Matilda is an extremely empathic girl...and she grows into an enduring and charismatic woman.

Dillon Rouse: What drew you to Texas Tech's Theatre & Dance department?

Virginia Fuentes: I came to Lubbock first because of family. Choosing Texas Tech was easy after seeing the close-knit community of the department. The people are warm and edifying. They left a great impression during my walk through so I had to come back.

DR: You participated in WildWind Performance Lab this summer. What was that like?

VF: WildWind was so liberating. The experience created life bonds with new friends. I was able to explore myself as an actor and work with myself, learning to trust myself and others.

DR: Can you tell us about Matilda, your character in Passing?

VF: Matilda is an extremely empathic girl. She has been through a mess of experiences in her time during Passing, but her heart still survives the events and she grows into an enduring and charismatic woman.

DR: This is play is performed outside a traditional theatre stage, much like the rest of TTU's site-specific season. What is the process like getting ready for a non-traditional theatre space?

VF: At this stage we are still in process. We replicate the staging of the space in rehearsal so that the transition will be a bit easier to slip into when being given the new space.

DR: What interests you about this play?

VF: Oh everything! The play has so many details hiding within it that help in character and relationship building. The way the play is written is so different from the way it is with bodies in the space and that has been such an experience making discoveries in rehearsal.

DR: Stepping away from the play and into something more personal: You do cosplay. Who is your favorite character to dress as and why?

VF: Oh cosplay! The character changes by the day! I mainly cosplay characters that I enjoy qualities of or admire. So at this time, Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She's so intelligent, she's a bookworm, and I love her ideas and drive!