Curled fingers, a white knuckle grip, and a damp palm, Luna Maciel (11) performs her monologue on the Ayala stage. Theater is one of the extracurriculars Maciel is most passionate and active in, and it shows through her personality. Maciel is actively engaged in Ayala’s Visual Performing Arts (VPA) through many extracurriculars, including Advanced Dance, being the United Chair Council (UCC) Representative for Ayala Stagecraft Club, being one of the Theater Representatives for Performers of Ayala Club, and taking Performance and Production.
Maciel has starred in Ensemble for Ayala Theatre Company’s (ATC) Production “Six the Musical,” and is in the cast for ATC’s production of “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon (TBGS) Play.” Subsequently, Maciel is definitely ensuring a legacy here at Ayala that will not go over one’s head; instead, she has them look up, mouth agape with a roaring standing ovation.
“I love being on stage and I love the feeling of getting to embody a character and make them my own,” Maciel said. “For dance, it’s the same, I love doing something special with whatever number I’m in.”
Despite the pressures of balancing school work and maintaining discipline, Maciel adheres to the mindset of “if you sign up for something, commit to it.” This philosophy has helped her warp her into the person she is today and can help others realize that they should be pursuing something they love, and when doing so, discipline is the main factor to illustrate such a passion and creativity.
“[Luna] always puts in her best effort and attitude when working in the arts,” Advanced Dance student and one of Maciel’s friends, Kai Hurd (11) said. “Her passion is truly unmatched.”
Maciel also believes that it is essential to stay involved to ease external factors such as anxiety and enhance the opportunities in fostering camaraderie. She uses dance and theatre as outlets to express herself through her choreography and foster her determination in art.
“Luna is bright, cheerful and always knows how to make someone happy,” Technical Crew Director for TBGS Leilani Jun (11) said. “She always pushes to do her best and doesn’t stop until she gets it done.”
As talks of line of work start to speculate, Maciel hopes that Ayala VPA has set a good foundation for her to apply her artistic capacity to pursue her aspiration to be a performing actress on Broadway.
“Put yourself out there,” Maciel said. “Because so many people will prefer the authentic version of yourself rather than the you that isn’t true to the world.”
