Student Profile: Sophia & Natalie Casa '23

LAUREL SISTERS GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY THROUGH LOVE OF THEATER

Natalie and Sophia Casa, both Seniors who joined Laurel in the Fourth Grade, have had a passion for theater for as long as they can remember. Starting their theatrical careers with the Chagrin Valley Little Theater at the ages of 7 for Natalie and 9 for Sophia, the twin sisters have held numerous roles in performances at Laurel and beyond over the last decade. Both Natalie and Sophia starred in “The Hello Girls” in the Spring of 2022 and Sophia played the lead in this year’s Laurel Upper School Fall play, “She Kills Monsters.” Sophia has also been involved in film production, placing 2nd in the 2021 Kids Film It Festival in the animation category for her film "Change (or Your Money Back)." In 2022 her Kids Film It entry, “Starcatcher,” for which she digitally hand-drew the piece and composed and performed all the music, won the Viewer’s Choice Award in the 15-18-year-old category.

(L to R) Natalie Casa '23 and Sophia Casa '23

The twins’ latest feat was a spectacular one-time performance of “A Formal Night Evening,” a musical show that followed parodied versions of Natalie and Sophia as they attempted to find the meaning of the holidays alongside an ensemble of Laurel students and one special celebrity guest. The sisters co-wrote this original show and worked with fellow students on nearly every aspect of the performance, which benefited the Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank, an organization Natalie and Sophia have volunteered at for the last three years. Read on to learn more about the Casa sisters’ passion for theater and their desire to give back to the community through their art.

Q: Where did the idea for “A Formal Night Evening” come from?

A: We watched Steve Martin and Martin Short’s special “An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life” in April 2022, and began joking about writing our own show. Soon after, our ideas became more and more realized until we had a pitch for a full show. Since both of us have written scripts and participated in so much theater, we felt as though it would be an interesting thing to do to flex our creative muscles!

Q: How did the script come together?

A: We came up with a detailed summary while taking long walks together. We pitched the show to Laurel and it was approved in May. Last summer we got to work, inspired by the musicals, comedy shows, and variety specials we grew up watching, and developed our own original holiday musical comedy show. We wrote the script together, and Sophia wrote the music, while I (Natalie) wrote the majority of the lyrics. We also starred in the play as satirized versions of ourselves who keep missing when trying to come up with the meaning of the holidays.

Q: Who else is involved in the production?

A: We announced the show to the school with a short trailer and speech during Chapel time. From there, we allowed people to sign up for either Promotional Crew (creating our social media posts & helping to promote the show), Run Crew (helping out backstage, tech, hair and makeup, costumes, etc.) or to act in the play. We had many more people sign up than we were expecting, which was a very happy surprise! From there, we had auditions for “The Children of the Holiday” (the name of our ensemble) and the role of the announcer.

My first experience with performing arts at Laurel was Ms. Offutt’s drama class in Fifth Grade. She was an amazing teacher who really helped me come out of my shell and become a better actress. Furthermore, I feel that last year’s musical ‘The Hello Girls’ was what really got me back into theater after it had been canceled due to COVID. Mr. Cruse is a stellar director who helped me gain confidence and lean into comedy on stage. Finally, Mr. McDaniel is one of my favorite teachers ever, because he always encouraged me to go for something even when I wasn’t sure. I would like to really thank Andrew Cruse, Joel McDaniel, and Leighann DeLorenzo for supporting this project so much! —Natalie Casa

Q: Was “A Formal Night Evening” a solely student-run endeavor?

A: “A Formal Night Evening” was primarily student-driven but we did have a little guidance and support. We wrote the entire show ourselves, and we had three student stage managers who assisted with all the logistics. All of the cast and crew were students. That said, Andrew Cruse, Laurel’s Director of College Guidance (and actor), directed the show and Joel McDaniel, Upper School Music Teacher, helped with all of our technical needs and music. Leighann DeLorenzo, Interim Director of Upper School who was previously involved in performing arts for Laurel, was also so helpful with providing us feedback.

Q: I understand you chose The Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank to support via proceeds from the show. Tell us about that.

A: We knew we wanted to support a local charity, and we have both volunteered at the Kid’s Book Bank in the past. The people who run the Kid’s Book Bank are so kind and welcoming, and we felt that it was the perfect choice. Furthermore, we both know how valuable books can be in a child’s life, and so we felt that this was the right charity to choose. All funds raised from the show went to directly support the Book Bank and it felt really good to give back, especially during the holiday season.

Ms. DeLorenzo has really made an impact on me. She was the person behind the Shakespeare Rocks camp, which gave me the confidence to eventually step out on stage and use my voice. Similarly, throughout the years all of my directors— Leighann DeLorenzo, Andrew Cruse, Lara Mielcarek, and Micheal Glavan (the last two were external directors of Laurel productions)—have helped me grow and learn to become not only a better actor but creator as well. Mr. Cruse deserves a special shout out for hearing about this idea and saying ‘ok but what if it WAS real?’ which really was the big push for us to finally create this wonderful thing. —Sophia Casa

Q: What is next for you both?

A: I (Natalie) plan on majoring in television/film production and Sophia plans to double major in journalism and film next year. We definitely have plans to write more scripts and our interest in theater is likely to last a lifetime! Do not be surprised if you see more plays by the Casa twins in the future.