Senior Ria Nanjundan performs as Abigail Williams in “The Crucible” for Red Bird Productions. Nanjundan said that whenever [she] feels angry or sad, [she] always channels that into acting.”
HUMANS OF BELLAIRE – Ria Nanjundan, 12
“I remembered being on stage and feeling like I belonged. It felt like the world disappeared, and it was just me and my feather costume singing about how much I loved Horton the Elephant. That’s when I realized, ‘oh my God, this is what I love.’
We were doing ‘Seussical the Musical,’ so it was all the Dr. Seuss characters. I remember waiting for the cast list to come out, and I was like, ‘This is it, I’m going to get Cat in the Hat. It’s going to be so much fun.’ And I found out I got Gertrude instead. I was still happy, but what really hit me was how I had a friend who we [the rest of the cast] all thought was going to be Gertrude because she was Gertrude in real life – super sweet and caring and kind of shy. She basically was this character, so we all expected her to get it; we knew she wanted the role. But then I got the role, and I felt a little guilty.
It’s crazy to think about how far I’ve come since fifth grade. Theatre has consumed my life. Whenever I feel angry or sad, I always channel that into acting. I think there’s something special about playing someone else for a little while. It helps you forget about your problems and generate empathy for other people because you are put into the shoes and conflicts of other people, conflicts that you might not have ever experienced in your life. Whether you’re playing a little bird sick from heartbreak in fifth grade to this big, misunderstood bully character in ‘Grease,’ it really just helps you grow as a person.”