Maya Fischbein - A Bright Star

Maya was four years old when she began piano and dance, and seven when she began singing lessons. Her first role came at age eight when she portrayed a young Cosette in the musical Les Misérables. Maya started singing first and developed acting later to enable her to perform. She thinks acting is not very difficult because an actor simply has to think of how the character would be. Her mother, Sara Fischbein, is proud of her progress as a young actor, saying, “It comes very naturally to her, it was kind of a shock. She doesn’t overact.” Pertaining to her role as an understudy for Fun Home, Maya said, “It’s fun performing because when you’re an understudy, out of nowhere you get to go on, so it’s exciting.” When asked how she feels on stage, she said, “I feel happy, and I feel the character. When I first went on for Small Alison, I was nervous but once you go on more it goes away because you’ve done it.”

Maya has learned a lot from her experiences. She reflects that the experience, “means a lot because it’s rare to be on Broadway. Most people don’t get the chance to do that.” Maya also notes that New York is very different from California because of the city life. Luckily, she really likes New York. Being away from home can be intimidating, but her extended family and her Harbor Day friends have been a huge support to Maya. Many people have traveled thousands of miles to see her Broadway debut.

Even though her “school” life is on set now, she still interacts with her Harbor Day classmates. Her teacher, Mrs. Cambare says, “It was wonderful for the students to be able to have Maya Skype with us as our Mystery Reader. The students enjoyed hearing her read a story about a little boy traveling through New York and sharing all of the sights he saw. We even got to see the view of the city from Maya's apartment. We all miss her very much, and we loved getting a glimpse into her life in New York.”

Her sound advice to others interested in performing on stage is to have fun and work hard because, “whatever you put your mind to, you can do.” Maya is an inspiration to young performers, and Harbor Day is proud of her achievements!