Molly Torres

From an early age I have been involved with performance arts. My mom was a piano player with the Milwaukee Ballet school and company. I was luckily enough to take lessons (Ballet, Character, and Tap) and be in the annual production of the Nutcracker. I was an Angel, Goose, Toy Soldier, Rocking House Mouse, Party Child, and Mother Ginger Child in my day. I am 90% sure I still remember the choreography and counts.

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My mom also taught a homeschool Choir group in the Milwaukee area and since I could sing and dance I was often in Church summer musicals. Father Knows Best and  . . . . others I will update once I remember the names (even if the songs still leave rent free in my mind) or if I ever dig out the old VHS tapes.

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I attended Roosevelt Middle School of the arts where I performed in Dance (Various kinds), Orchestra (Harp), Band (French Horn), Choir, and Stage Crew. Stage Crew really spoke to me as being behind the stage at the Marcus Performing Art Center during those Nutcracker shows had me mesmerized with the sets, lights and rigging. I found more joy building sets, hanging lights, planning sound design, doing special effects and make-up, marking up scripts with stage direction, and planing fight/dance choreography for each script.

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I doubled down in high school choosing to Major in IB Theatre and making Theatre honors. I honed my skills as a Director and Production Manager and filled in any crew role I could for productions like Midsummer Nights Dream and The Fantasticks. Yes, I did some acting in there as I could never get enough of theatre performing on stage during The Next Act summer programs. I even had the pleasure of working with Mark Hooker and Spiral Theatre as his stage manager and eventually Assistant Director In Butterflies are Free and You should Be so Lucky.

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Behind the scenes always called to me and I needed more. I spent the extra money on the special edition Dvds (back when those were a thing). Watching how everything was made and listening to commentaries learning how much went into making a movie or play. Yes, I was the type to buy plays, operas and ballets on dvd to get special features and be able to rewatch again and again.

 

In college I made the switch to film as plays are limited to the frame of the stage and I needed more. There are theatre's in the park and theatre's that utilize the audience space but it still felt limiting at times for what I wanted the audience to focus on. So I started looking through the camera and building my worlds and stories through the lens. I still love theatre and love going back to consume it when I can but I truly found my own little corner behind the lens.