Brandon Stoll (12)’s adventurous nature often gets him into trouble. Since stumbling off—way off—a trail while visiting a tourist attraction in Germany, he’s often found himself reminiscing and laughing about his past mistakes.

“There were some bushes that were hanging off a ledge, and I thought there was something under them. When I stepped back, I fell through about 25 feet down,” he said. “I shattered my elbow and broke my wrist. I think if I could go back in time, I’d just go back to that day and be like, ‘Brandon, don’t do something stupid. Watch where you’re walking.’”

His willingness to forge new paths in life led him to try out performing arts when his friend Kayvon Solaimanpour (12) encouraged him to join Harker’s sixth grade choir. Prior to entering middle school, Brandon participated in school athletics but had little experience in acting and singing. However, his fascination with exploring the unknown, an interest first sparked when he started reading the Harry Potter series, encouraged him to try it out.

“I would listen to the audiobooks of Harry Potter. When I got to the age when I could start reading, I read through them; I’ve read through the series so many times, it’s hard to count. I consider myself a Harry Potter expert,” he said. “Harry Potter introduced me to the world of fantasy, and I guess that helped create a sense of creativity and imagination in my life that has been useful. It has helped invigorate my passion for acting.”

Although Brandon didn’t make the cut when he first auditioned for a school production in seventh grade, he was determined to work on his acting skills and improve as a performer. The next school year, he was cast as Benvolio in the Harker Middle School’s Fall Play performance of “The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet.”

“[Eighth grade is] when I really began acting. In Harmonics and the sixth grade choir, you had to perform, but this was just solely acting; no singing involved, no dancing involved, and I think that’s when I learned that I really did like acting, not just singing,” he said. “Reading plays and learning monologues and performing those in front of a mirror is a great way [to improve].”

Ever since Brandon began his journey into the world of performing arts, he has found a community he feels comfortable at home with.

“I think that I’ve taken so many classes, and I’ve been in so many performances—this year, I was in “Around the World in 80 Days” and the SDS production “The Importance of Being Earnest”—and I think that performing with my friends has been something that has really elevated my high school career,” he said. “I’ve truly grown passionate about it over the years.”

Brandon offers the following advice to students considering pursuing acting in the future, either through auditioning for Harker’s annual productions or exploring the field later in life.

“If you do try it out and you don’t like it, there’s no harm involved. If you try it out and you do like it, then you’ve found this new passion of yours,” he said. “Just be as big as possible. If you’re very open and you take risks a lot, it’s much easier to dial you back in than to bring you up. Take risks; that’s the best way to learn by yourself.”