Facia Lee, one of our Season 45 Resident Actors, recently shared with us her personal reflection on what the power and beauty of the art of live theatre means to her. Here is in her own words below:
I have always looked up to my dad because we are similar in many ways. He is a behavior analyst, and is constantly trying to “read” me and my brothers to see how we feel about certain situations, especially when we do not have the words to voice our feelings. Most of the time he is right, which is frustrating but fascinating at the same time.
As a kid, one of my favorite pastimes was sitting on the couch and watching superhero movies with my dad. Our favorites were the X-Men movies, mostly because they are stories about mutants who do not fit into society and have to create their own brotherhood for themselves, something that felt close to home because I, too, didn’t always fit in. I was an awkward kid who had a little trouble making friends, but I never had trouble picking up a book or a pen. Teachers would always tell my parents about how quiet I was, but that I was articulate in reading and writing.
As I got older I became a little more sociable, but this was not without help from my dad. He once again was able to read me, and noticed my abilities to read, write, and re-enact things I saw on TV and write songs with my brothers when I was at home and felt comfortable. He saw early on that theatre might be a good outlet for me. He asked one of his best friends if their daughter (who I am still great friends with to this day) would be interested in being in a play with me, and in no time, I was a thirteen year old playing Mrs. Gloop in the musical Willy Wonka Jr. I had sung and performed small plays in church before, but never with kids my own age who were just like me. I immediately felt like I belonged–like in the X-Men’s brotherhood. Finally, I could shapeshift like Mystique.
Before I decided I wanted to attend higher education for performance, I wanted to be a behavior analyst like my dad. However, theatre allows me to analyze behavior too; I can learn about characters in scripts and why they do what they do, and find myself along the way. Theatre is an ever-changing universe for everyone to feel welcome, included, and seen. It acts as a mirror that helps us see who we are and how similar we are to everyone around us. I believe it is nearly impossible to be involved in theatre and not only be challenged, but also changed for the better. I cannot be more thankful for theatre, my dad and the rest of my family, my teachers who believed in me, my friend who started with me at thirteen, and everyone else who has been on this journey in the beautiful, shapeshifting world of live theatre with me.
Facia is thrilled to work with Charleston Stage for season 45! She has been performing on stage since she was about 6 years old. Her favorite credits include Macduff in “The Scottish Play”, Cinderella in an in-house written children’s theatre version of the same name, and Sandra/The Witch in “Big Fish“. She graduated from Florida School of the Arts with both her A.A. and A.S. in Musical Theatre and graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University with her B.A. in Theatre with Concentration in Music. Facia would like to thank her loving family, friends, teachers, and father for all of their support.