By: Amelia Naughten, News Editor
For this edition, The Thunderbolt reached out to one of the leads from the previous 1972 Mills production of Bye Bye Birdie, Nancy Call Torres. Nancy was a student at Mills from 1968-1972 and later founded Art Attack, the local art studio at the Burlingame Plaza (and a sponsor of The Thunderbolt!), which she currently runs alongside her daughter, Audrey McInnis. Here, Nancy shares insight from her experiences in Mills drama and personal life.
Off the bat, one of the most prominent things about Mills’ drama that Nancy recalled was the professionality of everything. Students in woodworking collaborated with students in drama to build sets, resulting in the massive and complex structures shown in the photos below. These sets included the full McAfee house, telephone scene, train station, and stage for Conrad Birdie. Mills also hired director Roy Casstevens (who later helped start Broadway by the Bay), choreographer Berle Davis, as well as a vocal coach.
As a senior at the time, Nancy secured the lead role of Rosie Alvarez: an unexpected surprise considering her past in theater.
“I auditioned for shows my freshman year, and I never got called back, I auditioned my sophomore year, and I never got called back,” Nancy remembered. She felt so discouraged that she never auditioned as a junior. But the next year, everything changed.
“My senior year, I made a promise to myself: if you feel like doing anything this year, this is your senior year, this is your last chance… go for it Nancy.” When the musical came around, she wasn’t intending to try out, but upon remembering her promise to herself, she attempted to give it one last shot. This time, she received a call back.
The morning of cast postings, Nancy remembered being utterly surprised: “It was like a Cinderella moment for me and it was so wonderful.”
For the official performances, Nancy remembered that “every seat was filled for the two weekends that we did the production. It was [so packed that there was] standing room only every [show].” At the time, theater was one of the main extracurriculars offered at Mills and a popular pastime for parents and students to spectate. Shows were tight and ran just as they had in rehearsals.
Throughout her time in theater, Nancy felt at home with the community. “That kind of family atmosphere that you develop becomes a special bond. And often it’s a different group from the people than what you normally hang around.” Looking back on her time at Mills, Nancy finds that the advice she gave herself her senior year–”try anything”–was a key mindset that changed it all for her. She would like to remind everyone to “trust your heart and listen to your heart…Don’t sell yourself short and don’t talk yourself out of something that you’re really passionate about.” This mindset is what allowed her to pursue art at UCSD after graduation, and it’s what kept her going when establishing one of the most successful art studios in the Bay Area.
The Thunderbolt would like to thank Nancy for spending time with us and sharing her experience in drama, and would like to extend her message to the Mills community: “Don’t give up on yourself, keep trying.”
Her story shows how allowing yourself to dream and not give up when faced with adversity pays off and will align with your goals in the end. Regardless of what you’re looking for and wish to accomplish, Nancy has taught us the value of being bold and following your heart.
