Once upon a time, or six and a half years ago…Alex Rozenberg walked through the doors at Marquee Theatrical Productions and we couldn’t be more proud to be part of his development into the amazing performer he is today. As Alex completes his final year as a Marquee student and prepares for the next chapter in his education journey at Weston University‘s Music Faculty, we asked him to share some of his favourite memories and plans for the future with us.

What has been your favourite role or theatre memory at Marquee?

My favourite memory at Marquee was the closing night of The Sound of Music Jr. I was 13 at the time, playing the role of Captain Georg von Trapp. That night was the culmination of half a year of work with a lively, friendly, and energetic cast. We had just bowed for the final time, and the curtains didn’t even get a chance to completely close when all 32 of us erupted in a storm of emotion. We all simultaneously screamed in euphoria, bawled uncontrollably, and I am surprised none of us got squished to death in an aggressive hug. The audience must have thought we were insane, but we did not care. It was a gleaming moment of a bunch of children’s pure, unbridled joy. We were ecstatic because we managed to make something out of nothing, not to mention that “something” turned out to be absolutely awesome. It was one of my most accomplished moments in early teenage-hood.

What arts program are you/will you be attending at school?

I will be attending a Bachelor of Music Program with a focus on Music Education. My primary instrument is the saxophone, but I may go into vocal music, chamber music, and who knows, maybe even musical theatre. The awesome thing about the arts is that any learned performance skill is transferable. The diligence of practice I learned acting at Marquee will serve me well while grinding instrumental repertoire. Meanwhile, singing and dancing have gone a long way in improving my ability to engage an audience, be it a live crowd or a class of hard-to-entertain music students.

Why did you decide to study music at school?

I want to stay on the path of performance because the arts have the unique ability to bring people together. The emotional high I experience after every Marquee show or concert is unrivalled and addicting. Seeing countless hours of teaching, rehearsing, and polishing culminate into a single, tight piece of art is magical. It is much more than managing to hit all the tough harmonies and nailing the intense choreography; it is seeing the character development (both in show and in real life) of my cast-mates, seeing them grow as performers and mature as people that makes the months of effort worth it. I never want to leave that feeling of achievement behind.

Do you have an end goal after school? Basically what do you want to do after you have all this training?

Career wise, my goal is to become a music teacher. Most likely at a high school, teaching teens to be better performers and hopefully, kinder humans. My ultimate goal however, is to create something beautiful. Especially over the past four years, I have had the honour and pleasure to work with countless amazing artists, be them directors, conductors, or musicians. They are not only masters of their craft but are also caring and passionate people. Just like they did for me, I want to light the spark in the young minds of future generations, inspiring them to explore, grow, and enjoy the beauty that life has to offer. Art is a wonderful thing, and I want everyone to know that.

We at Marquee feel blessed to have been part of his arts education journey and can’t wait to see what the future holds for Alex Rozenberg! Bravo!