The Blog

Young and Gifted Internship Recipient Named

We’re so excited to share that Olivia Anderson has been named the first recipient of the Young and Gifted Internship created by Maria C. Young at Asheville Community Theatre. Olivia will work alongside Maria throughout the process of taking Maria’s play Transition from the page to the stage. Welcome Olivia!

About Olivia:

Olivia Anderson is 15 years old and attends TC Roberson High School. At two years old, Olivia was diagnosed as Autistic. She was not able to talk or perform simple tasks children her age could. She had a team of doctors who said she would never be a creative person. She would never be able to think outside of the box, would never be interested in drawing or anything musical. At four years old, Olivia (who had not spoken a word in four years), picked up the favorite book read to her every night and began to read. From then on she simply excelled. She began drawing when she was 6 and has become a gifted artist. Olivia began to start showing signs of above average intelligence. At the age of 12, she tested out of the IEP program at Koontz Intermediate school. Now, as a freshman Olivia has performed in 1 play at TC Roberson, attends Math Honors classes, and is part of the high school musical, The Little Mermaid. In her spare time, Olivia practices dancing, sings, plays the piano, as well as spends quality time with her family and her pit bull puppy.