Marcos Ochoa

Marcos was the newest member of the Naked Boys Singing! (NBS) cast -- fresh out of college. He looks so much like an "All-American boy" that you could practically use him to define the term! He was so slim that it came as a shock for me to learn that he had been a chubby teenager.

o what's a nice boy like you doing in a show like this?

I think it's probably because I never had the rebellious stage when I was younger, so this is me going through it later. I want to do something risky and different. What better way to get exposure than to do a show that's so well known in Chicago and all over?

Have you ever been theatrically naked before this show?

No.

Have you ever been naked in public before this show?

No.

Do you consider yourself a nudist?

No.

Has being in the show affected your being naked in your daily life?

I've noticed that I am such a sock person -- I wear socks all the time -- and now I go half the day in just boxers and I'm a little bit freer with clothes.

ow did you find out about the show for the first time?

I believe I looked at newspaper articles -- and I noticed that they were looking for replacements on backstage.com.

What is your most moving theatrical experience involving an actor's nudity (you in the audience or you as the nude actor)?

Probably the fact that I can stand there and be naked. The first second after the the curtain opens there's nothing more you can do; you're committed for the full 90 minutes. I'm comfortable in my body now. For about 3 years in junior high I was a husky child so it's sort of ironic to be thinner now.

What's the weirdest thing that's happened to you during a NBS performance?

Well, it's only my fourth weekend of performances. It would have to be people recognizing you outside the theater -- "Oh! You're in 'Naked Boys Singing!'" -- and it's only been four weeks.

What's the funniest thing that's happened to you outside the theater as a result of you being in the cast?

When women sort of stare at you (or men too) -- they give you funny looks like "I just saw you naked and now you're clothed."

Any downside from being in the cast?

No, I haven't found any yet. I feel very fortunate to be part of the cast, very happy to be part of it. Others have done it since August 2001, and with their humor they keep the show alive. The show is the same every week, but we're different every day.

oes your mother know?

Yes. My mother does know. When I told her she just sort of laughed about it. It took me two weeks to tell her. She just laughed about it and said OK. She'll tell her coworkers about it, I think.

Has your mother seen the show?

No.

Have any other relatives seen it?

No, not yet. I told them to give themselves awhile, a few weeks, so it's just a matter of them buying a ticket.

Do most actors nowadays consider being nude in a show a plus or a minus?

It's a plus because when they do future auditions it shows that they're flexible, that they're not shy. They are more willing to go the distance in theater.

So did you major in theater in college?

I double majored in Business Magnagement and Theater, and minored in Philosophy. I graduated in June 2002 -- so I'm the youngest member of the cast, 22.

What's your favorite piece in the show?

"Muscle Additcition," becuase I used to be a hip hop instructor. I taught it to little kids -- certain dance moves -- to loosen up to not be afraid and feel rhythms and music better.

[At this point we're interrupted and we have to end the interview.]

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