In the Spotlight: Kevin Allocca

Kevin Allocca, A&S '06, has Hollywood in his blood.

But don't expect the glitz, glamour, and plastic of the West Coast - rather, Allocca hails from the relatively small town of Hollywood, Fla., located near Ft. Lauderdale. And though his upbringing may not have been saturated with flashing bulbs and glittering marquees, you can bet that his future will be.

Allocca is already an accomplished public speaker. He was a state champion and captain of his speech team, and has competed in national competitions in Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, as well as at Harvard and numerous spots across the Florida landscape. He also judges competitions and teaches at speech camps during his summers.

It all began when Allocca enrolled in a speech class in high school. He immediately discovered a strong interest in performance and for a while wanted to become an actor. As time went by he developed a specialty in interpretation of literature, and also enjoyed writing and delivering his own speeches.

"It's a really fun thing to do," he said, "and it's helped me in a lot of ways, in my abilities as a public speaker. I think those are some of the most important skills you can have."

Majoring in communications was a perfect fit for him. However, Allocca was fortunate enough to be able to double-major and found a new interest at Boston College: film studies. The two majors blended seamlessly, because many of the same principles used in interpreting a piece of literature can be applied to a film script.

Allocca plans to continue with film after college: "I enjoy the film industry so much that if I were lucky enough to pursue a career within it, I would be very happy." But he doesn't plan on taking any starring roles. "I enjoy being part of the creative process behind the scenes," he said, "much more than I do being in front of the camera."

Allocca joined the sketch comedy group "Hello ... Shovelhead!" and has become close friends with everyone involved. "It was something that I really took off with," he said, "because it took over that void of performance that was gone once I wasn't competing anymore. I've really come to enjoy writing and performing comedy. I've had a great experience with Shovelhead, and every show just gets better and better for me."

His experience with judging and coaching others has helped him earn the directing position for next year's group. He wants to make more of an effort to get their name out on campus and publicize the shows. "I feel like we have a lot to offer," he said, "and our shows have always been so much fun. We have a great time, and the audience always enjoys it. It's just a great release ... there's something very satisfying when you can come out of somewhere laughing, laughing about life."

Allocca cites Dane Cook as a comedic inspiration, and believes that comedy can be both cathartic and therapeutic. "Every time I write a joke that comes from something frustrating in my life, something that everybody can relate to, and it goes off really well, that's such a rush. That's what I love about doing my own comedy. When you have people watching your performance and laughing and appreciating the work you've put in, that's one of the greatest feelings you can ever have."