HARLINGEN — She dances across the stage with that familiar spunk and sparkle that have endeared local audiences to Nadia Vento.
Her acting chops have developed over several years as she’s spent several seasons delivering delightful performances. She’s known for portraying such characters as Anna in “Frozen” when she was a fifth grader.
Now Nadia, after a stressful hiatus caused by the COVID lockdown, is once again back onstage.
“I just love seeing the audience at the end of the performance,” said Nadia, now a seventh grader at the Gutierrez Middle School of Arts and Sciences.
“Everyone’s so proud of us, and I just love seeing the smiles and everyone telling us how good we did,” she said.
She and her fellow Thespians at GMS have spent long hours over many weeks preparing to entertain audiences with their performance of “Matilda Jr. the Musical.” She’s looking forward to Saturday’s opening show.
“It’s definitely different from my previous shows which were like Disney,” said Nadia, 12. “This one is not really Disney. It’s more like a Rock and Roll kind of thing, more modern I guess I could say. It’s something I haven’t really touched on a lot.”
More specifically, her characterization of Matilda has presented an exciting new challenge for her. The greater challenge, she said, has just been getting into a very different character than those she’s played in the past.
“I’ve had to play a lot of characters ever since I start doing plays,” she said. “They’re all very sweet and very nice, but Matilda, she has a naughty side to here. She has this unexpected naughtiness, and I think that was a challenge for me because a lot of my characters don’t have that.”
Nadia’s trajectory as a talented young actress goes back over several seasons and ever developing roles leading up to her performance this weekend. Two years ago, a 10-year-old Nadia spoke with a refreshing flare about her role as Anna in “Frozen.”
“What I’ve enjoyed about this character is she’s very goofy and she’s very playful,” she said then. “Even though she’s a princess, she still wants to be free and be who she is.”
Like Anna, Nadia works hard to be “who she is.” Just ask her father, James, who’s seen her grow as a person, a student, actress, and athlete.
He spoke about her dedication to time management to accomplish her goals.
“She’s very hard on herself when it comes to time management,” he said. “She gets very upset when she’s not on schedule.”
Nadia herself talked about keeping up with theater, academics, and yes, even her athletic pursuits as a volleyball player.
“At my school I’m on the volleyball team,” she said. “I’m on the A team and it’s really fun. We do have practices in the morning, and then we have games in the afternoon.”
With pressure intensifying toward opening night for Matilda, she seemed especially vigilant about scheduling.
“Now it’s going to get a little more difficult with tech week going on,” she said. “We’re starting to prepare more for the show. I’m trying to figure out how to do volleyball and do this, but I definitely will get it worked out.”
In her downtime she has Luna, her German shepherd/husky mix. Her parents brought the rescue animal into their lives in April 2020 to help Nadia and her brother Christopher through the stresses of the COVID lockdown.
“I figured, ‘Let’s get a pet so she will get these kids’ minds off COVID’, and she surely has,” James Vento said. “She’s very playful and Nadia plays with her a lot.”
Nadia remembers well the stresses of the lockdown.
“I missed coming here to the PAC and spending my days here,” she said. “I missed being with Mrs. Navarro, I missed being with my friends and acting here.”
Aracely Cavazos Navarro, fine arts specialist, has worked with Nadia for several years.
“Working with Nadia has been a pleasure,” Navarro said. “I have known her since the fourth grade and watching her grow and perfect her craft has been a blessing. She absolutely loves musical theater, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.”
Nadia has many opportunities within her reach. She’s not sure she wants to pursue acting as a profession, but it’s definitely going to be part of her life.
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