Melissa Meek, Spring 2009 Features Editor
The cheers, applause and thrill of being onstage are just a few things many actresses enjoy, but Javiera Torres knows there is more to it than that.
The “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” actress played Maggie Pollitt, who is part of a wealthy, Southern family and trapped in an unfulfilling marriage with her husband, Brick.
“It was wonderful to play Maggie. I had the opportunity to play a character not like me,” Torres said. “She’s not shy and she uses her hands a lot (to talk).”
Torres, a former Pierce College student who still enrolls in theater classes, heard about the play from another actress while performing in a Spanish show at Luna Playhouse, a multilingual theater in Glendale.
“I thought maybe that would be a good part for me,” Torres said.
She performed a monologue in front of Gene Putnam, director of the play and chair of the theater arts department. She was originally trying out for either the character of Maggie or Mae, Maggie’s sister-in-law, since both were around her age.
“They called me back to read with other actors, and that’s when I read for Maggie,” Torres said. “Two days later, they called me back again for a last-minute audition. There was two of us left at that point and they didn’t know who to cast.”
“The next day, I was called by Gene (Putnam) and he told me, ‘Congratulations, you got the part of Maggie,'” she said. “I was excited.”
Fellow actress Helen Richman, who played Big Mama, said Torres was very responsive onstage.
“I had to cry real tears onstage and I thought she’d cry back at me,” Richman said.
Torres felt the same way about her co-stars.
“In one scene, Helen had to cry. It was really emotional and then I would start crying,” Torres said. “Playing this character was a team effort. You play off another character and create your own. It’s wonderful.”
“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” was Torres’ first play back at Pierce after three years since she left for California State University, Northridge to complete her bachelor’s degree in English.
“I had no time then. I missed doing shows,” she said.
Torres has also appeared in “Robber Bridegroom,” “Cabaret” and played the lead of Maria in “Westside Story.”
“She’s great because for so many shows she’s played minor roles, but she prepared for them and played them well,” Putnam said. “She has great discipline. She puts everything into the role, no matter how small it is.”
Torres said her only experience came from performing in high school and then started at Pierce by performing in a fundraising concert to fund musicals.
“I’m at a crossroad right now,” Torres said. “I don’t know what to do with my future. I love being onstage, but I’ve also thought about teaching. I received my degree because I love writing too. I need to find something neutral.”
Putnam would love to see her continue with her acting.
“I’ve seen her grow over the years as an actress,” he said. “The most important thing is she’s grown and I’ve encouraged her to pursue it further. I’d work with her any time if there was an opportunity to.”
Torres hasn’t ruled out pursuing theater as a career.
“Maybe I’ll go back and get my master’s (degree) in theater,” Torres said.
Torres will be assistant directing with Putnam for No√l Coward’s “Private Lives,” a play about a divorced couple who is found spending their honeymoon with their respective partners at the same resort.
“Private Lives” will begin May 1.
(Yvonne K. Kleiman)