By Oliver Jenkins
Riley Burnham is a 2023 senior at Ponte Vedra High School (PVHS) who has acclaimed a fair amount of notable achievements, especially in the pursuit of his passion in drama. He is a prominent member of the PVHS Drama Department, performed in several plays at PVHS in both leading and supporting roles, and most recently has won the Senior Women organized talent fundraiser event, Mr. Fintastic. Riley has been interested in drama since middle school, but he really became involved in performing during his freshman year and feels as though his experience up until now has been attributed to his passion and accomplishments as a performer.
Comedy is Riley’s favorite aspect of drama and hopes to pursue it more after high school, though it wasn’t something that came to him immediately as a performer. When asked what drove him to choosing a comedy as a potential career path, he says that, “theater taught [him] how to be a comedian and that it could be a possibility for [him].” He also went on to cite his experience in shows such as Peter and the Starcatcher and High School Musical as the biggest motivator, as well as his guidance from his drama teacher, Mr. Nettle, who pushed him to be “the best [he] could be in every situation.”
While performing seems to come naturally to Riley when on the stage, there are many challenges he faces with theater, the most prominent of which to him being self-doubt. With roles such as Captain Blackbeard in Peter and the Starcatcher, Riley can’t help but listen to intrusive thoughts about his capabilities as an actor and doubting his abilities to give them that are necessary for a performer. Riley says that he is “working on how I shouldn’t judge myself like that since I can do it [and] am able to do it, but my one obstacle is my self-doubt… but I just have to teach myself that I can do it,” and goes on to cite the support from family and friends as a motivator and justification of all his work, as well as the constructive advice from his drama teachers and fellow students.
After high school, Riley plans to get his associates degree in acting at Valencia Community College while being involved with improv and comedy clubs, hoping to eventually get his bachelors and masters degree in acting so he can have as many “tools in his arsenal as possible.” His long term goals include being hired for SNL and perhaps even performing in some plays and movies, but he recognizes that he will have to put in lots of hard work to ever make those goals come to fruition, which he is willing to do.
There is no doubt that Riley is a prominent member of the PV drama department and his capabilities and potential should not be understated. Though Riley has received many accolades and attention for his performances and accomplishments, he remains humbled and thankful for the support from others in his pursuit of his passion.
