Splashing into the Spotlight: Student Actors Find Their Voice in Finding Nemo Jr.

Question: What’s your name and how old are you? 

Answer: My name is Maddox Starr and I am 15 years old.  

Question: What is your role in Finding Nemo Jr? 

Answer:  I'm playing Chum, one of the sharks, as well as Tad, a really obnoxious little fish that's friends with Nemo.  

Question:  Is this your first time participating in one of our education programs? How did you hear about the program? 

Answer:  Yes, it is. My school’s musical director sent us something about it.  

Question:  What has been your favorite part of the program?  

Answer:  I like the idea of improving, and also seeing everyone else improve at the same time. It's cool to work together and have a common goal of improving yourself. I feel like I've really improved!  

Question:  What has been the most impactful thing that you've learned?  

Answer:  I don't need to be worried about auditioning. We did a lot of work on auditioning. I'm a very anxious person, so the idea of singing in front of someone . . . you get a little worried. Our teachers recreated the auditioning process — first we started with our material, and they taught us how to slate, and I felt a lot less anxious when I was able to do it. I can apply these skills if I ever audition again. 

Question:  Would you participate in another one of our education programs?  

Answer:  Yeah! I would participate again.  

Question:  If someone was on the fence about signing up for one of our education programs, what would you tell them?  

Answer:  It's a really fun opportunity. It’s a different environment from being in a classroom. It's really interesting to work on your acting, where you can really improve the fundamentals with skill-building. We also created a great show in just three weeks, which I think is really cool. It gives you a speed-through of the process of being in a musical while also improving yourself at the same time. 

Question:  Do you have any idea what you would like to study in college/any career goals?  

Answer:  I guess it's still solidifying, so I'm not 100% sure. I feel like something with a minor in theater, performing arts, playwriting, or something of the sort. 

Question: What is your name and how old are you? 

Answer:  I'm Nicole Marks and I am 17 years old. 

Question: What is your role in Finding Nemo Jr.? 

Answer: I am a reef parent and a little fish. Multiple people play multiple parts, so it gets confusing sometimes to remember who you are, but mainly I'm a reef parent. I play Pearl’s parent (she's a little squid).  

Question:  Is this your first time participating in one of our education programs?  

Answer:  It is, sadly. I just wish I found it sooner because I've been having a lot of fun here and then learning a lot of stuff, mostly about myself. This is my first — and last time — because I'm a senior in high school.  

Question: What has been your favorite part of the program? 

Answer:  This is hard because there's a lot of stuff that I really did like. I would definitely say the vocal parts were very fun. The vocal classes took me out of my shell. Meeting people here was also very fun. Everyone’s personalities mesh and I'm just very grateful to be in a group like this. 

Question:  If you could, would you participate in one of our education programs again?  

Answer:  Yeah, 100%. I was very skeptical coming in because I didn't know what the musical was. And then finding out that it was Finding Nemo Jr., I didn't know anything about it, so I was very nervous. But you know, we say trust the process, and honestly, it's trusting the process because I'm having so much fun. I never thought I’d have fun with a kids’ show like Finding Nemo Jr. 

Question:  If someone was on the fence about participating in one of our education programs, what would you tell them? 

Answer:  They should sign up because of the teachers and mentors that work here. They want you to succeed and make sure you get the best role for you . . . The teachers and mentors bring a side out of you that everyone needs to experience once in their life. 

Question: What are some of the things that you've learned about yourself?  

Answer:  Personality-wise, I have learned about making friends and interacting with people. Coming into this program . . . it helped me put into perspective that my life is going to change in a year, and this was a good trial run to see how I can build relationships with people in such a short amount of time.  

Question:  Do you have any plans about what you want to do in college/for a career? 

Answer:  Actually, I wanted to be a special education teacher. I am changing my mind because of this program. I think I am going to do acting . . . I'm kind of leaning towards an acting minor. I definitely think I would do something with the performing arts in college and even take vocal lessons on the side. 

### 

Thank you to Max and Nicole for taking the time to speak with us! 

To ensure young people like Max and Nicole can continue to participate in free,  transformative programs, please consider making a  donation to us.

We are a non-profit organization that relies upon the generosity of donations and ticket sales to continue presenting transformative artistic experiences year-round, including many free educational opportunities for students in the greater Philadelphia area. 

To learn more about our education programs that serve over 35,000 students annually, click here.