Fresh blood coming to town for Graf von Krolock to enjoy. One of the fresh, new cast members of Tanz der Vampire in Berlin is Marina Maniglio. Originally from Italy, the symphatic actress celebrated her first few successes on stages in Beauty and the Beast and Sister Act. Before she came to Germany for playing in Mamma Mia, she already toured Europe with Grease. At the moment she belongs to the cast of Tanz der Vampire, where she is covering the lead role of Sarah.
Lena Gronewold: Your role in Tanz der Vampire is not the first one bringing you to Germany. What made you seeking a role abroad?
Marina Maniglio: I was living in London last year and my agent at that time told me that Stage Entertainment was looking for a swing in Mamma Mia! with „last minute“ audition! I thought „why not?“, I tried and here I am :))
Lena Gronewold: Did you already speak German or did you start learning when you got cast for Mamma Mia?
Marina Maniglio: Absolutely NOT!!! I neither never studied German at school! It has been a tough challenge for me cause I had to learn the show in just 3 days of rehearsals!!!
Lena Gronewold: Is it hard for you to sing and act in another language than your mother tongue?
Marina Maniglio: I worked already in a production where we were acting and singing in English. I like the challenge but is not easy! Especially in German, because there completely different sounds that we don’t have in Italian. At the beginning was very hard, but I get more and more confident with the language now.
Lena Gronewold: In Tanz der Vampire you also cover the lead role, Sarah. What do you like more, being in the cast and turning into different characters during the show, or the moment when you can put the red boots on your feet?
Marina Maniglio: I have to say that the Ensemble of this show is special. We have a lot of fun but I can say that it has not been easy to find our own vampire character. Maybe is easy to think that we just need to put our teeth on and that’s it, but there is a LOT more ?
Having the chance to wear the red boots is special too. I like to have the chance to give to this role my own interpretation and to put a little bit of myself in it ?
Lena Gronewold: If you werent Sarah, is there another role, male or female, which you would like to play in Tanz der Vampire?
Marina Maniglio: Definitely Magda!!! :))
Lena Gronewold: What brought you to the musical world? Was musical actor a dream job?
Marina Maniglio: When I was a child my grandfather used to take me to the theatre every weekend. That’s how I got to know Musicals. I was already studying ballet and than I decided I wanted to study singing and acting too.
It wasn’t my dream job at first, but now I couldn’t be away from the stage!
Lena Gronewold: Did you ever want to become something totally different when you were a child?
Marina Maniglio: Not really, I started studying ballet when I was 4 years old… But I remember that when I was young I used to say that I wanted to be journalist or architect:)
Lena Gronewold: Do you have tips for youngsters, aiming to go into musical business?
Marina Maniglio: The only thing that I can say is: STUDY STUDY STUDY!!! You need to be well prepared in different disciplines…and please, be humble! This is something that you can’t learn, is a way to be and behave:)
Lena Gronewold: Do you have a favorite play or do you prefer a different type of music in your off time?
Marina Maniglio: No, not really…I like to listen to different kind of music… I love Jazz and r&b
Lena Gronewold: You are from Italy. Would you say you are typically southern with lots of temperament?
Marina Maniglio: I am. But this has nothing to do with where I am from:) But if for „typical southern Italian“ you mean „very passionate“ than YES, THAT’s ME ?
Lena Gronewold: If yes, how does that show?
Marina Maniglio: I like to socialise. I like to have interesting conversations. I put passion in everything I do and in every friendships/relationships. I am very honest and I say most of the time what I think, even if, doing this job, I learnt when is better to close my mouth (ehehe)
Lena Gronewold: How do you prepare for a new role?
Marina Maniglio: I start thinking as if I was my role in my life. I try to create my own story, with a past and a future. Is a hard job.Most of the time is a very emotional journey.
Lena Gronewold: Do you got a dream role which you’d like to play in the future?
Marina Maniglio: I have different ones, I would like to be a Disney Princess again maybe…
I would love to play in Les Miserables
Lena Gronewold: Although you only recently started Tanz der Vampire, are their other plans in the future?
Marina Maniglio: I love to be where I am:) But of course in the future I will keep auditioning for what it will come 🙂