Marissa Marciano returns to Playhouse 22 in East Brunswick to play the part of Louise and the Young Girl in “Sunday in the Park with George.” The musical, inspired by Georges Seurat’s painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” will be performed weekends, April 19 to May 5.
A sixth grade student at Grover Middle School, Marciano’s passion for acting and singing began at Westminster Conservatory’s Broadway Babies Camp when she was only five. She was cast in her first community thetater production when she was seven and has since appeared in more than 14 productions at venues including Kelsey Theater, Actors’ Net, and Playhouse 22.
Her past roles include Mary Cratchit in Playhouse 22’s “A Christmas Carol”; Beilke in “Fiddler on the Roof” at Kelsey Theater; and Baby Louise in “Gypsy” at Actors’ Net and Playhouse 22. She has also been seen in “Best of Both Worlds,” “Snow White the Musical,” “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” “The Story of Hansel & Gretel,” “Cinderella,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Twinderella.” She has trained at Kelsey Theater, Westminster Conservatory, Dance Expo, and Arena Gymnastics.
“I love entertaining people. It’s kind of like playing dress-up and pretend, which I’ve been doing since I was little,” she says. “We have a lot of videos of me as a toddler standing on our fireplace singing and putting on shows. What makes being in a real show even better is that you have an audience, and there is no better sound than the applause telling you they enjoyed your performance. Also being a part of a cast is great. I’ve made a lot of friends doing shows and have learned so much from many of them.”
She lives in Plainsboro with her parents, Michael and Denise Marciano, and her brother, Michael, 14, a student at High School South. Her next role will be Ruthie Joad in Playhouse 22’s production of “Grapes of Wrath.”
“This is an extremely wonderful role for Marissa as the show is known for its challenging music,” says Denise. “I was able to sit in on the second music rehearsal this week, and I have to say this is definitely the most vocally talented cast she has ever been a part of.”
In her current role as Louise in “Sunday in the Park with George” she is the only child in the cast. “It’s fun getting to run around on stage screaming and annoying everyone, and I have some funny lines, so I’m hoping to get a few laughs,” she says. “I also get to sing a couple of solo lines, which is awesome.”
Most of the shows she has worked only have one or two late nights a week. “I only do shows that are less than 20 minutes from my home,” says Marissa. “I’ve wanted to audition at other theaters, but my parents won’t let me if they are too far away because I would get home too late.”
“The only time that I start to feel tired is during tech week when we have five straight days of late nights before opening night, but I somehow always make it through, and there is so much energy opening night you forget about being tired.”
Though people are known to worry about kids not getting their school work done when they are involved in extracurricular activities, usually just the opposite happens. Priorities are set and procrastination is kept to a minimum. “I don’t expect my teachers to make any exceptions for me when I’m doing a show,” says Marissa. “I know that school comes first. I’m actually better at getting my homework done when I’m in a show and my schedule is more hectic. I think knowing I have less time puts more pressure on me and I guess I work better under pressure.”
Marissa sings in the Grover Middle School Choir and Spotlight Chorus, takes tap dancing lessons at Dance Expo in East Windsor, and is a Cadette Girl Scout in Troop 71514. This summer Marissa will attend her third year of Kelsey Theater’s Tomato Patch Performing Arts camp.
She has big plans for the future. “There are so many roles I want to play when I’m older — Little Red Riding Hood from ‘Into the Woods,’ Audrey in ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ Penny in ‘Hairspray,’ and ‘Mary Poppins’ — but my biggest dream role would be Elphaba in ‘Wicked.’”
— Lynn Miller
Sunday in the Park with George, Playhouse 22, 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick. Musical. Weekends, April 19 through May 5. $20. 732-254-3939. www.playhouse22.org.
