Elizabeth (center) onstage in The Blue House. Photo by Jody Moore.

Student worker Elizabeth Beltran has been a great performer this year at North Shore Bank — and onstage as well, playing the lead role in Cristo Rey Jesuit High School’s production of The Blue House last month.

As part of Cristo Rey’s work-study program, Elizabeth, a freshman, comes in once a week to help out in the Business Banking department.

Jody and Elizabeth after the show. “I was amazed by how confident she was in the lead role,” Jody says. “She fell into character so well and held the audience emotionally captive. The audience responded with laughter and some tears at just the right moments, which is a compliment to her performance, as well as to the rest of the cast.”

“We are so grateful to have her — she’s bright, kind, and such a joy to be around,” says lending sales specialist Jody Moore, who attended one of the two performances of the play. “It’s not easy for a 14-year-old to step into a corporate situation, but Elizabeth is becoming more comfortable with us and has already proven herself to be a valuable member of the team. She’s eager to help wherever needed.”

Written by award-winning playwright José Cruz González and directed for Cristo Rey by theater teacher Abigail Seefeld, The Blue House is about an immigrant girl who has just moved to Chicago with her family. She has strange dreams and then mysterious things start happening in real life as she gets to know her new neighborhood. Elizabeth played the role of Maricela, the girl. She spoke to Shorelines about her dramatic leanings.

What kind of theater or performing experience have you had before this?
In eighth grade, I had the role of Mama Ogre, Shrek’s mom, in Shrek the Musical Jr. I performed a song with Papa Ogre at the start, when Shrek is turning 7 and is sent away by his parents to hide from society. I also had several background roles in other scenes.

What was your audition for The Blue House like?
I signed up with a friend I went to middle school with, who was also in the cast of Shrek Jr. as Peter Pan. When I walked into the theater, I felt relieved when I saw my cohort teacher from summer school, Mrs. Dreger, with the school’s theater teacher, who was the director. Seeing her made me more comfortable with being expressive, and I think that definitely made my audition better. I was handed a script and was able to step outside to prepare for a few minutes before reading it through with the teachers. I read Maricela’s lines, and Mrs. Dreger read the lines for Maricela’s mother. The whole process took six to eight minutes.

How did it feel to land the lead?
I felt a lot of responsibility to keep up with the role, so as to not disappoint the rest of the cast. I was especially worried because we had rehearsals each week on Thursdays, which I could not attend because I am a part of Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Sinfonia, which I have a commitment to on Thursdays as well. We had a total of three rehearsals per week, so I was feeling unsure about whether I could successfully play the role of Maricela while missing a third of our practice time. Despite that, I was happy to have such a supportive team working on this production. Working with them was a joy, and I got to make many new friends along the way.

Elizabeth and other cast members performing. Photo by Jody Moore.

What was the most challenging part of this show for you? What about your favorite part?
The most challenging part was when I got sick during our first tech week rehearsal. [Note: Tech week is the week leading up to opening night of a play, when lights, sound, and all of the other technical elements are incorporated into rehearsal.] It was the Sunday before the show, and rehearsal was from 12 to 8 p.m. I had woken up with a headache, and I struggled to get ready for the long day ahead of me. I finally got to school, and I was just feeling worse and worse as the day went on. When I got home that day, I realized I was getting sick, but I didn’t know how bad it would get. The next day, I was almost late to school and couldn’t stay focused on my work. I had P.E. in the gym during my second period. I asked my gym teacher if I could stay behind and he let me rest. When class was over, he noticed how bad I looked and sent me to the nurse. The nurses saw I had a fever, and I was sent home. As I went to go get my things, I started panicking, since I would be missing rehearsal when I had to perform in two days.

My fever was gone after two days, but my voice was too. When I was performing, I just had to keep it together while doing the shouting scenes. After each performance, my voice would be hoarse, but getting to perform was also my favorite part. I have a funny interaction with another character in one of the scenes, and getting to make people in the audience laugh or getting them to cry when Maricela lashes out at her mother makes it all worth it. It feels rewarding to know that people enjoyed my performance and left with a new perspective.

What are your theatrical plans for the future?
On Monday, I will be auditioning for my school’s spring production, which will be High School Musical. The director of The Blue House also wants me to participate in a competition next August to win a scholarship or a trip to an acting camp in Miami, which is the top prize. I plan to continue acting, and I would be happy to make a career out of this. But whatever happens, I will continue to put effort into these shows and make memories.