We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mariah Larocque. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mariah below.
Mariah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I was in my Senior year of college and so close to obtaining my bachelor’s degree in Theatre when Covid forced students to go from in person classes to online only. I remember watching the news learning that theatre’s around the world were closing and talk about the relevance of live theatre started to surface. Nothing could ever take away my passion for live performance and theatre, but for a hot second I’m pretty sure artists all over the world thought that they’d never step foot on a stage again. So I started to think about film more. I knew that Hollywood hadn’t shut down despite Broadway never knowing if its doors would open again. So maybe film would be the avenue? It was a weird time, to say the least.
I had one spot left for a class on my schedule and I wasn’t sure what to take. Someone very close to me recommended that I sign up for ‘Advanced Screenwriting.’ Not only did I not have the prerequisite to enter the class, I had barely passed my college English class and when I shared a novel I’d been writing with someone they told me I was the worst writer they’d ever read. So, even though I was hesitant, I emailed the professor of the screenwriting class to see if he’d wave me in for the upcoming course. We came to an agreement that for a few weeks prior to the start of the semester I’d browse through the curriculum and complete some work for the class I hadn’t taken and he’d let me in. Done deal.
I was excited. I love sharing stories and now that things were dodgy with live theatre, I was looking forward to learning about a new way to share stories.
My close friend, who suggested I take screenwriting, knew I had a story to share that I’d been keeping bottled up for a while. This class would be the perfect avenue for me to start exploring my voice and build the courage to share the story. It was definitely a challenge to feel confident heading into the class considering my “writing career” thus far, but I was happy to have the artistic outlet added to my last semester.
The objective for Advanced Screenwriting was to complete a feature length screenplay or at least 60 pages (if you weren’t writing a TV Pilot). I told myself that by the time I graduated I would finish a complete first draft of my first feature length film and I damn near did it. Just a few weeks after graduating, I completed it. “Good Morning Sunshine” was just over 90 pages long and over the next year would go through multiple drafts as I collaborated with trusted friends and creative colleagues. When I felt it arrived at a more finished place, I submitted the screenplay into 20 festivals, nationally and internationally.
To me, the screenplay meant a lot more than just, “hey, I wrote a movie.” Which, hey, if you wrote a movie that’s an incredible feat, please don’t get me wrong. It’s just that I had this itch that drove me mad for a long time but I never dared scratch it. This story that I wanted to tell everyone about to keep them safe and help educate communities and families but never had the outlet or the courage to do it. My screenplay is based on true events about a young girl who was groomed by her middle school teacher, and when she sought help from school faculty she was met with disgust and was told that she was lying. The rest of the story follows her through her young adult life and how that one incident had a ripple effect on her mental and physical health, academic success, personal relationships and self-worth. These events happen to more children than most would like to admit and it happens more often than most would like to accept. I do believe that by sharing this story, people will be educated and future children can be saved.
This screenplay has been on of the most fulfilling, cathartic and meaningful projects I have ever poured myself into. I’m proud to share that it received 11 selections Nationally and Internationally claiming awards for “Best Drama Screenplay,” at the Chicago Script Awards, “Best First Time Screenwriter,” at the New York International Film Awards, 4 Selections, 1 Finalist, 3- Semi Finalist rankings and 1 honorable mention. I am currently in preproduction for a 20 minute proof of concept for the screenplay in which I will be submitting to Sundance Film Festival.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Of course! Hey readers! I’m Mariah Larocque. I’m 27 years old, currently living in Portland, Maine as a freelance creative. My skills vary from live theatre to film, on the screen/stage to behind the camera/curtains. Im a screenwriter, actor, director and producer. I’m also a photographer and social media manager. I grew up in New Hampshire and came to Maine for college. I fell in love with Portland and have been here since 2016. My passion for the arts started like most. I was 5 years old when my mom put me in my first community theatre performance of “Honk!” where I played a little duckling! Little did she know I would never stop! I’ve been in over 20 live theatre productions, 1 National Tour and debuted a show called “Fortune,” right here in Maine! Live theatre holds a special place in my heart but film has recently caught my attention and has me on a new path and I’m excited to see where it leads me to!
