Meet the Cast: Leslie Marseglia (KEEP)

Leslie Marseglia is proud to be a guest artist with Wide Eyed. She graduated with an MFA in Acting from The New School for Drama, where favorite roles include Rosalind in As You Like It and Beth in the old forever new things. Other roles include: Mrs. Baines, Major Barbara (Brave New World Rep); Brenda, Leah in Vegas (Fringe NYC); and Miss Jessel, Turn of the Screw (Everyday Inferno). Leslie also holds a BFA from NYU, Tisch School of the Arts. www.lesliemarseglia.com

You’ll be performing in the upcoming world-premiere production of Keep, which we are co-producing with Mastodon Theatre Company.  Can you tell us a little bit about the character you’ll be playing, and your favorite thing about this role? (No spoilers!)

I’m playing Margo, the third of four sisters. While I don’t have any sisters of my own, I think it is really interesting to explore the complexities of female relationships and the way loyalties shift by the minute. I also like that Margo is outwardly much more unapologetic than I am; I hope to push myself a little further down that path. 

This is a play that deals with – among other things – hoarding belongings. What’s one thing that you really should release from your own personal stash of objects? 

I probably hang on to clothes I don’t love, wearing them longer than I should...I’m always convinced my opinion might change...it usually doesn’t. :) 

When did you know that you wanted to be an actor? How did you get started? 

I’ve really wanted to act since I saw The Sound of Music in second grade; I really wanted to be Julie Andrews. Luckily, I learned that you don’t have to be able to sing well to be an actor (though it’s still a skill I wish I had!). 

Who or what do you consider to have been your biggest creative influences to date? 

I’ve been so, so lucky to have studied with so many wonderful teachers, during both my undergrad and graduate training, and I think I’ve really pulled a little something from all of them. I’ve also been blessed with opportunities to work with actors and directors, both in and out of school, who have created a safe environment to explore. I feel like an open, supportive room is key. Otherwise, I feel my biggest lesson always comes down to be specific and take the risk to really be myself. Wow, that sounds super cheesy...

We’d love for our audience to get to know your work a little more. Could you tell us a little bit about your last project? 

The last stage project I worked on was called The Basement Plays, co-produced by The Barrow Group and Anthropological Theatricals. In this piece I actually was part of an ensemble of clowns (we appeared on stage in nose). It was a really interesting experiment for me to combine the theatrical clown work I’d experienced in a class setting with the necessary recreation/repetition required in performance. 

Are you working on any additional projects at the moment? Is it something you can tell us about? 

I recently shot a small part in two different student films, which are both currently being edited. I’ll also be participating in Writopia Lab’s World Wide Plays festival in May, which showcases the work of playwrights from ages 8-18.

Keep begins previews at The Barrow Group Theatre on April 7 and runs through April 30. Get your tickets here.