Off to the Big Apple: Junior Delaney McDermed is attending acting camp in NYC

Blank back-drop behind her. A video camera five feet in front of her. Junior Delaney McDermed felt like a professional as she portrayed a girl struggling with anxiety, stroking her hands down her face and tightening her shoulders to both the lens and her acting coach Amanda Clark standing right behind it. 

But Amanda could tell Delaney was overthinking in typical perfectionist-Delaney-fashion. Delaney’s eyes wandered the camera and she could see her getting distracted by her own thoughts. After all, she was auditioning for a scholarship at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Art — an acting program in Manhattan, New York — which both Delaney and Amanda believed was the next step in Delaney’s acting career. 

Delaney knew Amanda was right — she could feel a quivering undertone in her voice and her legs shaking, but she took a deep breath. One. Two. Delaney replayed the lines, checked that her posture was straight and ensured she knew every word, then began again. She really wanted to get in. The video had to be flawless. 

Knowing she’s self-critical, Delaney didn’t want to watch the video herself but trusted Amanda to choose which of the takes to submit.

Just two weeks later, Delaney received news that she was offered a spot at the school where she’ll attend from June 13 to July 8 and received the highest scholarship, covering 35% of her tuition. She accepted it without a second thought.

Delaney believes this acting program will help advance her acting career, which she first got into at 4 years old when she saw “High School Musical 3” in theaters. She was intrigued by Troy dribbling the basketball while belting out “Get’cha get’cha head in the game.” Could I be one of them up there? Her dad, who had done a few minor roles while growing up in Los Angeles, told her that she could — she just had to wait a few years.

“I remember thinking, ‘This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,’” Delaney said. “It was awesome. That’s when I knew.”

Delaney first performed at Stage Right Performing Arts, a youth theater program located in Overland Park. She played a role in “Annie Jr.” and “The Sound of Music” — where she realized that she preferred acting over singing because it came more naturally to her. Now in high school, Delaney has stuck with acting, performing in five of East’s main stage productions and six Frequent Fridays, where she’s learned how to perfect her character voices and stage presence. The conservatory will teach her film acting as opposed stage acting which she has exclusively learned. 

“It will help expose me to real-world acting,” Delaney said. “Once I go to college, everyone’s gonna be better than me, and I have to be ready for that. I have to be constantly improving now and never be OK with where I’m at, because there’s always room to go up.”

While at the conservatory, Delaney’s “exposure” will come in the form of intensives — classes every weekday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. She’ll study topics like microphone techniques, scene study and working with the camera — all topics Delaney has never learned about before. Delaney’s mom, Angie McDermed, will fly up with her to help Delaney move into her dorm.

But with the experience of the program also comes challenges, according to Angie. For starters, Delaney will be living in a dorm room in Brooklyn and commuting via bus every day to the Conservatory. Meals don’t come with the program, so Delaney will have to plan them out herself, whether that’s grocery shopping or eating out. She’ll face a level of independence she’s never felt before, Angie says. 

“It’s kind of like a test run for college,” Angie said. “She’ll have to manage without her parents. Doing her laundry, finding food, getting toothpaste when she runs out. All of those day-to-day things that usually are done for her won’t be. She’ll have to figure them out herself.”

For Angie, Delaney’s summer program means two months without her acting filling every corner of the house. She sees Delaney running lines on the beach during spring break. Delaney goes to the Johnson County Public library once a week to pick up movies she orders, and watches double features throughout the week, studying the way they move their body while acting and their acting styles. She often has scripts out at the dinner table.

Delaney’s forensics partner, junior Gretchen Garbe, isn’t surprised that Delaney got accepted into the acting conservatory, considering that she constantly sees her working on her acting skills all the time. During breaks at forensics tournaments, when most people scroll through Instagram or grab a snack, Delaney re-reads her lines or perfects her acting voice.