ROGUE SPOTLIGHT: Ingénue Marin Alexis tests her mettle at Camelot

Published 3:30 pm Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Performing on Broadway is the aspirational goal for many young actors in the theater industry. But you have to start somewhere.

Marin Alexis, 19, of Medford, decided the Rogue Valley would be a good place to test her mettle, with its many theater companies offering an abundance of opportunities to tread the boards.

She’s been cast in Camelot Theatre’s production of “Next to Normal,” playing March 27–April 21, with stage and music direction by Alex Boyles.

The 2008 American rock musical centers on the story of a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her family. Alexis plays the woman’s daughter, Natalie.

The play was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won three — for best original score, best orchestration, and best performance by a leading actress (Alice Ripley) in a musical.

It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama, only the eighth musical in history to receive the honor.

North Kitsap native

Alexis grew up in the North Kitsap area of Washington state where she got a taste for theater at a kids’ summer camp put on by Central Stage Theatre (CSTOCK) in Kitsap County.

“I was 11 years old and auditioning for the first time for ‘James and the Giant Peach Jr.,’” she said. “I was cast as Aunt Spiker.”

The camp ran for two weeks, during which time the kids put on three performances.

“It opened my eyes to the joys of performing on stage,” she said. “On the last day, I was already making plans to return the following summer.”

She started singing at an early age.

“I joined my first choir when I was 9 and in the fourth grade, and I’ve never stopped.”

Alexis graduated from high school in June of 2023. She found work at local theater companies, playing Cinderella in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” and Mercutio in “Romeo and Juliet,” both for Port Gamble Theater.

Most recently, she played one of Les Filles de la Ville in “Beauty and the Beast” for Bainbridge Performing Arts, where she also understudied the role of Belle.

She was nominated for her work in “Cinderella” as Best Lead Actor by Heilman and Haver’s Theatre Awards, now known as The Sound on Stage.

A departure

“Next to Normal” is very different from the plays she’s done before.

“This show is very grounded in reality,” she said, “as opposed to some of the more fantastical shows I have worked on.”

While the storytelling is realistic and about a serious subject, there is still plenty of singing and dancing.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” she said. “Diving into my character has been rewarding, helping me build my skills as an actor.”

She said she spent her teenage years trying to be perfect, and looks at her character in that light, with a lot of sympathy for what Natalie is going through.

However, Natalie feels things Alexis has never experienced herself, and that was initially a challenge for the actor. But considerable research helped Alexis connect to the core of her character.

The show has six cast members, with musical numbers performed as solos, duets and in groups.

“My character has a few songs, the most notable among them being ‘Superboy and the Invisible Girl.’ The number follows a big emotional revelation for Natalie. It’s the perfect pop-rock song to tell that story,” Alexis said.

“I also really enjoy Natalie’s duets with her love interest, Henry, played by Austin Kelly.”

How did Alexis end up in the Rogue Valley?

“I auditioned through Southern Oregon Theatre Auditions (SOTA),” she said. “I had road-tripped to Ashland with five actor friends last September to attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and fell in love with the area.”

When she found out about SOTA, her friend, Mia, encouraged her to join her in auditioning.

A welcoming environment

“I was lucky to be called back for ‘Next to Normal,’” she said. “I feel so fortunate.”

She says she has been made to feel welcome by everyone associated with the company. “I couldn’t be more grateful.”

While she’s open to going to college later, she is happy now to work, save some money and soak up some theater experience.

Her goal is to build a career as a professional actor, with interests in stage, film and voice work.

“As long as I am performing, I can be content with where I am,” she said.

Meanwhile, she works part-time in the mornings at a local restaurant to help pay the bills and rehearses in the evenings.

She finds a lot of joy even in the auditioning process.

“I see it as a chance to play a role. And viewing the time in front of a casting panel as a performance rather than a competition makes it a lot more fun,” she said.

“Seeing other talented people face rejection has taught me that not every opportunity will be right for you. So, you have to be patient and start preparing for the next thing.”

Her next project is also with Camelot Theatre in Talent. She will play Purity in “Anything Goes” this summer.

“I’m looking forward to improving my dance skills and working with a larger cast in the same space,” she said. “I’m hoping to work more in the valley next season as well.”

For more information about Camelot shows and to purchase tickets, go to camelottheatre.org.