By Isabel Tabs ’17
Clear the hallways, lay out the red carpet and make way for freshman Ava DeMary, West Essex’s own Broadway star. Whether she’s diligently making up endless piles of homework or spending an afternoon in New York City for an audition, DeMary constantly works to her potential as an actress, while trying to be “one of us.” She clearly gets the best of both worlds.
After an audition for her local playhouse’s “Sound of Music,” which her dance teacher kindly forced her into, DeMary traded her private concerts in the car with a real stage and soon with one of the world’s biggest tourist attractions.
DeMary’s broadway debut was at age seven in “Billy Elliot,” playing the roles of ballet girls Julie Hope and Allison Sommers. Although they were minor roles, DeMary confesses, “I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was shocked when I found out that I had even made it.” Ever since, DeMary has held a tight bond with the stage which has expanded her acting career and her resume.
Due to her success with “Billy Elliot,” DeMary wanted to continue grasping for more audition opportunities. Her next shows were “Evita” and, most recently, “Matilda” which she says is her favorite show she has done. She played many roles, however most familiar to us would be Alice and Lavender, which is quite the an accomplishment and a fret if you’ve seen the way Miss Trunchbull treats those children.
Senior Alexa DeMary, Ava’s sister, says the sky’s the limit for what Ava can achieve. “I admire my sister for all that she has accomplished at such a young age,” Alexa said. “I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for her.”
DeMary says that her time in the spotlight hasn’t been easy, though; her social life shifted dramatically when she was on Matilda because she started to be homeschooled.
“I kept getting pulled out of school and with practices during the school week with about eight shows a week, homeschooling was the only option,” DeMary said. Throughout 7th and 8th grade, DeMary’s life was like a broken record player. She would religiously practice her lines, going to a series of dancing, singing and acting rehearsals, doing safety checks and at the end of the day, reflecting on what she learned and give her reflection to the choreographer the next time they meet.
However, now DeMary is back into the reality of an average teenager going to school. “I was so nervous to come back to school because I didn’t know a quarter of my grade since I never went to middle school,” DeMary said. She still gets pulled out of class frequently for auditions and works hard to maintain her grades.
DeMarys most recent audition was for a Nickelodeon television show. For the first two weeks of May, agents flew her out to Los Angeles for callbacks hoping to be casted—to no avail.
“Although it’s disappointing not getting a part, there are tons of opportunities for me,” DeMary said. She continues to go work with her acting coach, as she hopes to one day have her own TV series and star in more broadway shows.
Ava certainly brings some diversity to the community. How many people can say they sit next to a broadway star in math class?
