Spotlight On: Martlie Pierre
ABOVE and LEFT: Pierre plays the role of
Princess Jasmine during TNP KidzAct’s Disney’s
Aladdin Jr.
The first time Martlie Pierre auditioned for
KidzAct, she was terrified. New to theatre,
the now 14-year-old recalled showing up
to her audition wearing what she had
worn to school that day. The other actors
wore leggings and looked confident. And
they were so tall.
“I was scared to death,” she said.
But Martlie landed the role of Asher in
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat, setting the stage for her love
of theatre.
“It wasn’t a big role, and I had to play the
part of a boy as a girl,” Martlie recalled.
“But I had to sing a lot and harmonization
was the main key for me.”
Now, the Naples High School freshman
can add another credit to her resume as
a lead in the musical Disney’s Aladdin Jr.,
playing the role of Princess Jasmine.
Photos by Drew Attanasio
As the daughter of Haitian immigrants,
Martlie grew up singing in church beginning
at the age of 2. When she was 9, she
started dancing. And when she was 12,
she realized she could combine both.
She and her mother began looking for a
school or group that offered theatre classes
when they found The Naples Players’
Youth Education Program, KidzAct.
“My church was somewhat big, but the
theater was humongous,” Martlie said of
the audience.
Now the teen practices as much as four
hours a day, five days a week when preparing
for a show. Her parents and her
siblings are very proud of her and always
look forward to seeing her perform.
“She always does good,” her father Elie
Franck Pierre said.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
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