Martha Cleary has always had a love for the arts. From a young age, Cleary, now a senior at Saint Joe, has had an innate love for the arts taking dance classes and participating in numerous theater camps and workshops. Cleary began her theater career with a small role in her seventh-grade play and quickly moved up the ranks to perform as the lead in her eighth-grade production of Lady Pirates of the Caribbean. Cleary recalls being inspired by her older cousins as they performed in their own productions throughout their school years, and looking up to them as “role models” for her own performances. She also has fond memories of her musical-loving family and acknowledged the integral part that her family’s love for theater played in her own love for the art.

Cleary carried her childhood love of the arts and theater with her to high school and has been involved in the Saint Joe Theatre department since her freshman year. She has been a dedicated and committed member ever since, performing in five Saint Joe productions and working on the crew for one. Hello, Dolly will be her seventh and final production with the Saint Joe Theatre program. Some of her favorite roles include Mia in her senior fall play, 30 Reasons Not to Be in a Play, and Lindsay in her junior year spring musical production of Godspell.

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Cleary as Mia in 30 Reasons Not to Be in a Play

Her upcoming role as Dolly Gallagher Levi in Saint Joe’s spring musical production of Hello, Dolly is especially near to her heart. Cleary says that Dolly’s “confidence” is “really great” and admires Dolly’s independence and can-do spirit. Cleary finds relatability in the character of Dolly as she identifies with Dolly’s passion for people as well as her independence and self-sufficiency. Cleary remarks that she “cares deeply about other people” which is something that she and Dolly have in common.

The role of Dolly has ties to Cleary’s childhood and brings a sense of nostalgia to the show as well as she remembers that her grandmother used to play the title song “Hello, Dolly” “on the piano for [her]” to “put on concerts for her grandpa.” This role and show have special places in Cleary’s heart as it helps her to “remember [her grandparents]” through the familiar songs and lyrics that filled her childhood.

This passion for people that Cleary identifies as a common ground between herself and the character of Dolly is evident in the many clubs and activities she is involved in outside of the theatre department that exhibit her involvement and dedication to the people of the Saint Joe High School community. Not only is Martha an avid member of the theatre community, but she is also involved in the Right to Life Club, Student Council, Student Ambassadors, National Honor Society, Campus Ministry, the Social and Ecological Concerns Organization (SECO), Catholic Relief Services Club, Best Buddies, and is a member of the lacrosse team.

Cleary’s directors can testify to her leadership and dedication to the program. Mrs. O’Brien, the music director for Saint Joe productions, states that “Martha is one of the hardest working theater students in the program. She takes direction well and is such a pleasure to work with!” Furthermore, Mr. Reynolds, the director of the Saint Joe High School Theatre Program, remarked that “Martha is a very talented student who is an incredibly hard worker. She is passionate about the craft of theatre and brings a real depth of personality to every character she portrays, our program is lucky to have someone with her dexterity and skill range.”

Cleary has bittersweet feelings about beginning the rehearsal process for the spring musical as it will be her final production at Saint Joe. She says she will remember the “community” that has been built by the Saint Joe Theatre department and the friendships she has developed with many of the other seniors in the plays and musicals. Cleary says she will remember the “crazy inside jokes” and the “goofy moments [the seniors] have had together” above all else and says that it will be “really hard to say goodbye” to the Saint Joe community after a fulfilling and successful four years on stage.