Senior embraces new experience in play
"Happily ever after" is how most fairy tales end, but "Into the Woods" reimagines many of the classic ones including "Cinderella," "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Little Red Riding Hood." The musical runs April 10-18 in the Ed Cabell Theatre at the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville Campus.
For UNG senior Luiza Parodia Penha, "happily ever after" begins when the curtain drops and she focuses on completing her coursework and graduating in May.
"Right now, my biggest thing is experience, experience, experience. I want to become a professor of theater eventually," she said. "The biggest gift that my professors have given me is what they've learned from their personal experience."
Working on a musical, something she hadn't yet done, is providing lots of firsthand experience and knowledge for her.
"Seeing what it's like to be a performer, the dynamics in the rehearsal room, the different roles people have and how that changes from a play, has been the biggest opportunity to learn," she said. "I've had to learn so much, but I feel like I've been taught how to learn more during my time here at UNG."
Parodia Penha plays the mother of Jack from "Jack and the Beanstalk" and said she didn't consider herself a musical theater performer at all.
"One of my goals in my time here was to take voice lessons and become more comfortable singing," she said. "I auditioned for the show, just for the audition experience and to see where the chips would land."
Getting the role was a big surprise.
"She's the second-highest voice in the show, and I didn't know that at the time of my audition," she said. "I didn't know I was capable of singing those notes before we started the process. So that was a challenge, but it was exciting to take on a really interesting role.”
Parodia Penha describes Jack’s mother as "an interesting woman who does not pull any punches."
"She's very sincere. It sometimes may come off as harsh, but in my mind, I think all the characters in the show want something big for themselves. Cinderella wants to become a princess. Jack climbs up the beanstalk to the kingdom in the sky," she said. "Jack's mother just wants to put food on the table. That's what I come back to. Her biggest dream is that her son is taken care of. I think that takes a lot of heart, even if sometimes she may have a hard exterior.”
The Cumming, Georgia, resident said she finds Jack's mother's bossiness relatable, though.
"I was a very bossy little kid, and getting to play a bossy person is really fun," she said.
Parodia Penha is pursuing a degree in theatre arts and aspires to share her experiences though leading students in the classroom and on stage.
"I'm a first-generation immigrant, and it's such a gift to be able to study here and pursue a career in theater. I want to make that opportunity more accessible to more people like me in the future. That's really what drives me," she said.
Parodia Penha said she appreciates the mentorship she's received at UNG, along with building professional relationships with people who've had a career she aspires to have. In fact, she calls them "a critical part in making careers in the arts more accessible."
She said she hopes to lead by example.
"I think the moral of the play — and the world we're framing it in — is something that's so important to me," she said. "One of the final songs in the show is called 'Children Will Listen,' and the whole show really grapples with the idea of what example we are setting for our children. What kind of world are we leaving for them? I hope people take away the idea of building communities for each other."
"Into the Woods" is recommended for ages 10 and up due to mature themes. Tickets are available on the Gainesville Theatre Alliance website or by calling the GTA Box Office at 678-717-3624.
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