Alexa Rivera is 17 years old and from Arlington. Her favorite art forms and personal hobbies include singing, acting, and cosplaying. She’s been singing and dressing up for as long as she can remember, and she started practicing makeup skills when she was eight years old. Alexa hopes to one day become a teacher so she can share her passion for the arts with other people like herself. She wants to learn all she can and be a role model for those who are finding their way.
What’s your earliest memory of the arts?
I’ve always loved performing in any way I could. Anyone who knew me as a kid would describe me as very active and always looking for ways to entertain. I didn’t do much theater until I was 14 when I did my first play at a summer camp, and I fell in love with the experience of planning, acting, and most importantly, working with others to be proud of the finished product!
Do you have a favorite memory or story about MCA?
The most important thing to me when I’m performing is my relationships with fellow cast mates. I love making new friends and connecting with people. In many of my early theater experiences, I didn’t have good relationships with others, but just as I was starting to give up hope, I did In The Heights. The people in the show were mostly younger than me so I felt a sense of responsibility and I tried my best to make every one of them feel loved. From what I can tell it really worked. That cast became like family and I’ll never forget how amazing each and every one of those kids are.
Do you have a favorite quote about the arts or one you’d like to share?
Elaine Stritch said, “There are no small roles, only roles worth playing.” That speaks to me on a lot of levels, because a lot of people rank their impact on a play based on their character or number of lines. But in reality, no play would function without the full cast. There are a lot of roles that, when the cast list was announced, I didn’t think I’d enjoy playing them compared to what I had in mind. But when I actually did the roles it was so worth it because even when I played small roles I gave it my all and was proud of myself.
