UA Little Rock Graduate Lawson Bear Finds a New Calling in Theater

Lawson Bear came to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock four years ago to study music. Now, after graduating with a degree in music and a minor in theatre arts, he’s preparing to pursue a new ambition: acting.

The Dallas native graduated this month as a member of the Donaghey Scholars, an honors program that supports students through research, study abroad, and service opportunities while covering tuition, fees, and a stipend.

Bear opted to pursue music because “it’s the only thing I really knew.” But his college experience expanded far beyond the classroom. One of the defining moments of his time at UA Little Rock came when he studied abroad.

“Got to study abroad for a semester in Sweden — that was life-changing,” he said. “Puts a lot into perspective when a big fish finally leaves the small pond and realizes they’re not as big relative to the sea.”

Bear said the best thing about Sweden was the people, and he still keeps in contact with some of them. He also enjoyed having the freedom to “grow with myself on my own terms. Unregimented. Unobserved. Free.”

“I took a solo trip to Leipzig, and I got to sit in on a service at St. Thomas where the boys’ chorus that J.S. Bach once directed sang,” he said, adding that he also traveled with friends to Gothenburg, Stockholm, and Malmö. Their travels took them to a small ski town in Lapland, Finland, and even to the Norwegian Sea for a swim.

“Copenhagen was really accessible, so we went down there often, saw what there was to see (architecture, the sea, the people) and ate good food,” he said.

While Bear valued his musical training, theater ultimately became his greater passion.

“I’ve been in a few plays, and that’s really fulfilling,” he said. “HIR and Fairview are the stand-outs.”

Bear said the best part of acting is the creative process.

“You’re creating a person, and that’s a very delicate process,” he said. “Stage partners need to trust one another unconditionally, so it’s such a wonderfully vulnerable moment.”

Dr. Lawrence D. Smith taught Bear in Creative Arts II, Acting I, Script Analysis, and Theatre History II, and directed him in two plays. He described him as “smart, driven, talented, and an accomplished singer and excellent actor.”

Dr. Lorissa Mason, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities at UA Little Rock, praised Bear’s curiosity and determination.

Bear has “a deep appreciation for literature and the written word,” she said. “His natural curiosity spans many subjects, fueled by a genuine eagerness to engage with the world around him. Driven and focused, he has the determination to excel in whatever career path he pursues.”

Bear plans to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

“I’m going to do the starving actor thing for a while, see if there isn’t any work for me up in the big city,” he said.

While part of him wishes he had spent the last four years building a career, he said taking the college detour shaped his perspective and proved useful to him.  ”Studying abroad, for example, was invaluable in that it taught me how to exist as a cog in a foreign machine, how to live in an ecosystem I don’t understand,” he said.

As a member of the Donaghey Scholars Program, Bear said he also developed stronger critical thinking skills, which he calls invaluable. He added that he expects the lessons he learns after college will far exceed those he gained in the classroom.

“Now the real learning begins, as I start to build connections in a city that is foreign to me,” he said.