1. Describe what Paradoja Studios means to you.
- Paradoja is a safe place, a creative outlet. It is a place that I know that I will always be heard and respected. Going to one of our meetings, it’s like entering a whole other world. It means everything to me. It is another home, a family.
2. How long have you been a member of the Paradoja family?
- I have been around since the beginning of this group, back in 2010.
3. What sets Paradoja Studios apart from other groups?
- I think the biggest thing that sets Paradoja apart from any other group is that everyone is apart of everything. In most other groups, everyone has their position and that is that. Here, everyone can contribute to whatever part of the show process that they may have an idea for. No idea goes unheard.
4. What has it been like to see Paradoja Studios grow, develop and change over the past years?
- It has been an amazing experience. I have been around since the start of this group, so I have had the pleasure of getting to work with every single member that has ever been a part of this group. We have had some amazing talent come through this group and it just continues to grow. When this group first started it was just a small group of Hicksville kids. Now we have begun to expand to other towns and schools. Past and present, we have had dozens of members and Paradoja has come to mean so much to all of them. On top of that, when we first started we mostly just did comedy. But as the years went on, we began to grow and work on more dramatic and serious pieces as well. Now, I would like to say that we have come to find the perfect blend of comedy and drama.
5. What have you learned from Paradoja so far?
- I have learned a lot over the last six years, but the biggest thing that this group had taught me is to never be afraid to express myself and to never hold back.
6. What is the rehearsal/meeting process like?
- Well, in the beginning we usually end up sitting around the room in a big circle. We read through the scenes and everyone says what they think. Eventually, ideas just start flying around the room. This is how we have come up with some of our best work and it’s great because everyone gets there opinions heard. As the process continues, we will vary from all focusing on one sketch at a time, to splitting up into different rooms to work on various sketches. It can get kind of chaotic sometimes, but I have learned that from chaos, can come the greatest work.
7. How did you get started with Paradoja?
- A very good friend of mine, Chris Pagan recruited me for tech for our first show, Paradoja’s Grindhouse. And the rest is history.
8. Are you a member of the cast or crew?
- I am the all around tech girl for our productions.
9. If you look back to when you first joined Paradoja, do you think Paradoja Studios turned in to what you thought it was going to?
- No, definitely not. It turned into so much more. When this first started, I never expected it to be something that we continued to do for what has now been six years. This group has grown from this small group of friends performing Mike’s work, to a community wide group that has come to really be known by people.
10. What do you think of Mike Pagano? What have you learned from him personally and professionally?
- Mike is our fearless leader. But to me he is a lot more than that, he’s my brother. It’s weird for me to think about how back in 2010, when I first joined Paradoja I barely knew him. Mike is truly one of the greatest people that I know. He has literally welcomed strangers into his home for every show that Paradoja Studios has put on. He is the type of person that will always be there for you and always accept you, no matter who you are. There isn’t a bad thing that I could say about him. He has taught me that you can get through anything as long as you have something that you’re passionate about. He has taught me that there is nothing that you can’t overcome, you can always find a reason to laugh, and that with him in your life you are always going to have a friend by your side.
- Paradoja is a safe place, a creative outlet. It is a place that I know that I will always be heard and respected. Going to one of our meetings, it’s like entering a whole other world. It means everything to me. It is another home, a family.
2. How long have you been a member of the Paradoja family?
- I have been around since the beginning of this group, back in 2010.
3. What sets Paradoja Studios apart from other groups?
- I think the biggest thing that sets Paradoja apart from any other group is that everyone is apart of everything. In most other groups, everyone has their position and that is that. Here, everyone can contribute to whatever part of the show process that they may have an idea for. No idea goes unheard.
4. What has it been like to see Paradoja Studios grow, develop and change over the past years?
- It has been an amazing experience. I have been around since the start of this group, so I have had the pleasure of getting to work with every single member that has ever been a part of this group. We have had some amazing talent come through this group and it just continues to grow. When this group first started it was just a small group of Hicksville kids. Now we have begun to expand to other towns and schools. Past and present, we have had dozens of members and Paradoja has come to mean so much to all of them. On top of that, when we first started we mostly just did comedy. But as the years went on, we began to grow and work on more dramatic and serious pieces as well. Now, I would like to say that we have come to find the perfect blend of comedy and drama.
5. What have you learned from Paradoja so far?
- I have learned a lot over the last six years, but the biggest thing that this group had taught me is to never be afraid to express myself and to never hold back.
6. What is the rehearsal/meeting process like?
- Well, in the beginning we usually end up sitting around the room in a big circle. We read through the scenes and everyone says what they think. Eventually, ideas just start flying around the room. This is how we have come up with some of our best work and it’s great because everyone gets there opinions heard. As the process continues, we will vary from all focusing on one sketch at a time, to splitting up into different rooms to work on various sketches. It can get kind of chaotic sometimes, but I have learned that from chaos, can come the greatest work.
7. How did you get started with Paradoja?
- A very good friend of mine, Chris Pagan recruited me for tech for our first show, Paradoja’s Grindhouse. And the rest is history.
8. Are you a member of the cast or crew?
- I am the all around tech girl for our productions.
9. If you look back to when you first joined Paradoja, do you think Paradoja Studios turned in to what you thought it was going to?
- No, definitely not. It turned into so much more. When this first started, I never expected it to be something that we continued to do for what has now been six years. This group has grown from this small group of friends performing Mike’s work, to a community wide group that has come to really be known by people.
10. What do you think of Mike Pagano? What have you learned from him personally and professionally?
- Mike is our fearless leader. But to me he is a lot more than that, he’s my brother. It’s weird for me to think about how back in 2010, when I first joined Paradoja I barely knew him. Mike is truly one of the greatest people that I know. He has literally welcomed strangers into his home for every show that Paradoja Studios has put on. He is the type of person that will always be there for you and always accept you, no matter who you are. There isn’t a bad thing that I could say about him. He has taught me that you can get through anything as long as you have something that you’re passionate about. He has taught me that there is nothing that you can’t overcome, you can always find a reason to laugh, and that with him in your life you are always going to have a friend by your side.
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