Alter Ego:
For This Fencer, Performance Extends Beyond the Sabre

Devan McCarthy ’28, above, has emerged as a leader of Vassar’s Men’s Fencing team over the past two seasons and will serve as a captain in the coming season. But McCarthy’s extracurricular pursuits go far beyond athletics. He’s an accomplished vocalist (he sings the National Anthem at all of Vassar’s home meets), and he recently had a lead role in a Drama Department production of the play Dance Like a Man, by acclaimed Indian playwright Mahesh Dattani, which examines evolving gender roles in India in the 1940s and 1980s.

“The play happened toward the end of the fencing season, and I knew doing both would be challenging,” McCarthy said. “It was a hectic time, but I had lots of support from Coach [Bruce] Gillman and my drama professor, Amanda Culp, to help me accomplish my goals.”

McCarthy, an international studies and film double major from Dix Hills, NY, has been fencing competitively since he joined a fencing club in fifth grade and has pursued his love of singing and acting for nearly as long. He performed in several musicals at his high school and studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in New York City before enrolling at Vassar. He said he applied to Vassar chiefly for the academic experience but also so he could continue competing in fencing, and because his high school vocal teacher was acquainted with his current vocal instructor, Adjunct Artist in Music Mary Nessinger.

Gillman said he wasn’t surprised McCarthy has been able to juggle the demands of fencing and theater. “Devan has always been a reassuring presence for his teammates, always seeking to aid and challenge them to achieve their best,” the coach said. “His continued good leadership is probably why they have chosen him to be one of our captains.”

Culp said she recognized some of the skill sets McCarthy brought to the stage were also useful in his athletic pursuits. “I’ve never seen Devan fence,” she said, “but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the verbs ‘parrying’ and ‘sparring’ can be used to describe both a fencing bout and a well-paced, well-argued stretch of dialogue. Devan’s work in Dance Like a Man demonstrated the interrelation of these skills beautifully. His work onstage showcased how good he is at perceiving and responding to the movements, provocations, and conversational thrusts of his scene partners.” —Larry Hertz