I was Miss Maine 2021 and for the first time in history was unanimously voted by the centennial Miss America class as Miss Congeniality. I’m an activist for human trafficking and children sexual exploitation awareness as well as a survivor.
It’s my goal to use my skills to help others and make impactful change in the community.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Middle School and High School were very difficult years for me. I endured various traumatic hardships from my parents divorce, to sexual exploitation by my middle school teacher, to a period of homelessness during my Junior year of High School. It felt as though I lost who I was before I could even find myself and I spent a lot of time just trying to survive. One of the only things that brought me hope and happiness was the arts which I had been heavily involved in since I was 5 years old. Theatre, dance, painting, singing, writing, karate…I dove into these hobbies to express, cope and have an outlet to escape to.
During my Junior year I knew that college was quickly approaching but I didn’t have a way to afford it. One day I was asked by a friend if I had ever heard of the Miss America Organization. I never watched it as a kid and to be honest I didn’t know that it was a real thing. I had heard of “Miss America” but I didn’t know that young academic women from all over the country actually vied to represent their states on national television and earn the job of Miss America. But I was about to learn!
I started competing in the Miss America Scholarship Program during the 2013/2014 competition season. The first local I ever competed in I did not win or place, but I was hooked. I showed up with trash bags full of my gowns and competition wear because I know that there were gown bags for gowns. I did my makeup near a dim light backstage because I didn’t know you could buy portable mirrors with lights- I truly had no idea what I was doing. I learned quickly that most of the stereotypes that surrounded the “pageant” world were false and that there was a bounty of opportunity to grow in this program and I didn’t want to miss out on that. I knew college interviews and auditions were right around the corner and the Miss America Organization offered the chance to harness interview skills, gain more stage presence, volunteer in the community and surround myself with like minded women. Not only that, but the opportunity to earn thousands of dollars in scholarships to afford higher education.
After graduating High School I didn’t have any financial help or savings to afford college so I was terrified of the undertaking. I didn’t know how I’d pay my first semester and contemplated not attending college. But from 2013-2018 I competed in various locals in New Hampshire. I was Miss Seacoast, Miss Manchester, Miss Greater Derry and Miss Londonderry. Every year I put in hundreds of hours of volunteer work in my community, focusing on things like substance abuse awareness and toward 2017 trauma education. I worked hard to gain the courage to use my voice and speak on topics I’d never dare engage in, learned how to stand tall on a stage and be confident about who I am and what I have to offer. Through these years I made friendships that have stood the test of time and gained relationships with women that have shaped me into the woman I am today.
I also earned enough money to pay for college, entirely in Miss America Scholarships.
I never won the state title in New Hampshire. But for five years I stayed committed. My eyes were on the prize. I will admit, it can be a battle of mental fortitude, though. Competing at locals, preparing each year to compete at the state level, Interview prep, talent prep, all while juggling college classes, finals, rehearsals, plays, personal and social life. It can be a lot.
So, I took a break from 2018-2019 to focus on my mental health and college classes. I was a theatre major at the University of Southern Maine and towards the end of 2017 I had just arrived back home from touring the U.S. on A National Tour of A Christmas Carol. I was getting back into the swing of things and come 2019 I thought about competing again, except this time in Maine. I enrolled as a student in 2016 and Maine quickly became home. So I became Miss Sunrise County and prepared to compete for Miss Maine 2020. But we all know what happened in 2020- need I say more?
The competition was postponed to 2021. At first I was bummed. Then I changed my perspective and utilized the time to my advantage to be as prepared and confident as possible to compete for what would be my last state competition.
In efforts to plant roots and make change in my state, I joined a non-profit organization called Thrive New England as an awareness advocate and marketing and communications assistant. After years of dedication to substance abuse prevention awareness in New Hampshire, I knew I had an even more personal story that I wanted to share. So I embraced the hardships of my past and became an advocate with Thrive so that I could help combat human trafficking and child exploitation. As a survivor of child exploitation, it took me years to sum up the courage to speak about what happened to me. But I felt it was time to embrace my story and share it with those close to me and throughout my year as I prepared for and eventually earned the title of Miss Maine 2021.
