Outstanding Senior Anderson Maziero
We’re excited to spotlight Anderson Maziero, an outstanding senior from Bethpage. He has been a LIHSA student for his junior and senior year thanks to a friend who was studying game design. He shares, “They were very adamant that the school put a big focus on honing individual crafts rather than just an acting class that would tell you how to do things ‘the right way.’ I was very excited to do a class for my specific wants and needs.”
One of the LIHSA teachers who had a great impact on Anderson is Pianist Francis Lees. Anderson explains, “When I first came to LIHSA, my vocal range was short and my voice was deep so there were not a lot of songs I could sing. He {Francis Lees} would work with me individually, and helped me expand my range. My voice was so deep, I used to only play villains, but with expanded range, so many more doors are open for me.”
In addition to expanding his voice range and song repertoire, LIHSA helped Anderson grow as a person and overcome shyness. “I wanted to be better at public speaking and make friends easier,” Anderson said. “Now I can talk in front of a whole class and am better able to interact with others. I’ve come out of my shell and it’s easier to make friends and speak to people.”
Anderson also appreciates his classes and the various workshops that have been offered where feedback and constructive criticism were given. He shared, “I’ve taken the advice and allowed the outside voices to help influence how I play a role. It’s not just what I think. I have to convey a character to an audience who come to the show with their own thoughts and experiences.”
One of Anderson’s favorite LIHSA projects was being part of the production of Big Fish. He played the antagonist and really enjoyed going from his usual soft-spoken manner to yelling the entire show. He was further able to take the character in a different direction than other actors have played him, making the character his own. And he loved playing the character.
In addition to Big Fish and other performance opportunities, Anderson takes part in the National Thespian Society and volunteers for all the events, like waiting tables for the First Year Cabaret evening.
Thinking about his experience of working with Francis Lees on increasing his vocal range before adding to his song book repertoire, Anderson offers this advice to younger classmates, “ Don’t worry if there’s a specific concentration you might fall behind on. Don’t let that stop you from continuing what you’re passionate about.”
Though Anderson chose to concentrate in Musical Theater in order to hone his acting skills, his goal after college is to be a prop and set designer. Next year he will study at the University of Buffalo with plans to major in Musical Theater and minor in fine arts. He’s hopeful his first job after college will be designing props and sets for movies and shows. “I’d like to build scenes and worlds for shows before acting in them.”
Whether onstage or backstage, we know that Anderson will shine! Keep scrolling to see photos.
