July 2024, local Kennesaw theater Firefly Theatrical put on a breathtaking high school production of Les Miserables, starring none other than NC’s own Seren Witschy as Cosette. Witschy takes part in numerous shows at Firefly, with several of her notable roles including Cinderella in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Brooke Wyndham in Legally Blonde. With every production she takes part in, Witschy showcases herself as an extremely talented performer with a knack for capturing the attention of audience members.
“I loved Seren’s stage presence when she performed as Cosette. I could really see the love in her eyes when she looked at other characters she cared about. I especially got emotional towards the end when her father died because of her realistic crying. Additionally, her voice is incredible. She was hitting the highest notes during ensemble choruses and her head voice is absolutely beautiful,” sophomore Katelyn McKoon said.
Despite her stellar performance skills, Witschy occasionally faces nerves and anxiety prior to performing. The stress may stem from not knowing what will happen on stage and the uncertainty of whether she or her castmates will make a mistake. However, even when stage fright strikes her, she handles it like a professional and always manages to put on an amazing show. Even though errors or unexpected occurrences in productions can cause stress, Witschy frequently enjoys the surprise element of each show ending differently. She believes that mishaps or actors breaking character can create an increasingly fun and exciting experience for audience members.
“I definitely get really nervous right before I walk on stage and the hardest part for me is the initial point of stress and just getting past that before I actually walk on stage. Then, when I walk on stage, I’m okay, but if something goes wrong I have to immediately come up with something to do to move past it and there’s definitely that stress of not knowing if a set piece is going to get moved or if someone is going to forget their line. You have to have something right on the spot to do. It mostly ends up working out, so I don’t get as stressed anymore,” Witschy said.
Additionally, Witschy dances at Integrity 360 Dance Studio, specializing in ballet and pointe. Even outside of dance classes, she ensures that she maintains her skills by building strength through ankle exercises and working out. She attends dance classes on Mondays and Wednesdays along with rehearsals on Thursdays and Saturdays for her upcoming role of Mrs. Heron in Mean Girls The Musical at Firefly Theatrical. She takes private dance lessons to enhance her skills, in an effort to improve constantly. Dance not only enhanced her skills and strength, but it also helped her to gain confidence due to her current supportive dance teachers.
“I started dancing when I was really young and I danced first before I did musical theater. I started with ballet and a couple of other styles, but I’ve been most consistent with doing ballet and pointe, which are definitely my favorites. I ended up getting into musical theater and I’m glad I had that foundation of dance. It’s been really fun to transition from doing mostly ballet to more musical theater styles, but I’ve still continued with ballet and pointe because I love it so much,” Witschy said.
In addition to singing, dancing and acting, Witschy also studies in the NC magnet program. She strives to complete her work ahead of schedule and values the importance of time management. She usually tries to finish tasks and assignments while at school and maximize her time so that she can still enjoy her time at the theater and dance.
Additionally, Witschy frequently spends her time volunteering at the Mostly Mutts Market and fostering dogs and cats from Mostly Mutts. Because of a lack of shelter space, Mostly Mutts often desperately needs foster parents to take in dogs. Her family will occasionally take in a dog or a litter of kittens and care for them until someone adopts them. She loves helping to create profiles for the dogs, and observing how they interact with other cats, dogs and people.
Witschy usually spends her free time with friends and family, reading, creating art, working out and brushing up on her performance skills. She additionally takes voice lessons to continuously further her improvement. Witschy values the presence of theater in her life significantly, asserting that throughout her time at Firefly Theatrical, she fostered a familial relationship with her fellow castmates. The actress enjoys the supportive nature of her theatrical community and graciously welcomes the friendships she forges during rehearsals and performances.
