While studying at Wittenberg, David Herzog '06 took advantage of performing in every theatre production he could, and 11 years later, he is still finding his way onto the stage, even though acting was not part of his early career planning.
“Acting is not something I was interested in as a career when I was a child. Even when I was attending Wittenberg, I was actually training to become a preacher,” said Herzog, originally from Springfield, but now living in Colwyn Bay, Wales. He graduated with a degree in theatre and dance and a minor in religion. After graduating from Wittenberg, he obtained a master’s degree at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in the United Kingdom.
“I pursued my theatre studies alongside my religious studies and the two worked hand in hand, very well,” he continued. “It wasn't until the mother of a young lady I was dating at the time said to me, "You can do the preacher thing anytime you want. You're also a great actor. Why don't you pursue acting now while you're young and return to the ministry later on if you still want to?" It was the best advice I could have been given. If I hadn't had that conversation, I might not be where I am today.”
While at Wittenberg, Herzog was a member of the Wittenberg Choir, Pocket Lint, the Chamber Singers and Peer Helpers, in addition to all of the theatre department productions he took part in. Now he rubs elbows with the likes of actor Kevin Bacon, musician Ed Sheeran and comedian Katherine Ryan.
“I'm still acting,” he said. “It's such a blessing to continue to pursue my passions and my studies. Wittenberg helped me on so many levels. The liberal arts element provided me with many disciplines and backgrounds that continue to contribute to how I pursue acting and how I research the different roles I play. Mostly, of course, it was the teachers that steered me in the right direction. The entire theatre and dance department (Corwin Georges, Steve Reynolds, Jimmy Humphries, Debbie Henderson, Shih-Ming Li Chang, and Ligia Pinheiro) trained me hard in as much of the theatre arts as they could. More importantly though, they taught me discipline. Whenever my natural teenage laziness impeded my success or kept me from achieving my full potential, my professors were there to knock some sense into me and make sure I worked as hard as I possibly could.”