Entertainment : A Born Actress: Mikala Neimeier has always loved performing

By Anthony Bopp VINTON - There are some people who seem born for the performing arts, and spending time with Mikala Neimeier would seem to make it clear she was born to perform. Mikala, 13, is featured in the upcoming production of Bus Stop from ACT I of Benton County in one of the show's most demanding roles. But that seems to be only added incentive to this energetic girl, who appears to have been preparing for the stage since early childhood and will continue her ACT I performances this summer in the acclaimed musical 13. She readily admits that she can't remember a time when she didn't want to perform. “My mom used to sing, and I watched her sing and I always wanted to be up there too,” she said. “I sing at the Jones County Fair every year, since I was about 7.” Her mother, Bonnie, confirms that there has always been something of an actress in her daughter. “Even back then she would come to me say, 'OK Mom, what should I act like?'” Bonnie remembers with fond laughter. “I would say 'Sad!' and she would do some sad things. And I'd say 'Happy!' and she go do happy things. That was at a very young age, probably kindergarten.” Bonnie's story about how easily Mikala takes direction is confirmed by her current director, Jill g. Lockard-Bopp, who is directing Bus Stop for the second time, the first being in Colorado many years ago. “Mikala listens carefully to everything you tell her,” Lockard-Bopp said. “You can just see her brain capturing every detail, taking everything you say seriously, and thinking about how to incorporate the direction she's given in her performance. By the time the next rehearsal comes she has practiced everything she was told and delivers exactly what you've asked for. A lot of times she can do that if you just run the same scene a few minutes later.” All the more remarkable given that Bus Stop is only the third play she's every performed in. “I was in All's Well That Ends Swell a couple of years ago,” she said, referring to ACT I's summer theatre camp in 2008. “And I was in a school play, We need A Little Christmas Vacation.” Mikala attends North Linn Community Schools. But clearly the stage is what she has prepared for all her life, with vocal, dance, and piano lessons since an early age. There is no hesitation when asked if performing is something she wants to pursue forever. “Yes!” There is a conviction in her voice that leaves little doubt of her ability to succeed in that goal, something that her parents are eager to encourage. “My husband and I say that this is our children's lives right now, and that's what we're here for. When they grow up and move away, then it's going to be us again, and it's going to be our life. We want them to be happy. We want to give them what will make them happy and successful.” Bonnie is quick to say that she doesn't want to be a typical “stage mom.” “At first, I think, it was hard to not jump in during rehearsals. But I told myself that I'm not the director, and the director is the one who's right. I had to keep saying to myself the director's going to tell her if she's doing something wrong, so I have to keep my mouth shut. Which, Mikala can probably say, that's a surprise, isn't it?” she says with an infectious laugh. But, Bonnie adds, it's never been a challenge to have to “push” her daughter toward performing well. “She picks things up so easily that it's easy for me to not have to push her hard. Mikala has always been mature for her age,” she says. “I get a lot of comments about how mature she is. She's always been that way.” That maturity serves her well for her role of Elma in Bus Stop. The character is a few years older than her real age of 13, and the themes in the show are a considerable step above those generally found in a theatre camp or school play. “I think it's been really good,” she says of the experience to play a role that is more dramatic. “I always look forward to coming to rehearsal because I think that it's a lot of fun. A lot of other plays I've been in haven't been near as strict. I mean, you still have fun, but now you know you have to be really serious about it because a lot more people are going to see it. The auditions were a lot more serious too.” Mikala's naive, innocent character in Bus Stop contrasts the greater experience of the other characters, and also illustrates that experience and happiness do not always go hand-in-hand. Further, she learns an important lesson that not everyone is who they appear to be, but it comes at the cost of a bit of her idealism. These are complex character studies to try to represent meaningfully, but Mikala approaches the task with enthusiasm and without a hesitation that she might be excused for, given the nature of some of the themes. “It doesn't make me feel awkward. It's just 'acting' and we're being our character, not ourselves.” “I was surprised to find out that she is only a seventh grader,” said Halane Cummings, another member of the Bus Stop cast and whose character interacts closely with Mikala's. Cummings, who is a teacher at Center Point-Urbana School and who has directed and written several plays herself, is thoroughly impressed with her younger co-performer's abilities. “Wow, she shows such poise in her performances for someone so young. From the very beginning, she's been nothing but professional. In some ways I've seen her develop a little bit like the character of Elma,” she said, referring to Mikala's role of a naive, innocent waitress. “There was a point lately where we were ad-libbing where she kind of snarked on me!” Cummings laughed. “It's kind of funny because in those first couple of rehearsals she was a little bit more like Elma than she is now. She's like the knowledgeable Elma the character becomes by the end.” Other cast members agree about the professionalism that Mikala has to offer. “She gives me so much to play off of,” said Rachel Kramer, an actress well-known to ACT I audiences from past shows, and who plays Cherie, a nightclub singer, who has several close, touching moments with Elma. “I really appreciate how much she gives me to react to, how easy it is to do a scene with her. I really feel like she raises my performance.” “The biggest thing about her is her maturity,” said Alex Vasquez, an ACT I veteran who plays the lead of Bo Decker in Bus Stop. “It was clear right from the beginning that she really has a stage presence, and that is really something to admire about her.” It's clear from a few moments conversation with the young actor that terms such as poise, maturity, and stage presence are not things she spends a lot of time thinking about. They simply come with the package. “But if you had to live with her,” Bonnie assures, “You would know differently. You would know that she really is only 13!” And mother and daughter laugh together, sharing a knowing moment as they have shared so many stage moments.

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