Full Name:
Arthur Bryan Marroquin
Major/Year:
Theatre and Dance – Acting, Sophomore
Favorite class in Theatre & Dance and why:
I would have to say my favorite Theatre & Dance class is Acting III with Fran Dorn. That class has really taught me to trust my impulses as an actor and really think about my obstacles, circumstances, actions, and how to let things resonate and affect me while I'm on stage. With this class I have learned I will make many mistakes as an actor, but I will be able to fix them with the rehearsal process which this class focuses on. I have grown with this class in a way that is almost indescribable. We studied Chekov's Three Sisters for an entire semester which had me worried at first as I would be portraying the same character all semester, but I and everyone else in the class truly grows and discovers something new about themselves, the text, and the characters each time we rehearse.
Favorite thing about Austin:
My favorite thing about Austin would have to be the love that Austin provides for the arts. There are so many opportunities within the city that I haven't even discovered! Austin happens to have so many performers. There are many theatre companies that have shows going on. The Longhorn Performing Arts Center, The Paramount Theatre, and Texas Performing Arts on Campus always have performers, and shows coming in and out and as a student, tickets can be very affordable. Also there are many auditions for plays, films, and one can apply to an agency if looking for representation. The possibilities are endless as Austin provides so much for the arts.
Favorite place to study:
My favorite place to study is wherever my two best friends are. Whether we get much done or not wherever they are — I AM! We have found many places on campus that we have made our study environment. As long as the place is comfortable and we sit down and bring our laptops out and start studying, but then at the snap of a finger we can get really concentrated and just focus on whatever we need to do.
Brief biography (including projects, awards, accomplishments):
I was born in the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas, and grew up in Weslaco, Texas. I had always been involved with performing, but figured out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life in middle school. I decided I would act for the rest of my life, and since that day in 7th grade I have not changed my mind. I found a very creative outlet which was the Tower Theatre of Weslaco, a community theatre that practically became my second home. While involved in community theatre and my school's productions I was able to be a part of such wonderful productions as Gypsy, Aesop's Falables, Plaza Suite, Tom Jones, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, High School Musical, A Midsummer's Night Dream, Little Shop of Horrors, Grease, and Over the River and Through the Woods. I was very involved through high school, but always held Theatre at the top right after academia. I chose the University of Texas at Austin, because of all the knowledge, creativity, and endless possibilities that I saw were waiting for me at the department. My time here at the University has helped me grow so much from where I began and I still have 2 more years to go, so I'm excited to see where my future lies within the department. I have also learned that I am possible of more than just being an actor, but directing and playwriting. I have been involved in productions with The Phoenix Theatre Company, and have been in Jelisa Robinson's show Chocolate Vanilla Swirl, and just recently took part in a student film.
Current projects/research/interests:
I just finished helping in a student film for an undergraduate RTF (radio, television, film) class, and am now working on two scripts that are very important to me as they each send out a different message. One piece that I am working on right now is Rosalia, a play titled after my Mother. The play is about her life way before I was born when she grew up in Mexico and married at the young age of 19 and found herself in America in a life that resulted in pain, but through pain comes perseverance. It is also about women overcoming obstacles and living lives for themselves but still loving those that they care about with all their hearts. Rosalia is currently on its way to a staged reading the week of the UT Co-op New Works Festival. The other piece that I am writing is a play written that strays from your typical play format titled Underneath, a play of the life of the infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy. I started writing this project in my Playwriting I class, and hope to have it produced in the Lab theatre once it is completed.
