For this month’s meet the member, we spoke to newly elected Vice President Marisa Valent. Aside from the new position Valent is taking on, Valent is also the ranking member of the Fundraising Committee, member of the Newsletter Committee, and member of the Social Media Team. Valent has also costumed for two of SPARE’s shows (Jacks and the Fourth Wall, and Into the Woods) and directed one show for SPARE (The Drowsy Chaperone). “I’m super excited to be taking on the role of Vice President in addition to my other roles in the company,” Valent told us. “I’m going to be helping President Brian Ives keep things running smoothly while he transitions to his new home in Washington DC, so you’ll probably be hearing a lot from me!”
Valent is contributing to SPARE in a very different way this season. SPARE Production’s August show in 2016 is Letter Writing, a show Valent wrote. “I started it my freshman year of college,” Valent, who is now a junior, said. “There was so much going on around me; I felt like there were so many stories that needed to be told, and I was inspired to write a show that captured all that.” Letter Writing is the story of five college freshman dealing with the problems and challenges that arise when they find themselves in the new and different environment college presents.
“I think the best thing about this show is that it’s relatable,” Valent said. “Someone who is in college right now can watch and laugh, thinking about the similar things they are going through. Someone who has already gone through college can look back and go ‘oh, I remember that!’ I think the themes are universal, and the show is really going to bring the audience in.
Valent is very excited to be brining Letter Writing to the Binghamton area. Stay on the lookout for open positions in the production team and for audition calls!
Valent is a junior at Le Moyne College, though she will be spending this fall semester at the University of Granada in Granada, Spain. She is a Spanish and Theater double major, and has been a member of SPARE for three years.