05/05/2026
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT🦈🎓✨
Today we celebrate senior Val Pesante!
Favorite role or artistic accomplishment from the last four years-In terms of theatre role- I love Maggie from ‘Nixon, Nixon,’ it was an awesome short play. For short film, being the lead of SURGE by Fia Perez was so fun too - I love a good sci-fi film. In regards to favorite artistic accomplishments - I have quite a few things; for one, I shamelessly and unapologetically experimented A LOT. At LIU, I was in a few shows, short films, a play festival, and a musical - on top of exploring different production roles and falling in love with playwrighting. ‘All Inclusive Love’ is truly my pride - I’m excited to collaborate with the collectives I submitted to and have plenty more readings of the script. Outside of LIU; I was in three short films, a few off-campus shows, which includes a production I originated a role - A theatrical adaptation of 500 Days of Summer, and I’m officially a drag artist!”
Favorite memory at LIU-Working with Kate Willard on ‘All Inclusive Love’ is my favorite memory. I am very proud of how she ran the rehearsal room with such integrity and warmth - which was required for such a script like ‘All Inclusive Love.’ It was touching to see our values manifest in our workspace, and watch our actors thrive. A more recent memory is working with everyone on ‘35mm: A Musical Exhibition.’ Helping Calista Garcia with make-up for the photography and being the hype-man each rehearsal was so fun! I got to work on an intimate musical with my peers, and that is the best feeling ever. I can’t wait to bring that same love and energy into every future production I’m in going forward.
What does being an artist mean to you?- An artist is someone who’s willing to try anything and fail at it with a smile on their face. No artists journey is linear and clean- perfection is a myth. Play! Fail! Make mistakes! Get up, dust yourself off, and do it again! That is the most artistically aligning thing you can do for yourself- simply existing as you are and growing from every experience.
Follow along for Val’s journey!-