Hello, my name is Melea, and I am a grade twelve student at École Charles Best Secondary School in British Columbia, Canada.
Stage Management
This year is my second year as Stage Manager at Charles Best, meaning I am the student in charge of just about everything relating to the school theatre.
I found Stagecraft, also known as Technical Theatre, in my grade nine year. I started as a volunteer and quickly found that it was an environment that would allow me to grow and reach my full potential. I learnt to use my voice and speak up in Stagecraft, and today I truly believe that I have found my passion.
[Concept and Prototyping for Set Design for the 2023 Fall One Act Festival]
I became an official Stage Manager in my grade eleven year alongside two grade twelve students, an unconventional scenario, as there is typically one Stage Manager and one Assistant Stage Manager.
[Following script to fill in for a missing actor during rehearsals for the 2024 Spring Production of A Midsummer Nights Dream]
I am a part of the Butterfly Effect program to continue to be a Stage Manager at my school, to continue to give back to the community I found, that helped me find my voice and my confidence. Community to me is a group of people who can work towards a goal that brings joy or sparks conversations that need to be had. The role I’ve found in my community is one of leadership, and I am deeply grateful to be trusted with all that is given to me to manage.
Outside of my role as a Stage Manager, what can I tell you about myself?
Not a lot of my time can be described as “relaxing”, my personal life and academic life don’t leave a whole lot of room for free time, however I enjoy many creative activities, such as fine arts, sewing, photography, music, literary studies, analyzing films and media, as well as the occasional poetry or story writing. Here are a few examples of my visually artistic works:
I like to say there’s art in my blood, both sides of my family, especially the women in my family, have passed down their interests in arts to me. This has translated to my bookishness as a child, the constant urge to create and the creatively analytical mind I cannot seem to turn off.
Now how about an interesting fact about me?
I currently have five legal names. The origin of my first name, Melea, like the name of my younger brother, is a translation of the names of family members into Hawaiian, the location my parents got married. My two middle names changed meaning from “light of the firefly” to something along the lines of “the sound of breeze through tall grasses” when we took a trip to see family in Malaysia five years ago. Chronologically, the newest of my names to me is the first of my last names. My mothers maiden name – Chew– was added to mine and my brothers’ names when my parents split up, so that legal business and travels would be less complicated.
I have now made it a life goal to collect as many names as I can. I plan on an additional first name or first name change when I find one that suits me well as well as adding my spouses last name should I ever get married, bringing the possible count up to seven names.
Thanks for sticking through to the end and good luck on your future projects, looking forward to seeing what you all come up with!
Melea Chew Roberts