Mia Daley is spending her summer days going to the beach. Well, close to the beach. Daley will be spending a good chunk of her summer at Theatre by the Sea, appearing as Louisa in “The Sound of Music.”
So far, says the East Greenwich actor, “it truly has been such a wonderful experience.”
Daley, who’s entering her senior year at LaSalle Academy in Providence, has a lot of experience in musical theater at the community theater and high school level. “The Sound of Music” is her first professional show, and the “rehearsals process has truly been like nothing I have ever done before.”
At a community theater or high school production, “we have about three months to prepare for a show,” said Daley. “At Theatre by the Sea, we move much faster. With only about two weeks of rehearsal time, we are moving at such a quick pace. We are moving through material so fast.”
Daley says that working at Theatre by the Sea has long been a dream. She attended the 90th anniversary celebration last summer. “When I heard they were doing ‘Sound of Music’ this season, I knew I wanted to audition. I thought maybe my dream of performing on the Theatre by the Sea stage could really come true.”
Daley has been involved in theater at LaSalle since the 4th grade. “It’s crazy to think I am now entering my senior year.” She has high praise for LaSalle’s theater program, and the “true Lasallian value” of service. “I believe they taught me to serve my community in every way possible.”
The concept of service is what led Daley to be crowned Miss Rhode Island Teen 2023. “It was not just about wearing a crown and a sash. I had the opportunity to perform at many Rhode Island events, attend many community fundraisers, raise up to $15,000 for social and emotional learning, and represent Rhode Island on a national stage.”
Attending the 90th anniversary show at TBTS was an official Miss RI Teen appearance. “It’s truly so full circle that this title brought me to wear I am today at Theatre by the Sea.”
Daley is enjoying her time at TBTS. “It has given me such a chance to bond with so many of the cast members, especially our youth cast,” said Daley. “I am one of the oldest members of our youth cast and the little ones truly make my day every day at rehearsal. In my family, I am the youngest with three older brothers, so it’s a nice change to be the oldest in our little theater family.”
Daley has been singing as long as she can remember. “When I was very young, I would always sing. on my grandmother’s couch,” she said. “Crazy enough, the song I would always sing is a song I sing in this show. ‘Do Re Mi.’ I fell in love with singing when I was just six years old, and that love has never stopped.”
Daley has already begun the college audition process “and it has definitely been overwhelming, but I’ve been very lucky to have so many mentors who have been through this process before. Many of these mentors are some of my castmates.”
When she graduates from LaSalle with the Class of 2025, Daley hopes to go on to earn a BFA in musical theater. “Hopefully after that, I’ll make my way to New York City and work professionally. This is such a hard field to get into, but I always believe I that I should follow my heart and do what I love to do.”
She firmly believes “’what’s meant for you will be yours’ so if this path of performing is truly meant for me, it will not pass me by.”
[Theatre by the Sea presents “The Sound of Music” July 24 through August 17. For tickets and information, visit www.theatrebythesea.com or call the box office at (401) 782-8587. Mia Daley will perform as Louisa as part of the Do Re Mi Cast and will appear in roughly half of the shows.]
