As a member of the junior ensemble of the BFA acting program, Danielle Bunch isn’t one to live life by the book.
She got her start as a performer in seventh grade as a member of the Speech and Debate team at Thornton Middle School. In 2004, she went to the national competition and won third place in declamation for performing Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
In high school, she left the debate team behind and became an active member of the theatre department of Cypress Springs High School, where she was cast in numerous shows and directed Alfred Uhry’s play “Driving Miss Daisy” her senior year.
She was admitted to the UH School of Theatre and Dance in 2008, and has been stealing the show ever since.
In her debut show at UH, she was a roller girl in “bobrauschenbergamerica” by Charles L. Mee. Since then, Bunch has performed in shows like “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by Barbara Robinson as Beverly and last semester’s production of Shakespeare’s “Richard III,” as Young York, to name a few.
She was also featured in Amy Patton’s film, “Oil,” which was a part of Patton’s exhibition at the Blaffer Gallery.
Bunch has always had the influence of the arts in her life. She recalls her mother reading the work of Tennessee Williams before bed instead of reading nursery rhymes. That drove her passion for the theatre in many ways.
“I’m pursuing a career in theatre because I love it and I pour heart and soul into it,” Bunch said. “In this day and age, theatre is rare. I think it’s easy for people to go to the movies and forget that the actors are real people; but on stage, not one person gets over looked.”
Bunch is currently rehearsing the role of Jessica in “Sunday on the Rocks,” which opens Feb. 10 in the School of Theatre and Dance.
“I like the feeling of unity in a cast,” Bunch said. “It’s all about the audience and bringing the character to life. It’s not about me — it’s all about telling that character’s story.”
