"Theater needs professionals like our Veronica Burt," Mayorga said.
Kate Oliver '16, her freshman roomate, said that Burt's natural passion for the arts has led to her success on the stage.
"I know whatever she ends up doing, that zest will carry over," Oliver said of Burt's interests.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Burt has danced classical ballet since she was three, and found her love for theater and modern dance in high school. She continued to pursue the arts at Dartmouth by dancing in Sugarplum and performing in productions including "The Liar," "Cabaret" and this fall's "Big Love."
Burt quickly found a home in the theater department. It's no surprise that with her enthusiasm and talent, faculty members also warmly received Burt.
Burt met her mentor Mayorga during the first week of classes through the first-year advising program.
"She arrived at Dartmouth with the express intent to pursue theater studies, which is rarity and edifying for me as a theater professor," Mayorga said. "Her enthusiasm was palpable not only in the resume she accumulated pre-Dartmouth, but also in her desire to think about the role of the arts in secondary education, a deep concern of hers."
Burt joined Sugarplum that fall as well, and has enjoyed helping shape the group's long-term direction.
"It has been really important to keep [dancing] up even though I don't really want to be a professional dancer," Burt said.
Burt used her skills last spring in "Cabaret" as a co-choreographer and one of the dance leads. The most memorable part of the show was collaborating with other students, as the entire production was student-run, she said.
"It was so cool to see people from all different arts organizations on campus to come together," she said. "I think that has been the highlight of my Dartmouth experience so far."
Burt performed in "The Liar" last winter, which presented a new experience given that a chorus and composer were added to supplement the music in the play.
This term, Burt will play one of the lead roles in "Big Love," working with Emmy Award-nominated director Tazewell Thompson. Burt said she is looking forward to tackling a non-musical production for the first time.
"I often hide behind singing and dancing, so now I feel more vulnerable," Burt said. "I think of myself as a dancer before an actor because I've been dancing it for so long. It has been very challenging not to have that part of my identity in this show."
Burt has been inspired by Thompson, who has given her a taste for life in theater.
"I constantly have to be at my best because these are the people I might be working with in the future," she said. "It's good practice."
Eventually Burt aspires to act on Broadway in "big, sexy shows where women are the main characters," she said. Her favorite productions include "A Chorus Line," "Cabaret" and "Sweet Charity." Burt said she tends to play "villains and over-sexualized women," but would love to break out of her comfort zone and play a timid, romantic lead.
Mayorga said she sees a bright career for Burt, who is interested in exploring social issues such as education, youth and social justice through performance.
"She has outstanding abilities as a performer," Mayorga said. "Any way in which she chooses to blend this potent mix will garner her the ability to change lives now and in the future."
Burt hopes to attend the theater foreign study program in London and participate in the New York Theater Workshop over her sophomore summer.
