When In The Heights closed,
almost 2 months ago, it was heart wrenching and bittersweet to go through -
seeing as we as a cast had bonded and truly become a familia. No one was left out or forgotten in our bond - from our
techs to the ensemble to the leads; a truly, beautiful experience. Even for someone who has been consistently
been doing show after show for almost 2 years straight, I knew this show would
leave a mark on my heart and life in general, as it has. So of course it could and would cause one to
become depressed not being able to the see the people you had spent every minute of
everyday for the past 3 months with. In
the theatre world, when we go through a break up like this there is only one
thing you can do... Audition for another show.
Except this one would be completely different from anything I had ever done
before.
For one, up to this point, I had
exclusively been in musicals. Not a
shocker since I've never had an acting class or anything of the sort and had
been in choir since I was in sixth grade; so it just made sense.
And not only was this Romeo and Juliet, the most famous love story of
all time, but for me it was SHAKESPEARE! I don't know if I've ever been as nervous as
I was for this audition. I was taking a leap of faith on this one. Right before I went to my audition I had a
in-depth conversation with my best friend about who I wanted to be as an
entertainer and how this show just felt right to me. I am always trying to push myself as an individual
and a performer and this was the step in the direction that I wanted for
myself.
I'd be lying if didn't say that
Romeo wasn't similar to the other roles I have played (Link Larkin in Hairspray, Ren McCormick in Footloose,
etc), but there is just so much more to Romeo.
He is complex - More than just
face value to him. And I think that's why this was the role I
wanted. As an actor and a person, I want
people to take me seriously and not just see me, but to truly see me. The undertone of Romeo is present throughout
the whole play. You know there is
something more to him, almost like he is hiding something from you. The mystery that is Romeo.
But when I think about it, that's
the whole reason I love theatre and acting in general. The ability to be someone you aren't. To breath and give life to a complete and
separate individual from yourself. For
me, I have truly been blessed to have been in the shows that I have been
in. I have had the amazing journey of
finding myself through my characters. I
learn a little about myself every time I am someone else.
I am beyond words to express how
excited I am to start this journey with Director Adam Adolfo, my darling
Juliet, Courtney Harris, and the rest of this amazing cast. From the self-proclaimed Domingo of
Washington Heights, I grow once more and find myself as the highly acclaimed
Romeo of Havana.
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