That last moment of stillness is unlike anything else. Engulfed by darkness and silence, she takes a deep breath and all she can hear is her exhale. This is her last moment of hiding. Her last moment of uncertainty. In a matter of seconds, the curtains will open and the crowd will erupt as the once insecure and timid young girl presents the new and confident Makena Kelsey. 

It wasn’t that long ago that Senior Makena Kelsey auditioned for her first play with North Penn High School. As a young freshman, Kelsey could only dream of one day becoming the lead in her school play. Little did she know later in her career, that dream would become a reality. 

“I didn’t expect to be the lead in the play at all. I actually thought it was going to go to one of my other close friends. It was like 10 pm when it was released who got what part, and I thought to myself ‘I am just going to open this and whatever happens, happens’,” Kelsey shared. “When I opened it I think I blacked out a little bit. I had to read it about ten times for it to sink in”. 

The moment Kelsey learned that she had gotten the lead in the school play was a moment she never thought she would experience. Especially after coming so close last year, only to be named the understudy. 

“Last year I was in the running for the lead but ended up being the understudy,” Kelsey revealed. “It was hard because I genuinely felt like as the understudy, all that work I was putting in wasn’t being seen and I feared that it wouldn’t transfer over into this year. That is why this year I was really trying to go for it”. 

Last year, North Penn High School put on a very successful show of “Frozen”, which attracted many young viewers from the district’s elementary and middle schools. This year, North Penn hopes to bring the same level of success with their production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. 

“I didn’t know a lot about the ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’. I had only seen the Disney version and it is nothing like the real version,” Kelsey explained. 

For those who don’t know much about the play, it follows a disfigured character named Quasimodo who resides in the Notre Dame Cathedral. Esmerelda, who is a gypsy, happens to stumble upon Quasimodo and is the first person to see him for who he truly is rather than a monster. Kelsey will be playing the role of Esmerelda. 

“The version that we are performing is a lot darker and what Esmerelda has to deal with is very serious. This was something I wasn’t really used to because I typically try to audition for more comedic roles,” Kelsey shared. “However, I told myself that I was up for the challenge, knowing that it was going to be difficult to embody Esmerelda”. 

Not only did Kelsey know a more serious role would be a challenge, but she was also aware that she and Esmerelda have very different personalities. 

“Esmerelda has this firey spark to her, which is kind of the complete opposite of me,” Kelsey said with a chuckle. “It has been a little difficult trying to find Esmerelda within me, so I have been doing a lot of research on the Romani people and all the struggles they had to deal with to try and understand better what was going on and why Esmerelda feels so empowered to right these wrongs”. 

Although it may be challenging to invoke the same level of confidence as Esmerelda, Kelsey knows she is capable because after all, when she is performing, that is when she is her most confident. 

“I think theater helped me to get out of my shell. I dealt with a lot of confidence issues growing up throughout elementary and middle school, and during quarantine, it got really bad,” Kelsey explained. “But theater has always been something I have felt a connection to and it is a little light that I could always turn to. It is like a release for me and I genuinely look forward to going to rehearsal every day”.  

Theater has been a part of Kelsey’s life from the moment she was born. Kelsey’s parents both grew up enthralled by the arts and have even dedicated their lives to it, opening their own performing arts studio in North Wales, Creative Edge. Growing up around theater has helped Kelsey to learn and understand the ways of the industry early on. 

“It was an early wake-up call for me when I was younger and my friends would get parts over me and I had to struggle a little bit with the understanding that getting parts has nothing to do with who your parents are and it truly is based on talent,” Kelsey shared.

“Dealing with that and going through periods of continuously not getting roles, I eventually had to understand that it was because I was not coming to auditions prepared enough. That taught me that if I really want something I have to put in a lot of effort to try and get what I want, and even after that sometimes you still don’t get the part you want”. 

While Kelsey learned the importance of putting in effort, she also learned the importance of avoiding entitlement. 

“I feel like being in that environment and understanding all these parts of the industry has helped me grow up to be a more understanding actress rather than believing that I deserve that part because of whatever factor,” Kelsey explained. “The more understanding you are and the more you realize anyone could be where you are right now, have this part and that it has nothing to do with you, the more you understand it is all about what the directors want. I have no control over who gets what part. I just have to focus on myself and what I can bring to the table”.   

This mindset has also been particularly helpful for Kelsey throughout her college search. 

“I got in academically to a lot of the colleges but I didn’t get in for talent alone, which after a while it does start to hurt a little. I have always been pretty okay when it comes to dealing with rejection, it hasn’t impacted me too much. I won’t lie though when that last college’s results came out, it hit me a little harder,” Kelsey expressed. “At that point, I was a little upset but I am lucky to have a tremendous amount of support from my parents and they reminded me that these prescreens are only a minute and a half for you to showcase your talent and they aren’t even seeing you in person, so it isn’t a true reflection and it shouldn’t affect who you are as a performer. That mindset was super helpful and just having that extra support was great”. 

Although it was difficult to face rejection from some schools, Kelsey is proud to say she has made her college decision and is confident she will be set up for a successful future. 

“I am going to college at AMDA, which is The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. I will be majoring in musical theater which covers acting, singing, and dancing. This school is basically just like an extra training for two years and then it sets me up to go out into the industry and Broadway,” Kelsey explained. “AMDA sets their students up really well and they have a great networking process. Everybody knows everybody and the teachers are typically Broadway actresses and actors, so you are meeting people already in the industry so that when you leave, you have people who already know your name”. 

As Kelsey prepares for her future, she has found it important to not only get involved with North Penn Theater, but with outside organizations as well. 

“I do a lot of outside theater and work with different directors. I think it is super beneficial because I like to hear their advice on what is going to help me become a better actress and I believe that all of that advice has helped push me to get to where I am now,” Kelsey stated. “I have so much more room to grow and am genuinely excited to grow and learn more because it is such a rewarding process”. 

Kelsey has grown tremendously as an actress and as a person over the years, and even just throughout the process of putting together “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. But one thing is for sure, she couldn’t have done it without her cast members. 

“I probably see my theater friends more than I see my own family, which has definitely played a factor in how close we are,” Kelsey revealed. “Everyone in North Penn Theater is just so nice, supportive, and understanding”.  

Although it is important to have continuous support from your cast members, it has been crucial during this particular production.

“The show we are doing is very emotionally draining, especially after doing it for a while. The show doesn’t end on a happy note, and I don’t think it fully hit me until a few days ago when we were doing a run-through and I just started to cry. But I wasn’t the only one who felt the emotions, so we all were able to give each other the same grace,” Kelsey shared. “At the end of the day, the show is really going to take a toll on all of us a little more than any other musical typically would, so it is nice to have people that you know deep down are there for you. Anyone in theater would be a shoulder for someone to cry on if they needed it”. 

Kelsey and everyone else in North Penn theater have put in a tremendous amount of work and Kelsey wants to leave everyone with one piece of advice. 

“Come see ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Kelsey exclaimed. 

If you want to see North Penn Theater’s production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” you can buy your tickets online at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/82532. The play will take place from May 2nd until May 5th, so make sure to purchase your tickets today.