“When my mom saw me on stage at the age of three she knew I was going to be an actor. She saw how I lit up when I got on stage and how passionate I was, even at such a young age. She tells me about that all the time.” Régine Danaé has been acting ever since she could remember. She was in her first show at the age of three and hasn’t looked back since. Danaé is a fourth year double major in biology and theatre arts who’s love for acting is an inspiration to everyone she meets.
Besides her mother’s constant support, Danaé attributes Raven Symoné and the show “That’s SO Raven” for solidifying her love of acting. She looked up to Symoné when she was younger because she saw how Symoné was able to evoke happiness and joy to so many, she dreamed of doing just the same. In her eyes acting was the best way to achieve that goal.
Danaé has been in lots of shows throughout her life, but she feels that her favorite productions have occured while she has been a student at Sonoma State. Of the numerous productions on campus, Danaé’s favorite has been the production of “Bulrusher” that occured in the Fall of 2017. Eisa Davis’ play in short is about Bulrusher, a young child who was abandoned to the bulrushes of the Navarro River as a baby and developed water-based psychic powers because of it. Bulrusher had a tough childhood and still found a way to be happy, vulnerable, and open to new experiences, such as love. Danaé talks about why this production was one of her favorites. “To work with Harry Waters Jr, from Back to the Future, has been one of the most informative and creative experiences that pushed me to my limits and beyond. I grew exponentially in the short time I spent with him as my director, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.” In “Bulrusher,” Danaé played the titular character whom the play was named.
In Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, directed by Alexis Macnab, Danaé played the characters Jenny and Marge. “Cape Feare” is an episode from The Simpsons in which an incredible disaster has just occured. “Mr. Burns” is a three-act play that depicts the story. In this post-electric setting a group of survivors come together and show how life has changed immediately after the devastation, how it’s changed 7 years down the line, and finally how it’s affected life 75 years later.
Danaé and her cast members are very excited for this production because it’s entirely student designed, this makes the production that much more collaborative, enjoyable and rewarding. Danaé talks a little about how the production is going and what she and her castmates have enjoyed about it. “Working with her (Macnab) has been wonderful. She is extremely open to hearing the casts’ ideas about our characters and how they would move through the world, and you don’t always get lucky enough to find a director like that. I love that she gave students a real chance to apply the techniques they’ve been learning here for years.”
To anyone who has been, or is curious about theatre Danaé has this to say: “Just do it! People get really scared that they won’t be good, or they won’t be welcomed, but acting, much like everything else, is a learning experience. You won’t get better if you don’t try, and the entire theatre department here is filled with some of the nicest and most inclusive people you will ever meet. We love new people. If you’re willing to put in the work, we are willing to work with you.
After graduating Sonoma State, Danaé plans to attend graduate school in England for zoology wildlife conservation, aspiring to be the next Steve Irwin. Danaé said, “I believe that teaching others about the beautiful creatures we share this planet with is the best way to get them to care, so I’d like to use my theatre skills to reach people and teach them about the animals of the world.”
Danaé leaves us with this piece of advice to share after four years of college and numerous productions, “always be open to new people and experiences because that’s how you grow as a person. Everyone and everything has something to teach you, so listen.”
