News - Carnegie Mellon University: During his freshman year in the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University, Josh Gad took the “Freshman Curse Challenge” and signed his name to a wall backstage in the Kresge Theatre. Legend had it that those who signed the wall in their freshman year would not make it through the (now extinct) “cut system,” in which certain students were cut from the program if professors didn’t think they were making enough progress.
5 comments:
Yeah, he did. When I was reading this article, I think what I found really interesting was, first of all, that students got to perform for him Junior actors and MTs got to perform for him and get feedback on comedy, which is expected that guests are going to give you feedback and let you perform, but that was super cool. What really was interesting was the Freshman curse and how signing a wall would curse you, and you would get cut from, you know, this program as it used to be a cut program. When I was looking through the article, there's a picture of him with his name on The Freshman Curse wall, like where he signed the wall, and I was there when they took that photo fun fact. I think what stood out was the Q&A part where Josh talked about how real imposter syndrome is and how real it is for him. It was very reassuring that in a program like this, it's very normal to feel that way. The last thing that I thought was highlight worthy in this article was how this curriculum is still evolving because Josh Gad never got acting for the camera curriculum and I think it's really cool that the same professors are here like it's the same professors from 22 years ago but it's an evolving curriculum that is adapting more to what the future of this entertainment industry calls for so I think that was really cool overall just a really cool day and a really cool guy.
I met Josh Gad when he came to CMU and listened to his whole school Q&A. This article caught my attention for a very specific reason. The thing that caught my attention is this “Freshman Curse Challenge” and signing the wall of the Chosky. This caught my attention because one I had no idea this was a thing and two I think there is something interesting to be said about the fact that Josh Gad signed the wall and made it through the program. I feel like the theatre industry is very superstitious and places a lot of weight on these silly traditions and mindsets. In my opinion cut programs are just a way to see who can handle it and who has the work ethic to stay with the work. So this idea of a curse is interesting to me because it just does not make sense. And I think Josh Gad proves this correct and my hope would be he found comedy in the idea of the curse.
Yes! It was so incredibly fun to have Josh Gad come to Carnegie Mellon and talk to all of us and reminisce about being a student. Sometimes it is really ridiculous to remember how many famous people have come from the institution I currently go to school at. I was able to attend the all school talk he gave and it was really insightful to hear his journey from Carnegie to the professional world and how he carries himself through difficult situations. He was extremely generous with his time and advice, and I was unreasonably excited when he had announced that he was working on a sequel to Spaceballs by Mel Brooks which is so freaking cool but I hope that it still has the same charm as the first one (because low-key the first one was so good because it was kind of bad in a camp 80s way).
Oh hey I was there. The day that Josh Gad was at CMU, it was funny to walk into my classes and hear everyone recount their stories of interactions they’d had or sightings of him from that day. He seems like just a genuinely funny person, and he seems to be very true to himself. I love that that he got to spend the day with the actors and that they got to take a day off from classes to learn from such a star in the industry. Personally I think it’s really awesome that in the 20 years since he’s graduated, I was lucky to be here when he finally returned for the first time. The alumni connections at this school are so rewarding, and it’s really awesome to be able to connect with successful people in the industry. I also love that Josh was so real and so king. While he was onstage during the Q&A, it just felt like he was being honest with us about himself and about life. And afterwards, it was time for him to leave and go to dinner, but he stuck around for a little bit to make sure that every student who wanted a picture or an autograph or to share a story with him for the chance, and I thought it was so awesome of him to give up his time for that.
It's strange to write about an event you attended, but I've never seen such a well-known actor be so humble and grateful for everything that has brought him to where he is now. Listening to his responses during the Q&A session made me ponder why I do what I do. I think it's a very different story for actors and MTs because, however, whether you’re performing or doing tech, you go through a lot of different emotions because you're giving it your all. I could tell from him that there were definitely times when he wanted to give up and nearly did, but you have to keep going because, despite the fact that imposter syndrome is a real thing and is extremely difficult to deal with, if you can persevere, you will emerge from the experience much stronger, and I'm really grateful that we got to have this experience and hear him speak because it means a lot coming from someone so well known and respected.
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