Previous Kansas State student, Brett Robert Culbert, crafted his passion for acting while participating in K-State’s theatre program and auditioning for various shows. Culbert starred in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as Romeo, and ‘Dark at the Top of the Stairs,’ among others, in McCain Auditorium. Culbert went on to try his luck in Los Angeles as an actor. 

“I had the opportunity to do a few commercials and low-budget short films [in Los Angeles], and they did teach me a lot, but I started my career at K-State,” Culbert said. 

Through many tough auditions and competition from other aspiring actors, Culbert found his niche and passion for acting in the Little Apple. 

“It was a huge wake-up call for me to go from doubting myself to suddenly being on McCain’s stage learning from these brilliant actors around you,” Culbert said. “I continued to learn as much as I could, then ‘Dark at the Top of the Stairs’ came around, and I really fell in love with acting through that show. Then ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was the final question for me, like ‘Can I really do this?’, and it turned out to be wonderful. I built a lot of relationships with that show and learned so much from others.” 

Culbert said K-State’s theatre program taught him more than he imagined. 

“K-State taught me a lot of technical aspects which I really didn’t have. I had a lot of emotional blocks, mental aspects that I had to get through. K-State also helped teach me how to be more of a professional actor,” Culbert said. 

Culbert reminisced about his days as a Wildcat after moving across the country to flourish in his career. 

“For me, K-State was a fairytale. I wish I could live there more often, and the campus is just so beautiful. I miss the calm that is there, I miss the town and the camaraderie that was there. I miss the library. As you further along in life, you look back at that K-State moment, and you had it so good and you didn’t even know it.”

Culbert encourages students to find their passion and pursue what makes them happy, especially in today’s society. 

“We live in a tough world right now, and I think the same concept applies, is if you love something, you’ve got to go after it with everything you’ve got,” Culbert said. “You’ll be much happier in the end if you keep going towards your dreams and don’t be complicit because I think anything is possible if you do it with a passion.”