Senior Eva Manrodt is a prominent cast member in Mounds View Theater and one of the many rising stars in the acting community. She has played Dragon in “Shrek,” Audrey in “Little Shop of Horrors” and most recently, Fairy May in “Curious Savage,” Manrodt has an extensive resume in theater. She also participated in the Minneapolis Children’s Theater Intensive program that starts with auditioning and creates a show through the theater’s choreographers, costume designers, set designers and more. There, she played Gynecia in “Head Over Heels,” a comedy composed by the GoGos about a royal family’s efforts to save their country from extinction. 

Manrodt began her acting career very young, inspired by watching musicals with her grandmother. “We used to watch musicals all the time when I was little. I always loved performing. I was just like, ‘I want to do that,’” she said. 

At Mounds View, the theater department has three shows throughout the year: the fall play, the winter student-led Shakespeare show and the spring musical. Manrodt accepted the role of director for this year’s winter Shakespeare show. Her job, along with two other co-directors, is bringing the show to life. The director role adds another angle to her acting career, with her now more behind the scenes and producing a show instead of performing in it. Manrodt’s directing style mixes having fun and getting down to business. “I’m usually the kind of person who looks for something that someone did that’s really good, then something that they can work on, but making sure not to over-explain it and [letting] them get there on their own,” she said.

After partaking in theater for so long, Manrodt has grown an appreciation for the company. Mounds View Theater means a lot to its actors and backstage crew, forming friendships and good memories. “I liked learning dances with people and being able to practice. Hanging out with friends is fun, [also] being able to develop a character, and learn new things. I always learn something I didn’t know before in each show. Every show I do.” 

One of Manrodt’s memories from the last show was when she played the amusing Fairy May, where she had to step out of her comfort zone. The character consistently did silly things, including rolling in circles and jumping over a chair, to make the audience laugh. Constantly moving around on stage and constantly moving is a challenge for an almost two-hour show and also got her to move beyond her boundaries “It’s always easier to tone it down than to amp it up. I learned to take risks and be bold,” she said. 

She intends to pursue acting after high school at either the University of Minnesota Duluth, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities or the University of Northwestern. She also hopes to pursue acting after college. “My dream is to be a member at an acting company because theater is such an unstable job where you’re constantly auditioning, [sometimes] not having work, [sometimes] having work, so if you’re a member at a company, you’re guaranteed roles and get to be a part of lots of great shows,” said Manrodt.

Throughout her acting journey, Manrodt has come a long way in both her singing and acting skills. She has taken part in every show since her freshman year — ten complete shows — and has worked her way up from ensemble to major roles in the school plays and musicals. Acting has been a large part of her life so far, and with her high school theater career coming to a close, she looks forward to future acting opportunities, hopefully professionally.