PAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, JULY 14, 2017
FIFTEEN,
continued from Page A1
ROMEO,
continued from Page A1
For Marissa, the steps were
less formal, but possibly more
resonant.
One of her duties leading
up to a church service marking
the day was to ask some of the
most important adults in her
life to become her godparents,
adding to the ones she was as-
signed during baptism into the
Catholic Church.
“I was so nervous. I started
with my grandma and I was
still nervous,” Marissa said.
“During the process you get to
know how much people think
of you and which people are
going to be there for you.”
She also had to choose
friends and relatives to serve
formal roles as damas (ladies)
and chambelanes (escorts),
who perform a choreographed
dance for those in attendance.
“We had a dance instructor
and we started rehearsing in
April, twice a week,” Marissa
said.
Teresa said it all seemed to
come to a head the day of the
event.
“I texted my friends who
have been my support all year
that I was crying as (Marissa)
got her hair and make-up
done. Then, that night, every
time I looked, she was out
on the dance fl oor. Usually at
weddings and quinceañeras she
just sat and talked. You could
see the transformation.”
During the reception, Ma-
rissa danced with her father,
Jose, and was given two special
gifts by her sisters. The young-
est, Sophie, presented Marissa
with her last doll. The old-
est, Crystal, pinned a tiara in
her hair. The gifts represent
Additional shows are July
20-22.
The annual Shakespeare in
the Park event is free. How-
ever, donations are welcome.
Baker wanted to go young
with casting the show's two
leads. Spence Logan, a 2017
graduate of West Salem High
School, is playing Romeo,
while Natalie Doerfl er, an in-
coming junior at Western Or-
egon University, is portraying
Juliet.
Both are new to Keizer
Homegrown but have been
acting for years.
Logan, who has received
a theatre scholarship to Long
Island University in New
York, started when he was
just 7 years old.
“Everyone here is so great,”
Logan said. “They're all work-
ing so, so hard and I think it's
going to be a great produc-
tion.”
Romeo and Juliet is Logan's
second Shakespeare show af-
ter performing in A Midsum-
mer Night's Dream at West Sa-
lem.
Playing an emotional Ro-
meo has been a challenge.
“He is so complicated be-
cause he switches between
emotional states so frequent-
ly,” Logan said. “At the very
beginning he's depressed and
down in the dumps. He sees
Juliet and all of the sudden
he's the happiest he's ever
been. Then he gets banished
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
A few of the toys collected by Marissa Maciel during the cel-
ebration of her quinceañera. The haul was donated to Simonka
Place on River Road.
the passage from childhood to
womanhood.
The mass and reception also
included other elements repre-
senting Teresa and Jose’s home
country, Mexico. One of her
godmothers purchased a cus-
tom bouquet while on a trip in
Mexico that matched Marissa’s
dress, a Bible and rosary given
to her during church services
also came from Mexico.
While the reception repre-
sents something like a coming-
of-age party, the church service
is equally important. Earlier in
the day, Marissa renewed her
baptismal vows and another
bouquet was offered to Our
Lady of Guadalupe, the Mexi-
can title given to the Virgin
Mary, to watch over her. Ma-
rissa was also given a necklace
and a ring by her grandparents
and a bracelet from her origi-
nal godparents.
Jeanine Knight, the direc-
tor of womens ministries for
Union Gospel Mission that
oversees Simonka Place, said
the donation for the kids at Si-
monka Place was unique.
“They will be held and
given as birthday presents to
children staying with us, or
in some cases if their mothers
are here but the children are
in foster care or with fami-
lies, their mothers can choose
from them,” Knight said. “Her
thoughtfulness is greatly appre-
ciated. She will never know the
joy she brought to these chil-
dren, as just as important, how
thankful the mother was, that
due to the kindness of a young
lady, she was able to give a gift
to her child on their birthday.”
Marissa hopes that her act
of selfl essness regarding gifts,
inspires others to do the same.
“I want other people to start
doing things like this and start
a trend,” she said.
and all of the sudden he's and I hope that it's working
down again. It's a really com- so far.”
The rest of the cast in-
plex character. It's also ac-
former
McNary
companied with some tough cludes
but also the most beautiful drama students Justin Wan-
ner as Tybalt, Jordan Reid as
Shakespeare language ever.”
Natalie, the granddaugh- Mercutio, Nicholas Hikes as
ter of Keizerites Carol and Sampson and Ryver Nakayo-
Martin Doerfl er, is a self-de- shi as Balthazar. Keizer City
Councilor
scribed Shake-
Laura Reid is
speare
nerd.
playing Lady
She's been in
Montague.
three
other
Lyndon Zaitz,
S h a ke s p e a re
publisher of
plays,
taken
the
Keizer-
two classes at
times, is por-
Western Or-
traying apoth-
egon and is a
ecary.
regular attend-
“They are
ee of the Or-
wel-
egon Shake-
— Natalie Doerfl er really
coming peo-
speare Festival
ple,” Doerfl er
in Ashland.
“I really like Shakespeare said of the cast. “I was ner-
but I'm still nervous to play vous the fi rst day because I
Juliet just because I think only knew Linda going in. I
people go into classic shows didn't know anyone. Getting
like Romeo and Juliet with pre- to know everyone, not only
conceived misconceptions,” by how they act but how they
Doerfl er said. “I want to try are as people is really an in-
to break those down and well teresting experience and I've
as provide a good show to the really enjoyed it and making
audience. I'm going to try to a new group of family mem-
do multiple things on stage bers.”
“I really like
Shakespeare
but I’m still
nervous to
play Juliet.”
Puppet
show at
library
The Keizer Community
Library will present a free
puppet show, “Dogs to the
Rescue,” at 6 p.m. Wednesday,
July 19, at the Keizer Heritage
Center upstairs event room.
Described as “a hairy tail
about climate,” the puppet
show “empowers families and
communities to make healthy
choices,” according to Dogs to
the Rescue – Oregon, which
is co-sponsoring the event
with CascadiaNow.
Additional information is
available at www.climate911.
org/dogs-to-the-rescue.
crossword
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