Those tuned into the 83rd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade next week should keep an eye out for a familiar face among the performers — Livvy Marcus of Easton.
Marcus, 15, will be part of the first singing and dancing finale of the parade with 60 fellow performers from Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y.
Marcus, a freshman at Oliver Ames High School, said she has been “singing her whole life.”
“My dad really got me into musical theater, he being a talented actor himself, and my mom and her family taught me how to be a musician,” she said.
Marcus’ first public performance was as Molly in a local production of “Annie.” Since then she has appeared locally at many area venues, including the Wheelor Family Theater, Riverside Theaterworks, the Foxboro Orpheum, the Mansfield Music & Arts Society and the Norton Singers. Marcus is also a member of the Oliver Ames High School Drama club and the show choir, Panache.
“My favorite role was most definitely Little Sally in ‘Urinetown,’ a dark comedy/musical about supply and demand in a water shortage,” Marcus said.
In pursuit of her love of theater, Marcus attended the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center.
“I had read about it before and heard what fantastic training and experience their campers receive,” Marcus said. “I have some friends who go there and after getting more information about it I decided to go. I’ve gone for the past two summers and now, it feels like a second home to me.”
During her stay there last summer, Marcus applied to be part of the Macy’s parade, but said she didn’t expect to be chosen with so many talented students there.
“When I got the call I was so excited I could barely contain myself,” she said. “Watching the parade with my family has been a tradition for as long as I can remember, so it was extra special being selected.”
More than 400 singer/dancers auditioned and applied for the Macy’s performance troupe. There are 22 states and three countries represented in the cast, ages 10 to 18.
The students will bring a new twist to the Santa Claus finale, performing in front of the Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street.
“We are thrilled to be chosen by Macy’s for this exciting new addition to their program,” said Stagedoor owner Cindy Samuelson. “The preparation, the rehearsals, have been a once in a lifetime experience for these talented kids.”
