Throughout our four years at Rosary, we, Gigi and Makayla, have experienced the thrill of playing many different roles on the Servite stage. Stepping into the shoes of various characters has allowed us to explore different emotions, personalities, and perspectives. Each role presents a unique challenge, and we enjoy immersing ourselves in the character’s world to bring their stories to life. From a comedic sidekick to the leading lady, discovering these people has been tough yet rewarding.
Gigi’s Roles:
Let’s start strong with one of my favorite characters, Charlotte, from “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.” She is
known for her over-the-top and exaggerated behavior, often providing comic relief in the story. Charlotte is portrayed as clumsy, loud, and overly dramatic, which makes her not only a fun character to watch but a fun character to play. She had minimal lines, but every word that came from her mouth got a laugh. I must rate her a 10/10 because I had an absolute blast performing as Charlotte and working to become her character.
Next is Lady Bracknell from Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest.” This role was a doozy, with the most lines I have ever seen for a character. I had to become forthright, in touch with the world’s wants, and commanding of the respect of each room I entered. As Bracknell, I had scenes where I would be the only character talking for a page and a half. To this day, Lady Bracknell has been my most challenging role. Getting to play this iconic part and saying the infamous “Handbag?” line definitely raised my score by a few points. This 70-year-old mean British lady gets a 6/10.
The beautiful Elinor Dashwood from the mind of Jane Austen was a delight to perform on stage. I became the headstrong, independent, sisterhood-orientated provider that is Elinor Dashwood every time I strung up my period-accurate bonnet. Playing opposite of the wonderful Makayla Palos Rodriguez was definitely the highlight of my sense and sensibility experience. I only wish I could do this show now with the strengthened bonds and experience I’ve gained from acting. I would have to give this role a 9/10 because there is always room for improvement, and I know this show would’ve been even better with my ability now.
“That’s right, Mrs. Dolly Levi, born Gallagher!” The amazing, charismatic, Renaissance woman that is Dolly Levi has to be the most connected I’ve ever felt to a role. Playing her gave me glimpses into womanhood and how you can’t always plan life perfectly; you just have to trust the process. Although playing Dolly was not nearly easy (I created multiple spreadsheets analyzing everything she said and justifying each movement she made), this role taught me so much about myself, giving me an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the world around me. Although my love for this show is immeasurable, I’ll give it a 20/10… enough said.
Makayla’s Roles:
Starting off strong, we have Marianne Dashwood in “Sense and Sensibility.” This was my favorite role in a play because it was the first leading role I had ever gotten. I remember finding out at school with Gigi that we had both gotten the main characters and jumping around because we were so excited. After fully reading the play, I fell in love with Marianne’s character and the entire story in general, as it emphasizes hope, love, and sisterhood. Also, this show had one of the most fun rehearsal processes I have ever been a part of. Our Director, Ms. Decreney, became like an older sister figure to me, and I think our entire cast just bonded really well in general, making every day working on the show an absolute joy! Overall, I rate his role a 9.5/10!
Next up is Anne Frank in “The Diary of Anne Frank.” This was by far one of the hardest roles I have played during my time in Trinitas. There were many reasons that I somewhat struggled in this part, but the top three were as follows: 1) SO MANY LINES! I had over 200 lines in this show, including 10 full-page monologues, and I spent months trying to get it all down before the show opened for an audience. 2) Playing a 13-year-old as a 17-year-old. To be honest, I am used to playing older characters rather than younger ones, so mastering Anne’s silly and childish personality was a bit tricky during the rehearsal process. And 3) Telling the story. Anne Frank is such an important figure in history. I remember learning about her and her family’s story in the fifth grade, so I was focused on making sure I brought her justice and portrayed her character to the audience as best as possible. However, despite all of this, I rate the experience a 7/10 because I still loved playing this character even through all of the challenges and stress.
“The world is full of wonderful things.” This line, which I said during our recent production of “Hello, Dolly!” fully encapsulates my experience portraying the beautiful Irene Molloy. I think Irene was one of the easiest characters I’ve played throughout my time at Trinitas because I connected to her so well. Even though we had obvious differences (i.e., she’s a 30-year-old widow and hat shop owner, and well, I’m not.), I had an amazing time getting to know her character and singing her songs throughout the entire rehearsal process. And speaking of the rehearsal process, our time rehearsing for this show was one that I’ll never forget. I was able to get close to so many people, both old and new friends alike. Overall, I am so glad this was my final show with Trinitas, and I rate my experience playing Irene as 10/10!
And last but certainly not least, we have my time playing Ella in “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.” Playing Ella was one of the highlights of my entire Trinitas career. For me, getting this role as a junior was very unexpected, but it turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Playing the titular character and leading the show was definitely daunting at first, but with the support from my friends, family, directors, and fellow cast mates, I was able to have so much fun and learn many new things, not only performance-wise but also about myself as a person. Taking my bow at the end of the show ranks as a top 10 entire life moment for me, and I hope I get the chance to play this character again one day because my experience was so unbelievably amazing! In all, I rate Ella an 11/10!
These roles have not only enriched our acting abilities but have also allowed us to grow as individuals. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunities we have had to bring these characters to life and for the bonds we have formed with our fellow cast members and directors. Theatre has taught us the value of teamwork, dedication, and the power of storytelling. We are truly grateful for the transformative impact that theatre has had on our lives.