Spotlight On… Mariana Leone, MacGuffin Actress

Mariana Leone is an actress at MacGuffin Theatre & Film Company. She has also been a member of The Singin’ Bohemians Cabaret Troupe for 2 years. At MacGuffin she has appeared in Guys and Dolls, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Dodger, The Sound of Music, Romeo and Juliet, Pippin, A Chorus Line, The Music Man, The Cruel Sister, and The Tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge.

MacGuffin Questionnaire for Mariana Leone

What is your favorite word? My favorite word is probably “pink.” I used to LOVE the color pink, so I still say the consonants in a really over exaggerated, pungent way, like I did when I was little.
What is your least favorite word? “Whatever.” It frustrates me when people aren’t invested about anything. I hate the attitude attached to “whatever.” Passion is interesting, “whatever” makes you seem self-involved.
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? A good message/something important to say. The best shows/songs/texts/paintings etc. have something big to say. That’s one of the reasons I like the arts.
What turns you off? Again, it’s the “whatever” attitude. People who don’t care about anything bigger than themselves.
What sound or noise do you love? I love the sound papers make when you flip through them. I don’t know why, but it’s kind of soft and also sharp, crisp and definite.
What sound or noise do you hate? I hate silence! I like to hear the murmur of other things in the background. That’s why I almost always listen to music when I’m at home. It’s pretty silent in my neighborhood so I like to have something playing.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I love clothes so much. I would love to try something in fashion. I think fashion is such a cool thing we’ve invented to present ourselves. I also love houses and interior design. So I guess a profession that has to do with styling and design. I love putting things together and making them work.
What profession would you not like to do? As much as I admire them, I’ve always said I’d hate to be a doctor, because it’s so scary to hold lives in your hand. Also the sick people and the blood aren’t my thing!
Who are your personal heroes? I really respect and admire my mother. I think she’s such a cool person. She always showed me that you’re allowed to fight to do the things you want to do, even if she spends a lot of her time helping me.
What is your favorite food and drink? Food: ICE CREAM! Drink: probably hot chocolate. I still get hot chocolate at coffee shops, and people look at me weird, like I’m too old to order hot chocolate.
What is your favorite color and flower? My favorite colors are poppy red, light blue, grey and lilac. There’s a million other colors I like, that are coming to mind now! Colors are just awesome. I like them all. My favorite flower is a peony. They’re my mom’s favorite flower and for some reason they always stick in my head.
What are your favorite names? I love the names Luca, Henry, Finn, Nora and Gray. While I really like my name, it’s so long and formal and there’s no great nicknames, so I always like shorter names better.
What is your idea of happiness? That feeling just after you accomplish something, even if its a tiny goal. I always start instantly planning for the next thing, and I feel like my plans have no limits.
What famous quote resonates with you? Well, I looked up famous quotes to respond to this question and the one that stuck out to me was “our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter ” – MLK. I really like that. I also really like to read quotes by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Emma Watson, but I can’t think of one quote in particular.
If you could come back as any person in history, who would you be? I’d be Marilyn Monroe, because if I was her she would have stayed around longer. She’s one of those “if only they had more time” people that I think is awesome. She always had something to say! I love that!
Name a recent theater piece or film that moved you. I know I’m not the first to say it, but Hamilton. Not only is the story great and music is so moving, but I love the idea of retelling the story that should bring people together, but excludes so many parts of what makes America important, and re-creating it to include those things (like minority actors and the women’s side of the story).
Name something that you learned at MacGuffin. I say this almost every time I’m asked this question, but I learned that acting has to be real. Until then, I didn’t understand theatre as a medium for moving people emotionally. I had previously thought of theatre just as entertainment and fun. I realized after that, that theatre is best when it makes you feel something, not when it lets you sit passively and watch.