Every year, theatre gains new members, finding a love for the art of acting or even contributing to the show from backstage. It’s a way to find and make new friends and connections as well as gaining experience with different things. Marissa Ramirez Alvarez Escarpita, a graduating senior who has done theatre all her four years here, talked about her experience with it.
Marissa joined theatre her freshman year, saying how one of her best friends dragged her there one day during their Wave Premiere. Stating, “We were the first school to ever perform it. And so that was really cool having my first show be a world premiere, because that’s really what it was, and that’s what we advertised it as.” Many can agree that the show was a great experience and opportunity for students who participated. Marissa also mentioned how she was not acting for that show but was run/pit crew for the show. She made many connections and got close to a lot of people during her first year, saying how glad she was about it. At the end of her first year, she earned the title ‘Theatre mom’, something she’s been trying to play into that role which she mentioned more later on.
When asked if theatre shaped her as a person, she gave a comparison to herself during freshman year and now. Marissa described herself as timid and not as outgoing as her present self, even saying, “Coming off of COVID and not having eighth grade, I felt so lost, and I really had nothing to do after school. I had no real purpose other than I’m gonna do homework after school, and even then, I didn’t want to do homework.” Adapting to covid was one thing but having to relearn your routine was another. Finding something you enjoy and genuinely try at is always great; for Marissa, it was theatre. It’s a place where many come to love and find a purpose. She recalled what she did for the Wave Premiere, in the beginning: “I started scraping off pieces of foam that were supposed to make a boardwalk look like it was, like a wooden post,” She worked hard to get where she is now, showing it through all the shows she has done.
For all the shows/musicals she has done, her favorite technical show was “La Gringa” which was about a young girl who was hispanic and went to Puerto Rico to visit family for the first time but wasn’t fully accepted which led her to question her identity. For that show she did practically everything for tech: the tech director, lighting designer, master electrician, light board operator, follow spot hue operator, and set designer. Her favorite show that she acted in was “The Odd Couple”, a show that involved divorce between a few characters and was shown as a comedy. The reason why she said this was one of her favorites was: “I played Florence Unger. She was a middle aged woman going through a divorce, and so she was having a really bad time and being very manic. And so everyone, everyone said I did really good. It felt like a really good show.” This was her Sophomore year while La Gringa was her Junior year.
As the end of the school year nears and Marissa has finished her final performance in Leyden’s last theatre show, it is evident that Marissa made a big impact on a lot of people in theatre. She made many feel welcome while also engaging in meaningful friendships. She helped create many memories during her time in theater. As her graduation approaches, she will be missed by many of the underclassmen.
