School’s production of “Sponge-Bob SquarePants: The Musical” in November.
She said she’s not completely sure what drew her to theatre, but it has to do with stories.
“I’ve always been fascinated by stories and people just being a character, like in movies. You can be this person? I can play this character? Oh, you can change your voice? It was fun,” she said.
Acting and being on stage can have different challenges for different people. For some, it’s the audition, and Charkowski said she understands that. But for her, it’s working together to be a character.
“Sometimes when there are new people, it’s hard to work with new people and you’re like, I’m not even relaxed, I gotta help them teach them,” she said. “So basically it’s just being the form of a role model while trying to be a character yourself.”
Her two favorite roles were two very different ones.
“So, I did Mr. Mushnick (Little Shop of Horrors), that was fun, even though Luke Smart is like a foot taller than me, and we had to do a tango together. I was like, I had to look up and try not to fall, so that was fun,” she said. “I really enjoyed playing Ursula; that was a fun one. I love playing villains. That was my favorite.”
Storytelling is etched into who Jordyn is. She wants to be a writer, an artist, and more. She wants to do animation, film and theatre at university. She’s currently writing, directing and producing her own short film to help with getting into a university program. It was optional, but of course, she wanted to do it all herself.
The film focuses on two seniors as they navigate two different yet similar struggles of being a senior. One is a transfer student who is working to fit in while also preparing to graduate. The other struggles with what everyone is pressuring him to do, while wanting to pursue a different path.
Charkowski has a plan. She wants to attend OSU IT and do their two-year animation program, then go to UCF with an animation major and multiple minors. She also wants to write a book, make her own musical, and create her own TV shows. She’s already started on the book.
Jordyn said her ideas come from everywhere and that she could go into any genre, though she loves fantasy.
“I just like taking things that’re real and making them into something fantasy because it’s real, but it’s still its own story,” she said.
Charkowski credits several teachers for helping her on her journey.
“It’s kind of a blend in a way. I grew up having to be supported by Mrs. Thomas, who recently retired, Mrs. Mikulitz, Mrs. Martinez, and Mrs. A. -- Mrs. Arnold who also retired back in the eighth grade year,” she said. “They just love seeing me on stage because I’ve been doing it for years.”
Jessica Martinez, the drama teacher at Stroud High School, said Jordyn was in her second-grade Sunday School class years ago, but she’s been working with her as an actor for three years. She said that whenever she’s on stage, she is “on.”
“She embodies every character she has ever been given. I remember her specifically as Ursula in ‘The Little Mermaid’ when she was in middle school (before I took over the theater program) and thinking, ‘Wow, this young lady is phenomenal!’” she said. “I hope she relentlessly pursues her dreams. I look forward to seeing where her future takes her.”
Editor’s Note: This is the first in the Senior Spotlight series that will feature graduating seniors from all of the high schools in The Lincoln County News’ coverage area.