Maille-Rose Smith first dove into theatre as an enthusiastic rainbow trout in her kindergarten’s rendition of Pearl: An Underwater Adventure. Darting onstage with her fellow bedazzled fish, ecstatically singing the praises of the ocean monarch, she found herself enamored with that magical experience, and she wanted more! Her next role proved quite the contrast to her aquatic foray: she took to the skies in a flurry of feathers as the mother pigeon in her elementary school’s production of Alice in Wonderland Jr.. Her love for theatre has since grown, as she has had the honor of playing more roles of the human variety. In high school, she acted in mainstage plays and musicals, and one-acts, and was thrilled to play Ma Kirby in Thornton Wilder’s “The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden,” a role which challenged and inspired her. More recently as a UVa student, she has performed in Shakespeare on the Lawn’s Two Gentlemen of Verona, Julius Caesar, a staged reading of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Macbeth; Spectrum Theatre’s A View from the Bridge; the UVa Drama department’s New Works Festival and Music Library Series; the Virginia Players’ Play in a Day; LabShorts films; Unsaid, a short film presented at George Mason University’s Fall Film Showcase; and other film, commercial, and radio projects. She is currently Fundraising Chair for Shakespeare on the Lawn and Community Chair for the Virginia Players. Majoring in Drama and English, Maille-Rose is honored to be included in the Miller Arts Scholar program. She is eager to pursue new, exciting theatre endeavors and grow in her appreciation of art in its dynamic, multifaceted glory!