by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
Whether someone is a graduate or a new student of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, the school is home to its students.
Izell Blunt, a 1996 graduate of the school’s dance and theater program, is back in Jacksonville as a member of the cast of Broadway’s “The Lion King” through April 15. Blunt was a dance major at Southern Methodist University and has been with “The Lion King” for almost five years.
Courtnee Carter was recently accepted to Douglas Anderson’s performance theater program and will begin 9th grade this fall.
Although Blunt graduated over 10 years ago, both appreciate having the opportunity to pursue their dreams at a school in their hometown.
“Going to Douglas Anderson, I felt welcome. Everyone feels needed and they made you feel like they wanted you there,” said Blunt. “I feel like they modeled me to be ready for the professional world.”
After going though the program, Blunt offered some pointers for current and new students about pursing their dreams.
“Sit down and write down your goals and write them down for yourself, you don’t have to show it to other people,” he said. “No matter what happens keep those goals in front of you. Make sure you are able to accomplish the things you want to do.
“If you put your mind to it and work hard, you can do anything you want to do and it will come out great.”
Blunt was interested in a lot of things when he was a child. He attended Stanton College Prep School for 9th and 10th grades and auditioned at Douglas Anderson before his 11th grade year.
“When I was a kid I was always in the local theater company. My mom put me in every activity to keep me out of trouble,” he said.
Blunt also played basketball and football, but he soon realized he wasn’t tall enough for basketball or big enough for football.
“I still wanted to be moving around and I liked to sing, dance and act so theater was the best place to go,” he said.
When he began classes at Douglas Anderson, Blunt soon realized the school was different from a normal high school.
“People that didn’t go to the school would say that we didn’t have football or homecoming, but they didn’t have the camaraderie that we had,” he said. “I loved everything about the school — the performances, showcases and the opportunity to work with other artists. I could go on for hours.”
Blunt also expressed how great the academics were at Douglas Anderson.
“Academics are right up there. I went to both schools so I know,” he said. “I will tell you that the classes are just as hard. Students are talented, smart ... you’re a complete person there.”
Although he has spent almost five years with the same traveling Broadway show, Blunt said he hasn’t gotten tired of it yet. Part of the attraction is the opportunity to play different parts each night.
“It’s wonderful, and not too many people get the opportunity to love their job and do what they love,” he said. “It is refreshing every night.”
Blunt is a dancer who plays a different animal every night in “The Lion King.” He also is the understudy for Bonzai, the head hyena and the outreach coordinator for the company.
“You wouldn’t think so, but every night it is totally different. You could be a giraffe, a bird, a zebra. You have to be versatile, because the movements are different,” he said.
As an outreach coordinator, he sets up events for the cast to go out in the public. Blunt said they will be visiting both Douglas Anderson and LaVilla School of the Arts.
This is Blunt’s first time back in Jacksonville performing professionally.
“It is different and same. Jacksonville has changed for the better and I am very proud of the city and the strides it has taken,” he said.
When the show arrived in Jacksonville earlier this month, a few of his teachers at Douglas Anderson came to one of the first shows to see him.
“To me, seeing them, I still feel like their student,” he said. “I felt like I was a 16, 17-year-old looking for approval (from them).”
When Blunt was a student, he always hoped he would make it into the theater business.
“I felt like Douglas Anderson taught me that the sky was the limit,” he said.
While Blunt has made it, Carter — who is finishing up classes at LaVilla School of Arts — is only just beginning to chase her dream.
Carter was always told by her teachers, her mother and her grandmother — Brenda Kelly, who is an executive council assistant for council member Gwen Yates — to audition at Douglas Anderson. The more and more she heard that, the more confidence she gained.
On Feb. 5, Carter joined hundreds of students looking to be one of the select few accepted into one of Douglas Anderson’s eight programs. First Carter went through an interview process with four of the school’s teachers. She was then sent to another room to perform a monologue that could be no more than four minutes. Carter prepared a dramatic monologue rather than a comedy.
“I ran out of the audition room to my mom, because I felt really good about it,” she said. “They told me I had good diction.”
It wasn’t until Feb. 21 that Carter got a phone call from the school. She was home sick that day and after she woke from a nap, her mom gave her the good news.
“I couldn’t believe it. I was running around the house and jumping up and down,” she said. “I wasn’t sick anymore.”
Carter heard a lot of great things about Douglas Anderson and she knew she always wanted to go there.
“I knew it was a great school. It was my dream school,” she said. “They have so many great things and their academics are just as high as the arts.”
Carter remembers a time in 5th grade when she had an assignment with a partner where they had to perform a scene about pancakes.
“Ever since then, I auditioned at LaVilla for piano in 7th grade and started doing both theater and piano. In 8th grade I changed it to just theater, but I am taking private piano lessons,” she said.
Carter hopes to get more than a theater background. She would like to be a lawyer and still do theater on the side.
“I am more excited than nervous (to start school),” she said. “I hope to get a good education and also learn more about being a better actress and this is the best place for it.”
Carter is also taking voice lessons and dance. Kelly, who is also a jazz singer, said it runs in the family.
“It is a great environment for students that develops them in so many ways,” said Kelly. “To have her in that type of environment, we are really appreciative of it.”
Some of schools that Douglas Anderson students have been accepted to:
The Art Institute of Chicago- School of Visual Arts
Cooper Union
San Francisco Art Institute
Savannah College of Art & Design
Boston College of Art
Juilliard
Berkley School of Music
Butler University
Oxford University
Johns Hopkins University
Rollins College
University of Florida
Pennsylvania State University
University of North Florida
Florida State University