Both feet planted firmly on the pine needles and head held high, Marina Newman (12) stands for a silent second before becoming her character on the impromptu stage. As soon as she opens her mouth to speak, the essence of her role comes out — they are not simply words or emotions, but the conflicts, personality and motives of her complicated character.

Marina finds strength in characters she portrays in theater. Self-described as thoughtful and cheerful, she is always open to listening to others.

“I hope that people knew that they could come up to me and talk to me whenever possible or tell me problems because I’m always happy to listen,” she said. “I hope to be remembered as a thoughtful person.”

As an optimist, Marina strives to spread her happiness and to always remember that there is something to be thankful for. The gifts her family give to her, both the material and intangible, stay close to her heart.

“I feel like it’s a really cynical age that we live in now, and I really like Louis Armstrong,” Marina said. “I really like his song ‘What a Wonderful World’ and my sister got me this canvas with the lyrics ‘And I think to myself, what a wonderful world’ on it, and I like to think of that sometimes just to remind myself that the world is really beautiful, and there’s always things that we can be thankful for.”

When she was younger, Marina danced seriously but found that there was not enough time for school, theater and ballet. Though she still loves watching ballet, she is now focused on acting.

“I really love playing strong characters because a lot of times, in more traditional plays, the women are often perceived as weak or insane, and it’s really nice to play a strong woman now and then,” she said.

Not only is acting her passion, but Marina also feels that each character she plays endows a bit of their strengths in her.

“I’ve heard it said that when you play a character, some of that character is still a part of you. I think that’s kind of true. If you put so much time into the play and developing it, then that character becomes a part of you,” she said. “If those are admirable characters, then that’s a good thing. I hope Reggie Fluty made me stronger.

Becoming another person for a short time in has allowed Marina to grow her empathetic side. Instead of simply feeling compassion, Marina feels that she can truly understand what others are thinking.

“I’m an empathetic person,” she said. “I use that word because I think theater has helped me with that. I mean, you play different characters and you enter people’s lives for a bit, and it helps you see different perspectives. Sympathy is different than empathy. I think I’m an open-minded person.”
To fulfill her love for international relations, Marina plans to join the Peace Corps later, but as of now, she continues to focus on her passion for theater and the performing arts.