Yes! I finally did it! I had earned the job of Miss Maine and felt elated to know that I would be among the members of the 100th anniversary class of the iconic Miss America Scholarship Program. Funny for a girl who once never knew about Miss America, and now she would be heading to the National Stage. I had worked so hard, kept my heart set on helping others while striving to achieve a dream of mine and, wow, it was an incredible moment that I hold dear to my heart.
From June 16th, 2021 until December 14th I prepared to take the stage at Miss America. My social impact initiative was “A Survivor’s Purpose: End Child Exploitation.” I was going to sing “I Have Nothing,” by the iconic Whitney Houston. Although I battle anxiety, I felt I had worked hard and was ready to be among some of the smartest, most compassionate and philanthropic young woman of the Miss America Program. A dream I had since 2014 was finally becoming reality as I arrived at Mohegan Sun where preliminary and finals would take place. My moment to share my story, for myself and thousands of CSA survivors across the US was so close. My moment to sing my heart out, share with the judges my vision for the future of the program and to feel glamorous in my custom Ashley Lauren gown was just hours away.
Unfortunately, I caught covid and was disqualified from competition.
I’m the first state titleholder in the history of Miss America to be disqualified from competing. My world felt like a dream turned nightmare. I was put into an isolation unit for a while before being escorted to my hotel room, but I remember hearing my Miss America sisters singing, dancing, speaking all around me as they prepared to go on stage for their rehearsals before prelims. My heart felt so heavy, because although I was happy for their dreams to be coming true, I was falling far into a sea of darkness wondering why I spent so many years of my life striving after this moment to have it stripped from me literally moments before coming to fruition.
I cried. My mother cried. My Executive Director cried. Extended family. I mean some of them were already on their way to Connecticut to cheer me on and witness a dream years in the making come to life. Not just for myself but for them too. I had so many friends and family who supported me and stood by me year after year. I am eternally grateful to them all, but my heart broke further because I felt as though I failed them and failed myself.
When I left for Mohegan Sun, an adventure that was years in the making, the phrase “Be still and know” continued to play over and over in my mind. Little did I know that I’d be leaning so heavily into those words. Throughout the heartbreak and devastation, one thing remained steadfast and unshakable. My faith in God, His purpose and His plan for me. The Miss America Organization is a conduit for opportunities, growth and success. I don’t say this lightly, I would not be where I am today without the Miss America Organization, the $40,000 I’ve been awarded and the skills I’ve gained that have been molded into my character. I owe a lot to Miss America and will forever remain grateful for all it has given me. It has changed my life for the better, given me the opportunity to earn my Bachelor’s degree and follow my dreams. Which is exactly what I’m doing.
Truly, nothing changed between who I was, what I was going to bring to the Miss America Competition and now. I still seek justice and fight against Human Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation. I’m still following a path in which art, film and service can be combined to make the most influential change and impact in our Nation. I still cheer on all of my Miss America sisters and I will forever be member of the 100th class of Miss America. I may never had the chance to step foot on the Miss America stage, but the job I earned to represent Maine and be an ambassador and champion for the Miss America Organization will always be a part of me and one of the greatest honor of my life.
And above all else, I’ll always be me. Just a kid from Maine, following her big dreams, walking with God through the triumphs and hardships and lifting others along the way.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The list is endless when it comes the rewards of being an artist. Life feels like an endless stream of curiosities and ideas. There’s always something to make, something to say or express. You always have the ability to make something out of nothing with just your mind and two hands. I know I’ve mentioned it before but the cathartic release, for the creator and the consumer. The emotional vessel that art provides whether it’s happiness, sadness, hate, love or all in between. The impact it can have, the weight it can carry, the change it can make. There’s not just one reward of being an artist, but many hidden rewards waiting to be found as you dig into your creative adventures.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: mariahmydarling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariah.larocque.31/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariah-larocque-5985541a6
- Other: https://vimeo.com/mariahmydarling https://linktr.ee/mariahmydarling
Image Credits
Mariah Larocque