INTERVIEW
To Our Young Audience Members, From Lara
Deanna Martinez (Seattle Rep’s Director of Education & Community Programs) and Tiffany Maltos (Seattle Children’s Theatre’s Adrienne Dillard-Coons Director of Education & Engagement) asked playwright Larissa FastHorse and actor Burgandi Trejo Phoenix— who alternate starring in the role of Lara in Fancy Dancer—some questions aimed at all the young audience members seeing the show.
Deanna Martinez: How do you use writing as a tool for personal reflection?
Larissa FastHorse: Because of my ADHD, I always have twenty-five thoughts happening at once and it really helps me to write down how I feel and how I want to express something. I write it in a letter, in an email, in a social media post, in a play. Then I can practice it and know exactly what and how I want to say something to make sure it makes sense and doesn’t hurt someone else. To me, that’s the easiest way to take all the noise that’s in my head and distill it down to what I really mean to say.
Tiffany Maltos: Who was your favorite teacher and why did you like them?
LF: That’s a hard one. I hated school a lot. It didn’t fit with the way my brain worked, and I lived in a place where there was only one school, so there wasn’t another choice. My favorite teacher was the one that’s in [Fancy Dancer]. His name is Gregory King. He was a professional ballet dancer and became my greatest mentor in ballet, and eventually my partner and someone I loved very much.
I loved Greg because he was direct. I love direct. I loved him because he was clear and fun, because he was passionate and cared so much about what we were doing. And I loved him, most of all, because not only did he believe in me, but he made me believe in me, and that’s something extraordinary that not everyone knows how to do.
Burgandi Trejo Phoenix: My favorite ballet teacher was also one of my hardest teachers. She was very, very tough on me, but if there was one thing that Ms. Linda taught me, it was that I was capable of way more than I could’ve ever imagined. She was constantly pushing me past my limits and placed me in more advanced classes that I didn’t feel ready for because she saw something in me that I didn’t. She was encouraging, straight to the point, and relentless about technique. And although I didn’t see it then, all these years later, I’m very grateful for the training I received from her and her staff.
TM: If you could speak to your high school self, what would you tell her?
LF: I would tell her that I promise, I promise it gets better. You just have to get through this part. It’s funny because I remember people saying, “this is the best part of your life,” but it was really the worst for me. It was so hard and stressful and awful. I was bullied. It was just a really difficult time for me because I didn’t know who I was. I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t know how to get there. I felt like I was an alien living in the wrong world.
I wish I could have told myself to just take a breath, get through it, and things will get better. It is a tough time, but it’s also a beautiful time. Every time of your life is beautiful because they’re never going to happen again. I wish I hadn’t been so desperate for that time to be over and could’ve enjoyed it a little bit more.
BTP: Oh wow, so many things! First, don’t be in such a hurry to grow up, savor these years, soak them all in and don’t worry about having a “plan” to execute before you even know what you truly want and don’t want in your life. It’s your life and this is likely going to change many times, and that’s ok! Find ways to accept yourself and your flaws—these are your best qualities and will help you become the badass creative artist you want to be.
Don’t play it small and don’t put a lid on who you are, ever. You can’t please everyone, so focus on yourself and on the things and people who are important to you. Talk to your nana’s and tata’s and great tia’s and tio’s and ask all the questions—they have so much wisdom and historical information about your family and ancestors. And while family is super important, remember, no one is worth sacrificing your wellbeing. The most important thing you can learn is how to be kind to yourself, how to take care of yourself, and to make your health—mental, physical and emotional— a top priority. Oh, and I love you girl!
Read more Fancy Dancer content in the show’s Youth Guide!
*P.S. Remember, with your free TeenTix membership, you can get $5 tickets to Seattle Rep shows! More Seattle Rep discount info »
Header photo: Burgandi Trejo Phoenix in Fancy Dancer (2025). Photo by Jim Coleman.
