Stepping out in front of a live audience can be intimidating—but not for 14-year-old Woodbury resident Mario Esteb. “I like how it’s live and there is an audience,” Mario says. “It goes differently every time you do it.”
Mario started performing when he was just 5 years old, taking dance classes at Delmonico Dance in Woodbury. A few years later, the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul was looking for dancers to be in their production of A Christmas Story. “Out of all the boys [from Delmonico] who auditioned, I was the only one who got chosen,” Mario says.
“He was special, bright and gave a unique audition,” says James Rocco, the director of the musical. Rocco has worked with Mario on two other projects, including Damn Yankees.
Mario is currently taking a break from performing, after appearing in Assassins at Theater Latté Da this past March. “I’m going to be a normal kid,” Mario says. “I haven’t been able to go to dance class, because I’ve been so busy with theater.” You might see Mario on TV someday, too. “I don’t know if I want to be an actor, but I do want to be in entertainment,” Mario says. “I would maybe like to be a sports broadcaster.”
Playbill
You might’ve seen Mario in other Twin Cities productions, like The Grinch, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Gypsy, The Wizard of Oz, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cinderella and more.
