For Lititz, Pa.’s Carly Ruchalski ’29, the stage has always been a place of growth, joy, and connection. Now an Acting major at Arcadia, she’s eager to carry her theater passion into her college career.

Ruchalski is no stranger to professional performance. Since her sophomore year of high school, she has worked as a part-time actor at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

“My experience at the Faire for the last three years has been absolutely amazing,” she said. “It’s a cast full of wonderful individuals and shows even younger people like myself what it is like to work as an actor for my community and the many people who come from even further away to see us. We perform on stages, simulate combat, and walk right up in people’s faces, talking to them on the streets constantly.”

At the Faire, Ruchalski has brought a range of characters to life, from portraying Lady Anne Vavasour, a historical figure on the queen’s court, to original roles like Caramelle Maillard, a candy thief, and Ginger Beretti, a reindeer keeper, which she created herself. This year, she is performing as Maple Cottonwood, an apprentice scout.

“I’ve witnessed a lot of growth in myself when it comes to social awkwardness or stage fright I had when going into the Faire,” she explained. “Since the cast of actors is there to speak to patrons all the time, entertaining people you do not know right up to their faces instead of just on a stage, which we also do, it cured a great number of my social anxieties. I love seeing people happy just by coming to the Faire, watching our shows, or talking to us while we are in our characters.”

Ruchalski’s proudest accomplishment was being nominated for a Hershey Theater Apollo Award in 2024 and receiving an honorable mention in 2025.

“It is an honor to receive feedback from professional critics about my performances and to be considered for an award for them,” she said. “The Apollo Awards is a wonderful place to allow kids like me, who love theater, to show off all they have been working on and be proud of what they can do. I think it’s truly a great opportunity, and I’m so thankful I was chosen to be a part of it for two years.”

Her decision to attend Arcadia was fueled by the community she found within Arcadia’s Visual and Performing Arts Department. 

“Watching the productions put on by the Theater department and interacting with anyone from it showed how togetherness and determination paved the way for these students and professors,” Ruchalski said. “Besides the overall beautiful aspects of the campus and its buildings, everyone was incredibly welcoming and showed support for one another. It really just clicked for me.”

Ruchalski will continue to balance working at the Faire with her studies at Arcadia, and she hopes to audition for the Faire’s full-time cast after graduating. When she isn’t acting, Ruchalski also enjoys playing the saxophone, singing, writing, collecting, reading Shakespeare, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and watching anime, TV shows, and movies.