Personal Narrative: Mercutio

Before I even entered high school, I obtained a love of theater and the performing arts. I have been singing and acting since I was nine, as well as on and off dancing since three. Taking classes at a local theater really introduced me to this interest of mine. When I entered high school, an injury kept me from doing shows. But now I graduate with nine high school shows under my belt, as well as being in multiple community theater productions. Being a part of these shows made me feel a strong sense of belonging, and whether I was an ensemble or lead

As a shy, reserved student, I found myself blossoming through the stage. I fell in love with the stage and auditioned for the middle school's play, A Christmas Carol. Fortunately, I was casted in the performance. I loved the experience so much that I auditioned for the next year's play and musical and got a part in those as well. The more time I spent on stage, the more confident I became. I felt like the stage was where I belonged. I had a passion for theater that began to distinguish like a flame when I entered high school.

As a third and fourth grader, I participated in choir. I enjoyed it then but decided to stop so that I would have more time for homework. In the beginning of seventh grade, when it came time to decide if you want to join choir, Maria Abbulone and I chose to sign up. We thought it would be a fun experience because we enjoy singing, and we had done it in past years. As choir practices began, Maria and I thought that it would be a fun experience for the year, and we might decide to do it in eighth grade. As the choir kicked into full swing, everything was going well.

I saw my first Broadway show at only seven years old and have seen over ten more since then, due to the fact I live only two hours away from New York City by train. I always enjoyed theatre, but I didn’t grow the deep love I have for it now until acting became a career option. I spent a week of the summer completely in the business world of theatre and came out knowing I had to be an actress. I dived into all things Broadway, bought as many albums as I could, watched as many interviews as possible, saved up to see more shows, but even with all of this love for

As I sat enveloped in her story of overcoming conclusions, she taught my heart to embrace each quirky part of myself. I identified with Elle Woods’ need to prove herself. This idea of accepting individuality provided me with the courage to audition for my first show, the Arvada Center’s production of Footloose. Since that first nerve-racking, nail-biting experience, I have come to find myself through each move I dance onstage. Getting my first big role, the Dragon in a production of Shrek, I poured my heart out, knowing the people ready to judge and mock were watching. After the show, the peers who judged my intelligence approached me, saying things like, “I never knew you could sing like that.” Through performing I found myself again. I shifted back to the girl I was, the girl who cared about her morals. I want to perform, hoping to provide audience members with the ability to connect with characters who can offer them a point of realization, as Elle Woods did for me.

I prefer you start by asking me questions, so I can get in the mood because I don’t feel ready for […] I can tell you about my life and about how the whole art thing started. When I was fourteen years old I suffer an attack on my spine. When I was a boy, a draw a lot, but they were mostly school-related. I show them my work in L.A. [Los Angeles] because they liked a lot there. I lived next to a Mexican neighborhood. What was its name? “Maravilla”, it was very dangerous. The pachucos of that time lived

The first time that I watched a performance was when I was nine. My older brother got a lead in a production and my parents forced me to go. Once the house lights turned off and the stage lights came on, I felt like it was just me and the actors. I was caught. Acting was a crime and I the criminal. The lighting, the facial expressions, the blocking, it all captured my attention, and I couldn’t let it go, I can’t let it go. When the play ended, I asked my brother what I could do to get the chance to get up on that stage and he said, “Act,” Since that day, the only thing I did was act. I looked for monologues online and started getting really involved with other people that also enjoyed theater.

When I was young, my family and I lived in the coastal plains of Texas. One day, I started to think about what it was like at the very top in Texas. I always dreamed about the cowboys, farms, ranchers and the farm animals, that they were unique and that that was the only things that the great plains had. As I grew older, I thought it was boring, and then I had an idea. What if I, Maria Muro could make it more fun? So, I decided to dedicate my life to make the most fun city In Texas.

