By Liza Fergusson

Watson on the football field. Photo credit: Maggie Bowman.

Upper School student Brandon Watson  (‘23) is a familiar face to many in the Collegiate community due to his involvement in all facets of campus life. His most recent endeavor was starring in the fall musical Little Shop of Horrors. The show ran from October 19-21 in Oates Theater and told the story of a peculiar plant, Audrey Two, that changes the trajectory of a failing flower shop, Mushnik’s. Watson played Seymour Krelborn, the assistant at Mushnik’s flower shop and botanist of Audrey Two. Seymour is the star of almost every scene, alongside his co-star Audrey, played by Hannah Bonbright (‘24). 

The performance put on by Watson and the rest of the cast far surpassed that of a typical high school production, with intricate dances, sets, and the inclusion of a pit orchestra located on a raised platform above the set. The show displayed talent from all grade levels and employed the help of a professional puppeteer to play Audrey Two. While the musical itself was phenomenal, the life of Watson is just as intriguing.

Watson began acting in 8th grade and continued through Upper School, acting in eight different Collegiate productions, including Silent Sky as Peter Shaw, Harvey as Elwood Dowd, Our Town as Mr. Webb, and Almost Maine as Jimmy. Watson said the highlights of this year’s fall musical had to be working with the professional puppeteer who played Audrey Two and having the opportunity to sing in front of a large audience. 

Watson on stage in Little Shop of Horrors. Photo courtesy of Collegiate School.

Watson’s musical career began in 1st Grade, when he started playing the violin, which he continued until 7th Grade. He describes himself as having been quite the musical child, being an avid Disney Channel fan, with his favorite Disney productions being High School Musical, Austin and Ally, and Teen Beach Movie. All these productions revolving around music and theater.

When asked about why he started acting, Watson responded, “Acting gives me the opportunity to be someone other than myself, to escape from my life for a while.” As for why Watson has stuck with acting, he says that it taught him things he couldn’t quite learn through sports or academics, including how to be vulnerable, something very important to him. Watson plans to continue his drama career in college as a drama minor and is excited to participate in both the winter and spring plays this year. 

Photo credit: Maggie Bowman.

While Watson put on quite the show in the musical, his skill set is not limited to acting and singing. Watson is involved in an impressive amount of extracurricular activities, but the most interesting in connection to the musical has to be his starting role on the football team. Football season and fall musical season align almost perfectly, ensuring that Watson had almost no free time this fall. Although appearing extremely calm and collected throughout the school day, Watson’s before-school and after-school routine was filled with chaos. Except for show week, Watson’s daily fall routine looked something like this:

3:20 p.m. – School lets out. Watson heads down to Grover Jones Field for football practice.

6 p.m.- 9 p.m.- Musical rehearsal.

9:30 p.m. – Watson arrives home and attempts to do some homework, but says he is often too exhausted and falls asleep.

3 a.m.- Watson wakes up to complete the homework he previously could not.

5 a.m.- Watson heads back to sleep for two more hours.

7 a.m.- Watson wakes up and heads to school to do it all over again.

When questioned as to why he does not just sleep until 5 a.m. and then embark on his homework, he responded simply, “It just doesn’t work like that.” He is also no stranger to serving his community, as a member of the Civic Engagement team, president of the United Sisters and Brothers club, and leader of the Student Ambassador group.

During show week, Watson showcased his ability to do it all by appearing in a Friday night football game in Northern Virginia, starting the first half with the Cougars, and making it back to Collegiate in time for a 7:30 p.m. opening curtain. When asked how he could have possibly pulled this off, Watson said, “The key to doing it all was communicating with my directors and coaches. I talked to [former varsity football] Coach [Mark] Palyo and explained the situation, and he was really understanding and let me play as much as I could, then rush out to get to the show.”

Watson has played football since 5th Grade, and he has been a wide receiver and cornerback for the Cougars varsity team for the past two years. When asked to make a statement on what kind of teammate Watson is, fellow varsity football player Wyatt King (‘23) said, “He’s the kind of teammate who reminds you why you play football. Someone who isn’t just there for himself. Someone you know you can trust off the field but also will always have your back during practice and in games. He is just an overall exceptional person. He is an exceptional athlete, actor, singer, volunteer, and role model in the Collegiate community and has a bright future ahead of him.”