In 11th grade, Marisa Bertani landed the role of Lina Lamont in Singin' in the Rain. From the first rehearsal, she was hooked and knew that this was what she wanted to do the rest of her life.  That role led to her first award.  She won an ISAAC Award through Altoona Community Theatre for Best Actress in a supporting role.

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She continued to act with her high school drama club and also landed roles with ACT including roles in Murder on the Nile, Sweeney Todd and Fox on the Fairway.  Once enrolling at Penn State Altoona, she appeared in their productions of Spring Awakening and Lady Windermere's Fan.

 

Though high school was when she broke out into acting, her first inspirations came from her father and his work.  Her dad was employed as director of Marketing for Wolf Furniture for 26 years.  During that time, she tagged along with him on many a commercial set where she learned about his line of work.  She became familiar with the enviroment.  She loved the warmth of the lights, the director calling out shots, and the meticulous adjustments that needed to be made along the way to get the perfect take.......

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For more of Marisa's interview, check out the book They Came From Blair County due out by the end of 2020.

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**Information for this article was obtained through email correspondence with Marisa Bertani