By ANDREW DAVIS, ARMAAN SINGH & SAEED SAFI
Tower News
The lights of Mulvihill Theatre shine bright on Manteca High sophomore Ava Dos Reis, who has been a stage actor since the age of 6.
From the Little Mermaid to a department store manager, Dos Reis has shown her versatility and range, and it’s her experience that makes her a pivotal piece in the visual and performing arts department and the school’s thespian club.
“Ava listens and reacts to whatever is happening on stage around her. You can see her as the character in that situation reacting to the scene around her as if it were happening in real time,” Manteca High theatre teacher Dawn Coyan said. “Apart from her own work ethic on stage, she also gets along well with the other students around her, encouraging them to put everything into their parts as well.”
In total, Dos Reis has starred in seven musicals and countless plays on and off campus, including her latest opening night – a Halloween-themed production put on by the Lodi Musical Company on the weekend of Oct. 22.
“My last play went very well,” Dos Reis said, “and I was very nervous before the play. But that’s a part of the job. Without a little fear, the play won’t be as impactful.”
Her favorite role is also the sweetest – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in 2019. Dos Reis took on the role of Violet Beauregarde, who famously balloons into a blueberry. She’s also played the role of a manager at H&M in the “Totally Planned Robbery,” and recently took part in the ensemble cast for Manteca High’s “The Day the Internet Died.” She also sings in the choir.
Dos Reis will participate in “The Canterville Ghost” on Dec. 8-9, a school production. The curtain opens at 6:30 p.m. The cost to attend is $5. She’ll play the role of an American wife and mother of a family moving into an old English manor.
“Ava has excellent acting instincts, but she is also thoughtful and coachable,” Coyan said. “She puts herself thoroughly into the world of the play. Those things make for an excellent actor, but also a great person to work with.”
Performing for others hasn’t come easy for Dos Reis.
Her preparation requires more than just memorizing lines. She uses breathing techniques and affirmations to help quell the nerves, soaks in the joy and energy of her classmates, and rehearses until the lines become instinctual.
It brings her joy, she said, to know that others are having as much fun as her.
“In meeting Ava, you already see a confident person who can talk easily with others,” Coyan said. “Her ease around new people and new situations is obvious. These things come from experience on stage.”
