Rahil Menon’s interest in theater began in third grade after he played the king in a school play, “The Frog Prince.” Since then, theater has remained integral to his life.
“I spent a lot of time with other actors and people doing theater,” Menon said. “After I got into theater, I’ve met so many people that have been very infuential in my life.”
In 2021, Menon enrolled virtually in the Acting and Performance Summer Institute of the University of California, Los Angeles. Over that month, Menon participated in classes like Movement, Introduction to Acting and Scene Study, putting together a portfolio of his taped acting performances at the end.
The following summer, Menon attended an in-person theater program at New York University, which included method acting, where actors incorporate personal experiences and emotions for a more authentic performance.
“I’m really interested in going into film and screen-acting (actors portraying media characters on camera), and the NYU program was something where I was able to get my frst experience doing that,” he said. “I’ve never done something like that before, and being in front of the cameras is so different than being on a stage.”
Menon appreciates how theater has taught him the importance of vulnerability.
“I’m so immersed in what I’m doing in theater — I am able to fnd myself and my identity,” he said. “Basic trust is (also) something so important in theater. Method acting involves very vulnerable and personal experiences that shouldn’t be shared out — it’s like telling a secret.”
Next year, Menon is majoring in Theater, Film and Television at UCLA. With the university’s prime location near Hollywood, Menon is excited to further his acting journey through agencies and internships.
“I really liked what they were offering with the TFT, where it wasn’t just theater that I was doing — it was acting,” he said. “(The education is) like none other, where you’re immersed in an area where everyone around you is like you and
passionate, (and) the teachers that you’re working with are passionate. That is so integral in having a good college experience.”
