Marissa Hennen
Actor, Singer, Dork
ABOUT ME!
Heya! Welcome to my corner of the internet. My name is Marissa and I’m a big nerd from Orlando, Florida. I’ve always been drawn to story telling. When I was a little kid, I thought I’d grow up to be an author–all I’d do when the teachers would take us to the media lab to practice using computers was write a new story! But when I was 11 years old, I saw my first live musical and realized I had a better option: I could actually be a part of the stories.
From then on, I never stopped performing. I would sing in my room until my brother banged on the door begging me to stop (“Rissa, it’s 10 pm!”), dance around the living room pretending to be on Dance Moms, and do my very best impression of Ariel to the mirror in the bathroom. I did everything I could to try and make my dream come true because, yes, at that point I had already decided that theatre was going to be a mainstay in my life. There was nothing I’d ever loved doing more, and I’m happy to say that’s still true today more than ever.
When on stage, I value telling the characters’ stories with a great amount of empathy and care. I love to step into their minds and see exactly why they react to things the way they do. I greatly value authenticity and natural performance, and that’s what I try to reflect in my work. I think everyone deserves the chance to be understood, and understanding the character I play is the pillar to how I do theatre.
I’m insanely grateful for the opportunity to do what I love. Recently, I've been a part of a few short films and it's reminded me just how much I still get to explore in this world of performing. I’ve fallen in love with musicals, performing in straight plays, acting in front of a camera, and hope to one day expand to voice over work, as well. I want to touch all performing has to offer.
When I’m not performing, I love watching anime with my best friend, my brother Brandon. When I’m feeling super creative, sometimes I even make edits of my favorite shows! If you want to get me talking, either ask me about My Hero Academia or Gravity Falls.
