Dancing at the Saint Louis Ballet when she was three and participating in a sound crew for a musical when she was a freshman are just some accomplishments of this actress who will perform in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang musical. Lauren Jenkins, sophomore, has had a long-lasting passion for entertainment.

“I decided to do theatre because it amazed me at the incredible performances that they would put on and I just wanted to be a part of them,” Jenkins said. “I also saw the great people that did it and wanted to get to know them.”

Though she balances many rigorous classes, Jenkins is still an avid member of the MHS Theatre Company and is currently rehearsing for her role as the Toot Sweet Member, Morris Man, and Vulgarian in the upcoming MHS Theatre production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on February 27th.

“Right now we are working on the blocking for both acts one and two, trying to put everything together while we learn the dances,” Jenkins said. “The first week, we went through all the music to learn it and have been working on it since.”

In order to perfect her performance, Jenkins stays after school until 5 p.m most days of the week for rehearsal. And as the performance draws nearer, her schedule only gets busier.

“When it comes to the final week with dress rehearsals, we usually rehearse until around 8:00, but it varies on the show and how long it takes to run through it and go over notes about what went wrong,” Jenkins said.

Getting her part in the musical wasn’t a simple process either. Jenkins had to practice an audition piece prior to the tryout, memorize, execute a monologue she had in 10 minutes and execute a dance piece she had learned in 20 minutes.

Jenkins’ devotion expands beyond musicals. She also participated in the Senior One Acts and became a member of the International Thespian Society (ITS) in May of 2014. As a member of ITS, Jenkins and other ITS members of Marquette Theatre were invited to go to the ITS convention in Kansas city, held during Jan. of 2015.

“At the conventions, we went to workshops, saw outstanding shows from remarkable schools across Missouri, and met lots of new, amazing people,” Jenkins said. “It was such a great experience to get to know other people that do the same things that you do in your school and share your interests with them. I met so many new people and also strengthened my friendships with all of my friends from MTC.”

According to Jenkins, meeting all the different people in theatre is one of her favorite things, and she has made some her her best friendships from it.

“Everyone in theatre is so nice and outgoing and it is a nice place to find a home away from home.”