The hallway leading to the Black Box Theater boomed with people getting ready to audition, reciting their monologues. Through the commotion in the room, the next name is called as everyone’s heart rate comes to a screeching halt. 

The audition was very intense, as everyone was hoping for a spot in the production. However, for one member auditioning, senior Eros Moreno-Garza, aiming to be selected in the audition would mean earning his spot as the lead of “The Great Gatsby.”

He was ecstatic to get the part,  but it certainly wasn’t his first large role in a theatre production. His sophomore year, he played as Gomez in “The Addams Family,” Judas his junior year in “Godspell,” and Professor Plum in “Clue.”

“It’s a group interpretation, which is a competition piece that we take to IHSA.  There’s a lot of rules that go into it,” senior Sam Selimi said, “You have to look forward at all times. You can’t make eye contact, touch your face, or your clothing.” 

“My father’s side of the family has always been very much into the arts, so I’ve always had that around me growing up,” Moreno-Garza said, “I joined choir and theater in sixth grade, and just fell in love ever since.”

His love for the arts has made a big impact on his peers and directors alike. As a section leader in his choir class and a lead role in the majority of his theatre productions, he shares his passion and makes the environment more welcoming for everyone around him. 

 “I think that he’s got the ability to really play a lot of different types of people in a variety of experiences,” theatre director, Christine DeFrancesco said. “That’s why I find him so valuable.”

With DeFrancesco’s flexibility,  him and his cast mates are able to create a variety of productions. Without cast members like Moreno-Garza it would be more difficult to adapt to the more demanding roles that really require the actor to actually turn themselves into the characters they portray.

Along with his love for theatre, he also has a burning passion for music. During his free time he plays the guitar and sings in his band called “Slow Burn.”

“It’s with some of my closest friends and we mesh very well together. We bounce off of each other’s talents and come together to make some really cool stuff,” Moreno-Garza said. “Music has given me a lot of purpose in life. It’s one of the few things that I know will always make me happy.”

When Moreno-Garza is not in class, he spends the majority of his time doing rehearsals. Although his extracurricular activities have taken up most of his time, the fine arts program has helped him make a lot of the friends that he still has today. Without fine arts, Moreno-Garza would be lost as a person without any compass guiding his life.