Young Creative: Bella Boccasino

Introducing this week's Young Creative: Bella Boccasino, the 14-year-old Everland fan living in Manhattan. Each day she gets up at 5am to make props, scenery, costumes and lighting designs at LaGuardia HS technical theatre! Read on for Bella's inspiration story of pursuing her passion at such a young age, and her life in Broadway...

How long have you been training in technical theater and why did you start?

In 2007, I went backstage to see Wicked on Broadway. I saw the way they put on the green makeup on Elphaba, the way the set was made, the shining ellipsoidal, and I was just dazzled. It was the turning point of my outlook towards my career.

So it all started at the age of 8, and now I have used that inspiration into making off-broadway level shows happen at LaGuardia.

What have been some of your highlights so far?

I've been working on many shows, musicals, and concerts in the course of just one year. I have worked on 6 main shows and multiple musicals.

During these shows, I have learned how to collaborate with many different artists across their fields, and have been open to what their life as a dancer, actor, singer may be like.

During Rising Stars, I have worked with a dancer, Alexa Annese, who taught me that when you perform on stage you have to make the audience calm, allowing them to enter your mind and heart. This happens by owning the stage.

It makes me more comfortable to know that whether on stage or off stage, we as artists can relate. Off stage and on stage, artists coincide, and one cannot survive without the other.

What drives and inspires you in technical theater?

Technical Theatre is the thing that makes me get up at 5 in the morning and get home at 6 at night. It's just so worth it. You know the saying, "If you can't stop thinking about something, then you've found your passion"? That's exactly how I feel about tech.

It's an escape from reality, making me not worry about what's bringing me down in life. It keeps me focused on what I'm doing, and there’s ALWAYS things to do at the theatre.

In your personal opinion, how hard is it for young artists to get their work out / get recognized these days?

It's extremely hard to get recognized! I go to school with thousands of kids that are extremely talented in fields like dance, vocal, drama, instrumental, and art, and only a handful of them get into museums and appear on TV and other networks. That is just 4,000 kids that are in my school. There is competition throughout the world, but you can’t give up.

What are your future goals, how do you see yourself taking your art and designs further?

In the future, I hope to become a technical director or work at Lincoln Centre, preferably in the Metropolitan Opera House. I would also love to be an engineer or a design build manager for a store, just like Todd Quarles who is currently the design build manager for Urban Outfitters.

Thanks for this wonderful opportunity to express myself and my work!

-Isabella Boccasino

All photo credit goes to LaGuardia HS

Written by Natalie Lane