During a recent break, the CAST crew stopped at the Cambridge in America office.
Tally Arundell (Magdalene 2023) did not consider herself a typical Cambridge-bound student in her early years. Back then, the University did not seem within her reach. However, when two of her English teachers told her she should apply, she started thinking. The summer before she graduated from secondary school, she decided to visit Cambridge.
“I remember walking around and realizing I could see myself here, more than anywhere else,” said Arundell. But it was when she walked the grounds of Magdalene College that she knew she had to attend Cambridge.
“I walked near this tree area by the river, and I could literally see myself here reading Shakespeare plays. I could really visualize it. It was calling me, I guess.”
By bringing the full force of her determination, hard work, and tenacity, Tally Arundell is now a rising junior at Magdalene, reading English, and distinguishing herself within the Cambridge student theatre community. This fall she is among sixteen students to snag a spot in the highly competitive and renowned Cambridge America Stage Tour (CAST), which is sponsored by Cambridge in America, and this year is bringing Macbeth to several stages in the eastern US.
The program is in its 25th year and is one of the University’s major international theatre tours, featuring talented Cambridge students and technicians and dedicated to bringing Shakespeare to American audiences. To be on CAST means touring the states and garnering the attention of the greater, American theater world. It also allows budding theater professionals a unique chance to live their dream jobs. For Arundell, who is assistant director with director Maisie Johnson (Corpus Christi 2021) and co-tour managing with her best friend Jacob Coughlan (Homerton College 2023), CAST is a decisive step toward her ultimate career.
“It just feels like the world is at your feet with CAST,” said Arundell. “You have this opportunity to be in a semiprofessional capacity and do something that gives you a glimpse of what life could be like in the future.”
Arundell entered Cambridge with a desire to act on stage. But when given a chance to direct a production in her second year, the experience turned her in a new direction.
“Directing for me is a different kind of adrenaline rush to being on stage, because you constantly see a new version of your show every single night. I love how involved you are with creating,” said Arundell. “Seeing yourself in a living, breathing art form is quite powerful.”
The tour group landed in the US in early September with an ambitious schedule, including performances in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, and Georgia. They are together for the entire run, a chance to bond, work together, and learn from each other.
“I’ve taken so much from CAST,” said Arundell, “as a person, as a creative, and just as a human.”
Rafael Griso (Pembroke College 2023, Actor) and Maisie Johnson (Corpus Christi 2021, Director), Ben Sibbald (Fitzwilliam 2022, Actor), Jasper Harris (Pembroke 2023, Lighting Design)