A performer with a lead role in life

February 5, 2012 at 12:00 pm02 (Meet the Blogporters)

A performer with a lead role in life

By: Melissa Nieves Rivera

February 1, 2012

            Most people assume that for someone who does theater it has to be an open, loud person, but there is always an exception to the rule. When Emmanuel Colon first entered in the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) he was extremely shy. It was not until he joined the theater group Teatrum five years ago, that he began to socialize more with fellow members and classmates. “I was very shy except in theater.”- he explained me during class. Without knowing him you could think he is really timid and never imagine that he is an actor. After his audition, Teatrum gave him the role of the man in Act Without Words I. Since then he has learned from other members in the group and some directors.

Taken in his home, Emmanuel poses for an auditioning photograph. When it comes to theater nothing bothers him as we can see such serenity in his face.

The original plan was to do his major in Linguistics here in UPRM and study theater later in UPR-Rio Piedras Campus. Nevertheless once he was accepted in Teatrum, he fell in love with the group and decided to stay. Teatrum seemed like a second home to Emmanuel; a place where he made new friends who shared his passion: the joy to perform with a live audience. Until today he has been performing with the group in any kind of theater. In addition he has a certificate in film and now he is coursing his last semester.

Playing “El joven” in "Chorro de Sangre" was Emmanuel’s first real experience in theater. For the first time he truly experiences doing what he loves.

Even though his true passion is acting, Emmanuel has other interests such as photography and learning foreign languages. “I’m the kind of person that takes a picture of anything.” More than that he enjoys capturing daily moments that people think are insignificant. Three years ago he began with this hobby and it has become a new passion. Recently he has done some work with Myrna Renaud in a recent piece called La casa que soy.

Some of Emmanuel’s work as a beginner in the field of photography. The picture shows that curiosity and need that he has of capturing everything in an image.

As we kept chatting he mentioned how difficult his life was sometimes. Belonging to mid-class has its perks. Due to some economic difficulties he has had the chance to learn to cherish what he already have and earn what he wants; a quality that few persons have.

However there hasn’t been a difficult moment that has stopped Emmanuel from learning academic and personal matters. As mentioned before he also has a strong interest for foreign languages. Currently he is learning French and hoping to learn Russian although is very difficult. Learning new languages, especially from European countries, is an excellent choice for someone who is planning to continue his studies in Europe. Some will think it may be difficult but every once in a while people have the right to be dreamers. As a friend of him, Fran Casillas, said “Don’t go looking for a change, make it happen.” and Emmanuel certainly can.