In the Spotlight Johnstown native pursuing passion for theater in California

Nov. 12—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — From a young age, Marina Johnson Bergenstock loved to sing, dance and play instruments.

In elementary school, she took up playing the flute. In high school, she added the saxophone to her repertoire.

Soon after, as a seventh-grader in the Conemaugh Valley School District, she auditioned for that year's performance of "Godspell."

"I can't remember what made me want to audition, but this felt like a natural extension of who I am," Bergenstock said.

"Why wouldn't I want to sing, dance and act? That's what I do anyway."

Now, two decades later, the Johns-town native is living in California with her husband, Rob, and working toward a Ph.D. at Stanford University in theater and performance studies.

"The time that I'm here, I feel like I'm supported and challenged in really productive ways," Bergenstock said.

She pursued Stanford University because of Samer Al-Saber, an assistant professor in theater and performance studies who has become her mentor.

During her journey in theater, Bergenstock was introduced to Middle Eastern arts, and as she explored that world, she fell more in love with it and wanted to expand access to it for others.

In order to do that ethically, she said she needed to accomplish objectives such as finding the right person to guide her and become fluent in Arabic, which she's still working on.

Bergenstock said Al-Saber has helped her make connections and navigate the field of Middle Eastern arts.

"Marina is a fantastic emerging scholar and a proven artist," Al-Saber said.

"Working with her is like working with a colleague. She is professional, creative, thoughtful and always meets deadlines."

He added that in the rehearsal room as an assistant director and dramaturge, Bergenstock "brings a breadth of experience on multiple levels."

"She's very well-versed in critical approaches and simultaneously knowledgeable in directing and technical theater, so she often has brilliant feedback," Al-Saber said.

Since Bergenstock's start in the program in 2020, she's spent time in Palestine, working with local artists, reading and writing.

Bergenstock's love for Middle Eastern works stems from her time after her undergraduate degree.

She initially attended Penn State- Altoona for two years, occasionally switching majors, and afterward moved to Penn State's main campus, from which she graduated in 2011 with degrees in secondary education and English.

Throughout her undergraduate studies, Bergenstock participated with the theater group on both campuses.

She said the first thing she did when arriving at the college was audition for the next production, noting that this was the best way to find her people.

Bergenstock participated in every play in high school — "Footloose" being a favorite, and "The Wizard of Oz" a close second.

She met her first mentor, Robin Reese, in college, and that experience opened a lot of doors.

Watching the way Reese introduced concepts, explained subtle details and worked with every aspect of a performance inspired Bergenstock.

"I started to see that there was so much more in how she was thinking about things," Bergenstock said.

That's when she decided what she wanted to do with her life, and after a few conversations, she began co-directing with Reese.

She also started working with the lighting and costume departments, familiarizing herself with all aspects of a production.

Reese encouraged her to direct her own plays. Following graduation, she started doing just that at Altoona Area High School, her first post-baccalaureate job.

She also taught introduction to theater and advanced theater classes.

When she was considering graduate school to earn a degree in directing, Bergenstock met friend Mohamed Raouda, a native of Lebanon who introduced her to how big the world was compared to what was portrayed on stage.

"I thought new plays were the place to really expand that view," she said.

That's why she went to the University of Iowa in 2013, which she described as a creatively charged environment.

The university offers a program to work with playwrights producing new material.

Getting to work closely with playwrights was rewarding.

She said they introduced her to new play topics, such as a show about a missing Malaysian Airlines flight and a performance based on a video game.

Prior to and at that time, she made trips to Israel and Palestine to learn more about the culture.

Bergenstock said her experiences abroad were wonderful and it made her want to use theater to bridge the gap between what life is actually like in those countries and people's preconceived notions.

"Marina is an ambassador in every sense of the word," Al-Saber said.

"She has a proven ability to fairly represent Arab culture to newly interested students and a superb skill at communicating Middle Eastern theater as a working artist. Her handle on Arabic, Arab culture and Middle Eastern history and politics is excellent. I confidently recommend Marina as a cultural liaison on Middle Eastern theater topics in academia and the theatrical profession as a director, dramaturge, performer, teacher and scholar."

In the years that followed her time at Iowa, Bergenstock worked for the Milwaukee Repertory Theater as an assistant director, taught theater as a visiting professor at Beloit College in Wisconsin, traveled to Egypt and worked at the Silk Road Rising theater company in Chicago.

Some of her directing credits include "Shakespeare's Sisters," "The Palestinian Youth Monologues," "Twice, Thrice, Frice," and staged readings of "Supposed Home" and "Man of God" and "Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche."

Bergenstock's long-term goal is to "continue working in Palestine and translate plays that are happening there with Palestinian artists to really spotlight what's happening there."

She said she wants to keep teaching and directing.

"Those of us working in the field of Middle Eastern theater and performance as artists and scholars are lucky to work with Marina," Al-Saber said.

"American scholar-artists like Marina are able to see the field in fresh ways. In her work, she has the unique ability to interpret the work on its own terms and without the varnish of orientalism. She's a fair-minded advocate, studious scholar and sympathetic artist. She's also on my list of directors to watch.

"She has a creative edge that is very powerful on stage."

For more information on Bergenstock, visit marina- johnson.com.