However, I believe that theatre is an entirely different beast, since the arts evolve like living beings. With theatre, training passes the line from beneficial to necessary. A quote I consider often, attributed to athlete Kevin Durant, is “hard works beats talent when talent fails to work hard”. There is such an immense, ridiculous amount of talent in the world that if you are not constantly pushing yourself to work harder and study new techniques, no matter how much talent you think you have, someone else will be ahead of you. Conversely, it’s a reminder that even if you think you don’t have much natural talent you can work as much as possible and surpass someone who does. A unique thing about theatre is that you don’t pause your training when you’re in a show- not only do you have to learn to act, you learn while acting as well. Anyone who’s ever been in a show can tell you that closing is a better quality performance than opening. Through the process of performing the show, you acquire new ways for your character to react, grow in complexity, and get engulfed in the story. There’s always room for improvement and change as an actor, and that’s something that has been true since the art form of theatre began, and will continue to be true forever. So many acting techniques have developed and changed just in the last century, such as the Method, the Uta Hagen, Viewpoints, Meisner, and more. Every one of these

Many long nights have been spent rehearsing a complicated dance number, memorizing lines, or just resting my voice. I have tried to seize every opportunity to perform and have been blessed with some amazing roles, cast members, directors, and coaches. In addition, I have also experienced my fair share of disappointment. Lead roles I believed were perfect for me sometimes went to someone else. These failures taught me no matter how small a role may be, it is vastly important to the overall success of the play, and offers the actor a chance to grow and learn. Years ago, I promised myself when someone sees me perform, he or she will know I am giving 100% each and every

I was born in Matamoros,Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is a little town located across the border from Brownsville, Texas. I lived there for more than 15 years. Mexico is full of history; it has a rich culture and thousands of unique traditions. I believe that we, Mexicans, are very polite, humble, and warm people.We love celebrations and celebrate almost everything.

After exploring extracurricular activities my freshman and sophomore year, the abstract beauty of the performing arts enraptured my heart. Keeping theatre in high esteem, I anticipated and prepared for our success in exhilaration. My schedule revolved around our performances, and consequently, I eliminated any conflicts with rehearsals. To ensure the maximum potential of every one of our shows, I allocated all my spare time into productions. I once stayed at school well past 10 at night painting the stage with my director to guarantee we polished our set to perfection. The work ethic I instigated

Throughout my childhood and teenage years, I have searched and searched for a talent that would give me a unique identity to make me stand out from my peers. When I was five years old, I was given the chance to be in a musical in our city's community theatre, PMT. This musical was "The Wizard of Oz", and I played the role of a munchkin in the Lollipop Guild. This initially sparked a great interest in theatre, and I fell in love with acting. I had an amazing mentor for my youth acting career, the late Jack Ewing. He played Harold Hill in PMT's production of "The Music Man", while I had the opportunity to play the role of Winthrop, the young boy that helps Harold Hill become a better person. (Jack later died a year before I had the chance to play the role of Harold Hill in my high school's production of "The Music Man Jr.") When I was about nine, PMT dissolved as an organization and therefore there was no community theatre around me for years, which put a setback in my interest and talent for theatre.

I was walking down the street alone coming back from the bar thinking about Montresor, a great and noble friend of mine.when I looked up to see him, He shook my hand with great pride. We had a short conversation, which then led him to talk about his fine wine, the Amontillado. I did not believe it! Then Montresor told me he was just on his way to see Luchresi whom, he thought to know wines just as good as I. I assured him, no one knew wine better than me. I asked if we could go to his palace and taste the Amontillado. I grabbed Montresor’s arm and walked with him to his stone palace. He then took two burning lights off the wall and handed one of them to me and kept one himself. We walked to a wide doorway and entered the room; I was very unsure about going into the room, but the Amontillado was waiting on me.

Since I was eleven years old, I have known that I wanted to act. It was something that my parents never particularly encouraged, nor supported, but the seed was planted. I was sixteen when I first stepped into my high school’s theatre for my first day of drama class, and it changed my life. I felt at home and I would even call it the point of my salvation. From discovering the theatre and joining the world of the performing arts, I have grown so much as a person and have found a sense of self and purpose that I didn’t have before. I could not have imagined that I would, or even could, have the immense passion for acting and theatre that I have today, and it is beyond me how I became so lucky as to find something that makes me so incredibly