Where Physical Therapy and the Theatre meet...



Last Friday, April 27th was the opeing of the Saint Louis University Theatre production of Vinegar Tom, a play featuring the witchcraft trials of 17th century England. The Program in Physical Therapy is proud to have one of our students, Kyle Powell, acting in the production!

Read Kyle’s testimony below to find out more about how he began acting, what projects he will work on this summer, and how he views his dedication to both physical therapy and the theatre.

 Also - there is still time to see Kyle perform Vinegar Tom with the rest of the Saint Louis University Theatre! The productions will run May 4th, 5th, and 6th, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm.  



Program in Physical Therapy student Kyle Powell, third from left, in the Saint Louis University Theatre’s production of Vinegar Tom

 I have been doing plays for most of my life but I didn’t really dive into it until my senior year of high school when I played Travis in Footloose, Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Prince Charming in When Fairy Tale's Go Bad. After I came to Saint Louis University and we were told as PT's we had to get a minor, it was no question that mine was going to be theatre. I've been in tons of productions since then such as Antigone, Almost Maine, Anything Goes, Much Ado About Nothing, and most recently Bat Boy: The Musical and Vinegar Tom. I've also done a commercial. This summer I will be doing Activated Marketing, I will be in an independent film, and I will be appearing in St. Louis Shakespeare's production of Coriolanus.

I think that as an actor I bring something to PT that no one else does. After you've been in front of hundreds of people and try to make a story come to life, it becomes easy to be comfortable and at ease in front of a patient. You can articulate, think on your feet, and relate and empathize in an entirely different way. I don't think this makes me any better equipped or at an advantage from anyone else, but it certainly does set me apart. In the future I hope to be able to meld physical therapy and acting into one. Until then, I will continue to hope that the skills I've acquired through performance continue to make me a better PT.

-Kyle Powell




Program in Physical Therapy student Kyle Powell, farthest on the left, in the Saint Louis University Theatre’s production of Vinegar Tom