Mason Blandford
The Paducah Sun
May 16, 2023
Used with permission.
Jensen Knudsen, a Paducah Tilghman High School senior who started young with theater, plans to move to Chicago this year to pursue an acting career.
“I would like to perform professionally, whether that be live or on stage,” said Knudsen, 17. “That’s definitely the ultimate goal — I’d like to work in theater and with the arts for the rest of my life if I’m not performing.”
Knudsen will attend the Chicago School of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University for her bachelor’s.
Her extracurriculars involve the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts, where she graduated from the Drama Class of 2021. In the National Speech and Debate Association, she was one of three statewide to qualify in the Humorous Interpretation category.
Much of her free time involves theater work.
She starred recently as Freddy in Market House Theatre’s “School of Rock” production and played Countess Lilly Malevsky-Malevitch in Paducah Tilghman’s “Anastasia” production this year.
“I didn’t want to do theater originally. My dad had always asked me to do stuff because he did it,” she said. “Finally, I decided to just start doing theater, and once I started, it’s like I’d been bitten by a bug. I couldn’t stop seeing how audiences reacted to stuff. It showed me it could help people and help them escape from everyday life. That’s what made me decide.”
“It’s really fun to perform and work with the script and laugh with your fellow actors and everyone. It’s a lot more lighthearted and fun for audiences to come out of the show happy instead of crying.”
In her free time, Knudsen likes to draw and play the drums.
She credits her father as inspiration.
“I know it’s kind of sappy, but my dad keeps me pushing forward and not quitting on what I want to do,” she said.
Knudsen, daughter of Al and Dana Knudsen of Paducah, is the Murray State University Teen of the Week.
Each Tuesday, The Sun covers a notable area high school senior. This spring, a selection committee chooses one of 32 Teen of the Week nominees as “Teen of the Year,” which carries a $5,000 scholarship. A second student will receive the Inspiration Award and a $1,000 scholarship.