Name: Liz Kantor

Preferred Pronouns: She/her/hers

Class Year: 2018

Concentration: Neurobiology

E-mail Address: eterrykantor@college.harvard.edu

357-0607
House: Dunster

Phone Number: (914)

Room Number: W305

Artistic Field: music, dance, theatre

I hate piano lessons. Or, rather, I hated piano lessons until I stopped taking
them when I was ten. Every Tuesday after school for seven years I spent
plunking away at the Hardman in my living room, making sounds that could
generously be described as a New York City street scene. I was terrible.
Utterly and wholly terrible. I loved my teacher, this sweet old Jewish woman

STATEMENT OF
named Lillian who played piano at my temple, but I hated the lessons. It
took me seven years of forced practice and fighting my mother to reach the
level of playing Fr Elise but not real Fr Elise, the easy-piano-made-forwhiny-ten-year-olds-who-dont-know-whats-good-for-them Fr Elise. I really
hated piano lessons.
Today I played piano for a master class with one of my idols, Kelli OHara,
who just won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. A few
weeks ago I played for SNLs Ana Gastayer, and a few months before that
some of my work was featured in the New York Musical Theatre Festival. At
some point, I went from fidgeting and clunkiness and begrudgingly hitting
keys to not being able to spend twenty-four hours away from music. I spend
at least an hour every day sitting in the practice rooms in the Dunster
basement, playing anything from Frank Loesser to Billy Joel to things I make
up on the spot.
But for a very long time, I didnt like art when I wasnt good at it. I liked
dance when I was younger because I had the spunk and pizazz to succeed in
things like jazz and tap because lets be real, its all about personality in
the world of dance until youre older. But I hated ballet because after a while
I couldnt get away with just smiling and knowing the moves. I stuck with it
though, because ballet training is important for technique. I ended up
performing in more Nutcrackers than I can count.
After a few discouraging common casting seasons, I contemplated spending
less time on stage. In high school I was good on stage relative to all the other
performers. When I got to Harvard, everyone was just so incredible that what
I realized were forced acting and mediocre singing couldnt pass anymore. I
started liking being on stage less and less. Maybe its just not for me? I
thought. But when I really think about it, none of this is really for me anyway.
Music is disproportionately male, dance is disproportionately skinny, neither
of which are things I am.
I am going to use this personal statement now such that whoever reads this
holds me accountable. I, Elizabeth Paige Terry-Kantor, will not stop
performing. Even though I will probably be cast as second tree from the left
a million times over, it will take those trials to get good. And I will get good.
During sophomore year of high school, after twelve years of training, I got
good at dancing. During freshman year of college, after sixteen years of
playing, I got good at piano. I started doing theatre when I was twelve,
which means Im only nine years in. I have a huge amount of time to put in
before I can get good. And I will get good.

ARTISTIC

I still hate piano lessons, though.

MUSIC

Composition/Orchestrations
SHE
Beyond Words (NYMF)
Soundbytes w/Brian Lowdermilk
The Odyssey
Melampy, dirs.
Mike and MicahWoods
Getting the Girl

OBERON
Theater 3
Adams Pool Theater
Harvard Dance Center

Karen Chee, dir.

Brandon Powell, dir.
O. Munk/T. Vandick, dirs.
M. McCavana/L.

Loeb Ex
Karen Chee, dir.
Leverett Library Theater
Ally Kiley, dir.

Music Direction/Conducting
SHE
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Mike and MicahWoods
Getting the Girl

OBERON
Karen
Greene Theater at Emerson
Loeb Ex
Karen
Leverett Library Theater

Chee, dir.
Jake Catsaros, dir.
Chee, dir.
Ally Kiley, dir.

DANCE

Choreography
Avenue Q
The Odyssey
Melampy, dirs.
Exposure
Drood
Curtains
The Great Gatsby

OBERON
Harvard Dance Center

Jake Stepasnky, dir.

M. McCavana/L.

Farkas Hall
Centerstage Drama
Centerstage Drama
Centerstage Drama

L. McCaull/M. Ko, dirs.

Cristina Farruggia, dir.
Cristina Farruggia, dir.
Cristina Farruggia, dir.

Dance Captain
Nine
Bat Boy
Hairspray
Legally Blonde
Avenue Q
Spring Awakening

Loeb Mainstage
Joey Longstreet, dir.
Farkas Hall
Ally Kiley, dir.
New Generation Theater
Justin Boccitto, dir.
Helen Hayes Theater
Mark Longergan, dir.
Helen Hayes Theater
Mark Longergan, dir.
Helen Hayes Theater
Mark Longergan, dir.

SELECTED PERFORMANCE
First Day of School Susan
Arts @ 29 Garden
Julia Belanoff, dir.
Crystals
Angel
Loeb Ex
Aislinn Brophy, dir.
Middletown
Various
Loeb Mainstage
Ally Kiley, dir.
Bat Boy
Ron/Maggie Farkas Hall
Ally Kiley, dir.
Hairspray
Tracy
New Generation Theater
Justin Boccitto, dir.
[title of show]**
Heidi
Helen Hayes Theater
Bryan Jager, dir.
Anything Goes
Reno
Helen Hayes Theater
Amy Griffin, dir.
Little Women
Marmee
Helen Hayes Theater
Amy Griffin, dir.
Into the Woods
Bakers Wife Helen Hayes Theater
Amy Griffin, dir.
**Original non-Actors Equity Association cast
Jazz
Comtemporary/Lyrical
Tap
Garofolo
Theatre Dance
Hip Hop
Ballet/Pointe
Lister/Michelle Lucci
Acting

TRAINING
Coup Theatre Studio
Broadway Dance Center
Coup Theatre Studio

Mary Ann Lamb

Michelle Barber
Chris Bailey/Julie

Coup Theatre Studio

Coup Theatre Studio
Coup Theatre Studio

Bill Hastings
Kadee Jacobsen
Allison

Coup Theatre Studio

David Hibbard

Voice

Celeste Simone Voice

Celeste Simone