On a whim, New World School of the Arts senior Remi Mark auditioned for the role of Morticia, the matriarch of the Addams Family. She was a sophomore and wasn’t going to audition for the role, thinking it might be beyond her abilities at the time.
She was surprised she won the role and she had a wonderful time playing the part. It was her first real lead. She wasn’t sure if she could do the part justice and worried she might not hold up under the pressure of the role.
“I didn’t know if I had the chops for it,” she says.
It turns out she did. And that was a turning point for her.
“That was when I realized I could do this seriously,” she says.
Broadway is the dream but she says that as long as she is able to do theater and support herself, she will be happy, even if she’s performing off-Broadway.
“As long as I can say, that’s my job, that’s my goal in life,” she says.
Mark is now in the process of applying to programs as a musical theater major. The first step is to get through the pre-screens, where applicants send videos and wait to hear if they are chosen to audition.
She is sending applications/videos to the University of Michigan, Syracuse, Elon, Penn State, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Central Florida, Florida State, Webster University, Montclair State and the University of Miami. Both of her parents attended UM, so they’d be happy if she attends as a double legacy.
She’s familiar with the audition process because she had to audition to be accepted to the New World School of the Arts. Approximately 300 students audition for the Class of 2020. Only 12 were accepted. They accept more students each year. Her class now has 18 students.
She loves being in such a small program.
“There are lots of one on one opportunities. The teachers really get to know you,” she says.
“We develop really great relationships with the faculty.”
Since entering New World, she’s been in six or so plays.
At school, she’s the president of the Thespian Honor Society. She’s a member of the English Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society, the National Honor Society, the Diversity Club, the Improv Club and she’s the Editor in Chief of the yearbook.
She’s also a terrific playwright.
“I’m into writing plays. That’s a way to keep my love for theater going. I can still do theater and not be on the stage all the time.”
Through her creative writing class, she wrote and submitted a play to the National Young Playwrights Festival in Los Angeles.
“It was open to the whole country,” she says. “Out of the 400 entries, there were 12 winners. My play was chosen to be put on.”
The play was called Blue Tongued Skink. It was about a young couple that get married and she has a miscarriage. They talk about how they are going to move forward with it and what they are going to do next.
“I just started writing. It turned out to be something beautiful,” she says. “I was very happy with it.”
That was the second play she ever wrote. The first one, called Seatbelt, also won and was performed at the New World School of the Arts Playwright Festival.
Mark spends summers working with children as a volunteer at a variety of summer camps.
She’s also a part of Miami Children’s Theater. She volunteers to help with the junior shows whenever possible.
