Fox Lane Middle School Actor Continues To Rise

Mom expressed pride in her sons continued growth as an actor
Fox Lane Middle School Actor Continues to Rise
Source - Photo by Vanessa Amato

The pursuit of proficiency in the world of theater can definitely put an actor on the spot. So can life and Joey Cicchelli knows from both. This means he's well aware that sometimes he needs to chill his pores to be successful on either front. "He gets into a lavender bath. We go through the script line by line, and this lets him take it down a notch," says his mom Vanessa Amato. Maybe not conducive to Lee Strasberg's liking but certainly in the ballpark for the type of digressions actors take to get it done.

“That's his method,” Amato clarifies.

Oliver, the 25th Annual Spelling Bee and a host of other successful performances in

our area, the 11 year old has no need to be shy about submerging to rise to the level that his game already takes him. "He has such a natural ability," says Mom. "He just reacts so well to his surroundings and the other actors."

At the same time, he doesn’t only reserve those skills for the stage, and no one knows that better than Vanessa. “That’s where the problem is. He’s very dramatic, and it’s hard to tell when he’s actually feeling something or putting on an act,” she says.

All the world, of course, but while some acknowlegement must go to mom's inclinations  as a singer, she’s quick to counter the assertion that she gets a good deal of the credit. “Not really," she says matter of fact. 

Shyness hasn’t been passed down either.  "I was always too afraid to get up in front of an audience,” says the Mt. Kisco Childcare Toddler Teacher. “So

I live vicariously through him.”

Any jealousy is pretty much contained too. “He makes me proud because he took it to a level that I never could,” says Vanessa. 

And his heart is a roar for the next role. “He just got the part of the Lion in the Wizard of Oz at Westmoreland,” she says.  

Looking forward, she hopes Joey will be open to working with a manager who specializes in child actors this summer. His continued development gives her high hopes, while maybe the end result might pay some dividends for a mom like her who has to be everywhere for her son’s passion. “We’re praying he gets a great acting job in the future so he can support me,” she jokes in conclusion.



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