Smile

What makes Ka’Lena Cuevas smile? “Only the worst cliches come to mind when trying to answer this question, but it reminds me of one of my favorite Shakespeare plays: ‘The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief,’” said the Fishers resident, who is often found producing local community theater productions. In 2022, she earned Encore Association’s 2022 Awards for Best Production of a Comedy for Basile Westfield Playhouse’s “Rumors” and Best Production of a Drama for the Playhouse’s “Mice and Men.” Before that, she earned Best Production of a Comedy for the Playhouse’s 2019 “Lie, Cheat and Genuflect.” She performed in Noblesville Cultural Arts Commission’s 30th annual free Shakespeare in the Park. Cuevas was born and raised in New York City (Chelsea, Manhattan) and when she was a teenager moved with her family to Oahu, Hawaii, until she left for college, “which is what brought me here (to Indiana),” said Cuevas, who graduated from DePauw University. After finishing grad school on the East Coast, she moved to Indianapolis, then Fishers. Why theater? “I’ve always loved theater. My parents would take my siblings and me to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows growing up in NYC, and I still remember those,” said Cuevas, who took acting and playwriting classes in college and majored in English. She is currently producer for Hamilton County Theatre Guild’s Belfry Theatre production of “Crimes of the Heart,” a dramedy directed by Jen Otterman of Noblesville and opening Saturday and continuing through May 7 at Arts for Lawrence’s Theater at the Fort. For tickets, visit thebelfrytheatre.com.