After bouncing from his home in Louisiana to Wesleyan, then transferring to NYU’s Tisch School, then coming back to Wesleyan, Michael Lavigne ’07 has managed to settle down and make a nice home for himself here. He makes some cash as the voice of the Cardinals, announcing at both wrestling and football games, while also participating in Second Stage. Also, between designing dances, filling out transfer forms, and directing plays, he finds time to sit down, relax and solve logarithms in his head.
MC: Why did you transfer from Wesleyan after your freshman year?
ML: Well, it’s a long story riddled with passionate love. But basically, I left to find out that I really loved this place. And I had to leave to find that out.
MC: Where did you transfer to?
ML: NYU. I went to Tisch for a semester. I didn’t hate it, but I really didn’t like it either. Living in the city was a big change for me and it made me sad (bad acoustics coupled with my bad hearing).
MC: What? It made you fat?
ML: No. (laugh). Quite the opposite, actually. I nearly starved, it was so expensive to live there. I said it made me sad. It was so different.
MC: Oh, I see. Where are you originally from?
ML: I’m from Louisiana, just outside New Orleans.
MC: Yeah, that is different. How’s life up here compared to Louisiana?
ML: Well, I’d say people up here are a lot quicker paced. I know it’s a stereotype—you know, the southern drawl—but it’s true. Things just move a little slower there. I think people are much more my pace here.
MC: So were there a lot of hoops to jump through, transferring back to Wesleyan?
ML: Actually it was easy, because I technically misled Wesleyan. I told them I was taking a leave, not attending another school, just to leave the door open, even though I had no intention of coming back. Then, when I decided I really did love it here, I just said, “Hey, I’m back.”
MC: Do you want me to print that?
ML: Yeah, go ahead.
MC: Ok cool. So what did you miss most about Wesleyan?
ML: I missed being surrounded by people whose interests, both academically and extra curricularly, differed widely. At NYU, I was surrounded by only theatre people who talked about only theatre. I missed coming back from theatre practice, then moving into a conversation about the beauty of math.
MC: So you’re happy to be back?
ML: Yes I’m very happy. I missed this place terribly. When I applied to colleges, I didn’t look into any theater-based schools even though that is my main interest. I realize now that it’s not what I want anyway. But I had to try it out.
MC: What kind of theatre are you involved in at Wesleyan?
ML: I do a lot of directing. It’s who I am. I’m a director. I did a show last year, Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest,” and I’m directing a show this year as well.
MC: Do you act as well?
ML: I used to but I’m a bit of a power control freak. I like telling people what to do, so I became a director.
MC: Do you miss performing?
ML: A little, but I essentially fulfilled my desire to perform by announcing at the football games.
MC: How did you get into doing that?
ML: I’ve been into sports announcing since I was eleven. I started doing it at our local Rec. Center announcing baseball games. Then when I came here, I just contacted the athletic director about it, and he said that their old announcer had just graduated.
MC: What’s so cool about announcing at athletic events?
ML: Aside from the narcissistic fact that your voice is booming all across campus, I like it because it’s an outlet for me to express my interest in sports. I’m not an athlete, but I’ve always loved sports.
MC: Did you ever play when you were younger?
ML: Yes, but I quit at age twelve, because I realized there was just no point. That’s when I retired to the announcing booth.
MC: Did you get your little league jersey retired or anything?
ML: (short chuckle) No.
MC: Are you considering a career in announcing?
ML: Actually, I’ve always wanted to teach. But announcing is a cool thing to keep doing on the side.
MC: Man… announcing, acting, teaching… you’ve got a variety of interests. And I hear you also are into dance. What do you do with that?
ML: I’m designing three dance shows this semester, each of which involve multiple dances. It involves working with the choreographers about what set and lighting effects they want. Then there’s an intense 72-hour no sleep period right before the shows to get it finished.
MC: With all these interests, what did you decide for your major?
ML: Uh, which one? I’m probably going to triple-major in Theatre, Dance, and Math.
MC: Interesting combination. If you had to combine all three into one show, how would you do it?
ML: Hmmm, that’s like my thesis. I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. I guess I could do a play about math with a lot of interpretive dancing in it, but I feel like that would be really bad and nobody would come to watch.
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