Mini Profile - Jule Nelson-Duac (Fine arts major)

Whether she's going through a costume change in less than three minutes or is part of the final dress curse, which is where the performer has a bad dress rehearsal but has a good opening night, her love and passion for theater shows in everything that she does.
Jule Nelson-Duac, a junior theater major with acting emphasis, said she loves getting the chance to perform and to send a certain message in front of large audience.
"I love theater because it's an outlet to express messages that would normally not be spread," Nelson-Duac said. "Theater is a form of communication that can speak to everyone because it's about showing truth and reality on stage, which you don't see much of in real life."
Nelson-Duac's favorite role that she has played while at TCU has been Belinda Blair in the production "Noises Off." Although she wasn't originally thrilled when she got casted for the part, she said it eventually became one of her favorites.
"Even when you don't first like the role you've been cast, you learn to love it and embrace it," she said.
Her dream role is to play Catherine in the "The Taming of the Shrew." Catherine is portrayed as an extremely powerful woman who doesn't take nonsense from men. She's someone who is ahead of her time, Nelson-Duac said.
The best part of the TCU theater department is the people. It's as though they are one big family becuase of all the time they spend together, she said.
Although a lot of people just see theater as acting, Nelson-Duac said the skills theater students learn are not only applicable in the theater world, but also in life, in general. These skills include different forms of communication skills and public speaking. Theater students naturally become well-rounded individuals, she said.
However, the late nights and long rehearsal hours can take a toll on the students.
"On top of rehearsals, we have to do our other schoolwork and it's sometimes hard to accommodate time for everything that needs to get done," Nelson-Duac said. "During show weeks, sometimes we're in the theater from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and it can be very stressful."
After she graduates in May 2010, Nelson-Duac said she's hoping to go to New York City to pursue her dream career.