As the lights come up and the curtains open, Evan Marley stands center stage ready to perform his favorite production, “Singing In the Rain.”

The feeling of anticipation and eagerness to perform is normal for Marley, who has performed since sixth grade.

“I love to provide enjoyment and entertainment for others,” Marley said. “I just love to make people laugh and make people happy. I am the kind of person who is only happy when others are happy.”

This year Marley is part of the ensemble for the fall musical “Mamma Mia.” He auditioned for this show because he wanted to see what shows in high school are like compared to the ones he participated in while he was in middle school. While taking part of a theatre production is something that he enjoys, Marley is seeing this as a chance to meet new people and build relationships.

“My favorite thing about theatre is the relationships you make,” Marley said. “I have made several friends by just being in plays and musicals. Everyone is so inviting and fun, there’s almost no way that you can’t make friends when in theatre.”

Being a part of a theatre production can be difficult, from the auditions all the way to opening night. However, being in theatre has helped him grow as a person.

“The arts have taught me to be open-minded,” Marley said. “I’ve learned that you should always take in constructive criticism with an open mind because all that your peers and teachers want to do is make you a better person or actor.”

Marley has been in the Fine Arts since middle school and has continued his passion into high school. Marley is a part of theatre and choir and carries his interest in the arts outside of school. lll

He enjoys drawing, photography and creating content for his YouTube channel, EarthTwoEvan.

“I mainly just create skits for my subscribers, but sometimes I will make Q&A videos so that my subscribers have an open platform for me to answer their questions,” Marley said. “Now that I have my current channel, I merely just want to make people laugh. I am glad that I have this platform to basically make people’s days a bit less boring.”

Marley has had a long friendships with freshman Reyna Myvett. The two became good friends in middle school Thespians club while Marley was President and Myvett was Vice President.

“He’s really funny, loyal and overall a really good friend and listener,” Myvett said. “When I think of Evan I think he stays true to himself.”

Even though he is only a freshman, Marley has already started to affect his peers and is standing out to his teachers.

“Evan always makes the students feel comfortable and is willing to step up and be a positive leader,” Blue Jay Chorale director Dayna Roller said. “That can be hard, especially as an underclassman, and he is able to do so with positive leadership.”