Ortonville- Mary Beth Skylis has been acting in theater since she was 9-years-old.
‘Theater is like being able to goof off and no one really cares, because it isn’t you that you are playing,? she says.
Skylis, 15, will be able to ‘goof off? May 11-13 when she plays the part of Cecily Cardew in Michigan Youth Theater’s production of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest,? on stage at the Old Town Hall, 480 Mill St.
Skylis says the British comedy is about two characters who take the name Ernest to impress two girls, each of whom falls in love, partly because they believe their fiancees? real name is Ernest. The two girls meet and mistakenly believe they are engaged to the same man. In the end, both men are found out and it turns out only one is really named Ernest.
‘It’s a funny story,? says Skylis. ‘I love it… My character is nothing like me. She’s really ditzy and not into school at all. She detests her language, which is German. She’s always daydreaming.?
Skylis hopes to major in theater in college. She has been a member of Michigan Youth Theater, which currently has 15 members, since 2001.
According to their website, Michigan Youth Theater is a youth centered performing arts organization. Their mission is to develop leadership, teamwork, and communications skills in youth ages 12 to 19 through theater production experiences while providing professional quality, classics-based live theater experiences and education for community schools and audiences of all ages.