A notable cast member currently in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is senior Ivanna Barrientos. Her character, Hermia, wants to be with her lover, Lysander, while her father wants her to marry Demetrius. They eventually run away together. This is Barrientos’ first time as one of the leads in a WJ production, having performed last year in “Into the Woods” as Jack’s mother, and part of the ensemble in “Les Miserables.”

“I have been an understudy for both shows that I’ve done with WJ along with a minor role in last year’s musical, so having the opportunity to play this incredible character in a play is really a wonderful opportunity for me to grow and expand my skills,” said Barrientos.

But it’s definitely not Barrientos’ first time in a theater production. The thespian has shown her dedication to theater by having been involved in numerous shows in community theatre, where she was usually amongst cast mates with 10+ year differences, and has even been the lead in “All Shook up” at Rockville Musical Theater. She was also in “Hairspray” as Tracy Turnblad and Mama Noah in “Children of Eden” at Musical Theater Center, and in “Hair” and “Ragtime” in Act Two @ Levine School of Music.

However, being in a community theater production and a high school production were very different experiences experiences for her.

“[Community theater was] very different from S*T*A*G*E in that with S*T*A*G*E, you learn about your script and really go in depth with your character, while in community theater they just give you the script and teach you music,” said Barrientos.

She encourages interested students to audition as many times as possible, even if they don’t get cast. She notes that it’s important for students to put themselves out there, and not be afraid of making fools of themselves.

Although she’s sad to be leaving WJ S*T*A*G*E, she sees theater in her future.

“I am looking to go into musical theater in college, and hopefully in the future as well. My dream since I was little has been to be on Broadway, so I hope one day I can work to achieve that goal.”