Hawon Oh

A few weeks ago, months of research and translation came to life for Eleanor Beyreis ’25, when her adaptation of the French play “Gabriel” debuted. But Beyreis’ love for singing, acting and the arts goes back much further.

Beyreis, who has been singing and dancing her entire life, says that the arts have played a key role in her life since childhood, both as a source of joy and community and as a way of gaining confidence.

“I think that’s something that girls in particular are not taught how to do, to use your voice and assert your presence. And I discovered that I had a skillset for being able to interpret texts and share feelings and moments with people,” she said. “I think that was really affirming to me as a 12 to 13-year-old. It’s definitely been a huge part of my adolescence to adulthood transition.”

From participating in department productions and performing with Masque and Gown to singing with Ursus Verses and the Chamber Choir, Beyreis has been involved with the performing arts in various forms at the College. One of her favorite memories during her time at Bowdoin has been playing the Baker’s Wife in last semester’s production of “Into the Woods.”

“It felt much bigger than anything I had been a part of at Bowdoin before,” Beyreis said. “I feel like I would describe myself as an actor who is comfortable singing,… but I still find singing to be a very vulnerable experience. I’ve been in other musicals before, but that was the first time where going into it, I felt completely confident that even if I messed up, it would be okay.”

Beyreis noted that the collective environment in “Into the Woods” allowed her to connect with the performance authentically.

“We weren’t aiming for perfection. We were aiming for something meaningful that we could share with the audience,” she said. “I feel like once you take away that striving for perfection, you open up the possibility of just being able to connect with the material and connect with the people on stage and just feel and perform it.”

During her junior year, Beyreis, who is a Romance Languages and Literatures major and a theater minor, spent a semester studying abroad in Toulouse, France. While abroad, she did a volunteer project with an improv school, which she said was a uniquely challenging experience.

“I think improvisation can be such a great tool for actors just to practice skills. In your first language, it’s really fun. In your second language, it’s terrifying,” Beyreis said. “It felt like all the French I knew went out the window.”

As Beyreis enters the last few months of her Bowdoin journey, she reflects on four years that began while the Covid-19 pandemic was still altering all parts of life at the College. She recalled auditioning for a cappella outside of Moulton Union, as masks were not required when singing outdoors.

“I stood outside Moulton Union on the sidewalk, and there were people walking by. They could totally hear me,” Beyreis said. “But I think at that moment, I just kind of realized, well, this is an imperfect situation, so no matter what happens, it’s okay.”

While Ursus Verses was unable to do social events and group dinners her first year, she says she is proud of how the group has been able to reinvigorate their group dynamic over the years. One of her favorite a cappella memories is when Ursus went “on tour” to other schools, such as Williams College, where they performed with a group last fall.

“It’s not like the concert was the best thing ever. I think 11 people came. It was in the basement of a dorm,” she said. “I think we had spent so much time together that weekend that by the time we performed, it just felt like we were so together…. That was a fun trip.”

Tolly Kaiser ’28, who worked with Beyreis in “Gabriel” this year, noted her passion for storytelling and theater and openness to new ideas.

“She was really open to having us show our ideas for little bits that we could add in that might make sense to the story,” he said. “She was always excited that we were there, excited that we were bringing her story to life.”

To Beyreis, art and performance are meaningful both as an outlet for learning and interpreting the world through her body and as a way of forming community and being present in the moment.

“It’s just like a little temporary bubble. We almost create our own little world. And it is ephemeral, but that’s kind of the magic of it, that you have to put time and effort into creating it, and then you have to be present while you’re there, because it’s going to go away,” she said.