Senior Griffin Guinta steps confidently onto the stage during rehearsal.  His powerful yet passionate voice fills the room as he converses with his ingénue, played by junior Shelby Fauvel.  Having pursued acting since his freshman year in high school, Guinta has now turned his enjoyment for acting into a hobby. He will star in ‘South Pacific’, the all-school musical, March 15-18.

Guinta said he believes that his previous acting experience in the all-school productions of ‘The Good Doctor,’ ‘On this Lonely Island,’ ‘Oliver!’ and ‘Happy Days’ throughout the years has helped him improve his acting skills.

“These [opportunities] have really helped me in the sense that I have a lot of responsibility and am being trusted with a large part. Because of this, I have to push myself, and it has helped me gain more confidence as an actor,” he said.

Guinta said his first solo in ‘Oliver!’ helped him become more confident in his abilities as an actor.

“During my solo, I was on the stage all by myself singing in front of the entire audience. Once the music started playing, I just stepped up and put as much energy as I could into the song. After I walked off stage, I felt on top of the world and really proud of myself,” he said.

Guinta said the ability to express himself on stage was what furthered his love for acting.

“It’s kind of cool to just be a completely different person on stage,” he said.

“You gain quite a bit of camaraderie with the people around you,” he said.

Guinta  said the ability to come together as a team to put on a successful production also makes acting enjoyable for him.

“No show is ever about one person, and it’s really great to just come together as a team to work for something great,” he said.

However, when he’s not in the limelight on stage at Saint Stephen’s, Guinta shares his talents by helping out at the Manatee Players and behind the scenes.

“I have helped backstage before setting up props and such; however, they usually have professional people doing the lights and all that other technical stuff,” he said.

Even though he enjoys acting in his free time, Guinta said he plans to continue acting just as a hobby.

“I hope to still be in shows and stay connected in the world of theatre during college,” he said.

Though he does not believe he will major in theatre, he said, “ I am not planning on majoring in it, but I am not completely ruling it out, [because] if I had to pick, I would definitely love to be Sky in “Guys and Dolls” or Radames in “Aida.” Both of those shows are incredible, and it would be cool to be a part of them,” he said.