Shamiyeh Noel
Shamiyeh Noel began dancing when she was 7 at her hometown dance studio in Norton, Virginia. When she got to middle school, she began to sing in the choir. She got hooked on acting when she saw “The Wizard of Oz.” She auditioned for her first musical when she was in the fourth grade and got the role of Judy in “At the Bandstand Musical, Jr.”
“My favorite part about performing is getting to explore different characters and make them my own. Making each character my own is super rewarding, becauseit has given me creative freedom. With each character that I play, I try to think of ways that I can differentiatebetween the character and myself, whether it be throughphysicality, vocalization or both. Also, with making each character my own, it presents me with a challenge with new motivations, emotions and perspectives that push me deeper to think about the character’s world and bring it to life that feels personal and honest,” Shamiyeh says.
Last summer, she worked as a Barter Theater Player intern. While there she was cast as a part of the ensemble in “The Wizard of Oz,” and in two Barter Player shows: the Electric Shovel in “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel” and Nurse/Otto in “Snow White.”
“I remember when I got the call from them asking me if I wanted to work at Barter, and it was literally a dream come true. The first show that I saw at Barter was when they did ‘Sister Act’ in 2018, and I said to myself, ‘I want to work here someday.’ So, when they called me and offered me the summer contract, I had to say yes. My internship at Barter last year was so full of love and growth. I have to admit, I was pretty nervous at first because I would be meeting new people and be in a different environment, but the community was so welcoming. I’ve built connections with people that I will remember for the rest of my life and how they’ve helped and supported me through it. This experience has also helped me become a better actor throughout rehearsals by teaching me how to adapt, take risks and trust in my work as an actor,” she says.
She prefers singing, dancing and acting, but recently became involved in scenic design, when she was the scenic designer for a show at Emory & Henry University.
“Theater, to me, means making people feel something. I know when I’ve watched shows that have touched or inspired me, that those are the shows I remember the most because of the impact it had on me. Theater connects directly to human emotion, lived experiences and storytelling that allows the audience to be a part of it,” she says.
After she graduates next semester, she plans to attend an acting conference, United Professional Theatre Auditions. UPTA is where theater companies hire year-around actors and technicians for their shows. She will audition for more than 50 companies and hopes to start working as a result.
Shamiyeh is 22 and is a senior at Emory and Henry University, Emory, Virginia. Her parents are Tony and Jerome Noel, Norton, Virginia.
