Meet Broadway Wiz Bright Star, Lily from Lisbon, Portugal.
Her favorite show is Anastasia and she believes theatre is like magic.
On average, how many Broadway shows do you see a year?
2
Favorite Broadway show:
Anastasia
All-time favorite performer:
Sierra Boggess
Songs you like to belt in the shower:
“Gimme Gimme,” “Astonishing,” “On My Own” 🙂 , “Journey to the Past”
Favorite piece of theater memorabilia you own:
Music box from Anastasia the Musical
Most memorable performance you’ve ever seen:
Anastasia the Musical, this year. It was absolutely amazing… I felt like everything was perfect and it had a huge impact on me. It sparked my emotions and I think that’s the most important thing in musicals, to send a message and make the audience be magically transported into another dimension you don’t see in your daily life and bringing you joy and making you experience emotions.
Best interaction you have had with another theater fan:
I met so many people because of theatre and a lot of friendships developed… I think you’re able to connect with other people through shared emotions and the storytelling… It’s an activity that gathers everyone and each of them start opening up and discovering more about themselves, allowing them to have no boundaries and feel free and safe. It also depends on the people and their passion for theatre but once I did a summer course in Guildford School of Acting and I felt that for the first time, I was proud to be a part of something and united in a group that shared the same passions. I learned more than ever about myself and what I wanted to do and for the first time I felt confident to share very personal stories… and I noticed everyone was feeling the same. So, basically, a group of young theatre fans (more than one) allowed me to understand what I wanted to do with my future and I think I had the same impact on them… Theatre is awkward in a good way… It allows a union and a feeling (hard to explain) which I can’t get anywhere else.
Why do you love theater?
After a long school day with boring real life stuff to do that causes me anxiety and sometimes depression (haven’t finished high school yet), some evenings, I get to be someone else, get into their story and tell it to the audience!!! It’s the closest thing I find to magic 🙂 Theatre allows actors to express emotions they have hidden and bring them to their character, letting it’s story be told and transporting the audience into another world for moments. It cured my depression and helps me understand more about myself and get to be different characters and when I’m the audience I absolutely love being taken into another dimension and moved by a story.
Dream roles?
Anastasia from Anastasia :), Christine Daaé, Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady, Eponine from Les Misérables, Fantine from Les Misérables, Natasha from The Great Comet, Cinderella from Cinderella, The witch from Into the Woods, Maria from The Sound of Music (classic 🙂 ) , Clara from Light in the Piazza, Julie from Carousel and Anna from Frozen.
Best stagedoor or backstage experience?
I once met Lara Martins playing Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera London and she took me to her dressing room where we discussed my future as a performer. Once I got out through the stage door people started wanting to take pictures of me because they thought I was Christine and they asked Lara to take the photo!!! She looked at me and we both started laughing 🙂 And another time I met two of my biggest inspirations, Christy Altomare and Caroline O’Connor who told me never to quit, advice I’ll never forget…I never trembled and smiled so much in my life!!!! Couldn’t stop crying and smiling of happiness….
Favorite spots in NYC:
I only went to NYC once and loved everything I visited so… Times Square, Central Park and 44th street since it has so many of my favorite musicals in the same street and the Broadway themed store I absolutely love!
If you could sing a duet or perform a scene with any Broadway star, who would it be?
That’s soo hard to answer since I love so many stars, but the first one that popped would be Christy Altomare 🙂
Did you ever fangirl when you met an actor/performer?:
SO MUCH!!! It happened when I went to see Anastasia. I learned so much about Christy Altomare and I can relate so many problems she had with mine. She became my inspiration last year and once I saw her I couldn’t stop smiling. I wanted to talk to her and take some advice from her for the future with time and space but that was of course impossible. Although I had some seconds while she was writing on my playbill and I told her I came from Portugal just to see her and watch that masterpiece of a musical, saying how I admired her, and asking a question. She told me never to give up and smiled at me. IT WAS SOOOO MUCH MORE THAN ENOUGH! I am taking her advice forever! I wanted to seem more calm and get to talk to her normally but I felt so much pressure, since I had people pushing me from behind just to see her and take photos, that I ended up talking like a total fangirl. But that’s fine. She talked to me and that’s all that matters (this sounds so much like a fangirl 🙂 )
Favorite thing about Broadway Wiz?
EVERYTHING! It’s one of the best sites ever! I believe young people or any person should feel like their passion is shared by others and this site gathers all fans!
What would your super power be?
Telekinesis… Sometimes I wished soo much I could make my cats and food levitate into my bed!!!
Besides theater, what are some of your other passions or hobbies?
Musical theatre and classical singing, cuddling with cats, drawing, music composition, yoga, horror movies and reading (Shakespeare and monologues), meeting new people, going out and traveling abroad (new places), piano and eating 🙂
Where can we stalk you online?
Facebook– leonorarriag • Instagram– @leonorarriaga
Anything else you would like to share? Funny stories, weird facts about yourself, cool talents?
Well…Once I won a sand artists contest on the beach by making a sand nose. It is told that my house has once been haunted (16th century mansion) and a lot of my friends fear sleeping there. I have 10 cats, sometimes I playback in the bathroom to musical theatre tracks to practice facial expressions and when I was 6 years old I saw my drawings published in a book.