EHS Pillars - Spring 2018

Award for his role as Tommy in the musical "Urinetown." Estus
says that citywide accolade helped him gain auditions during
the first years of his career.
After graduating from Episcopal, Estus headed to
Northwestern University to complete his B.A. in Theatre, with
a Musical Theatre Certificate. At Northwestern he balanced
rigorous academics and performed in many productions,
such as "Rent," "The Pajama Game," and "42nd Street."
While EHS Onstage prepared him for his dream career, he
says that joining the Knights wrestling team—where he was
named State Champion and All‐American—provided equal
benefits. "Wrestling re‐defined hard work and taught me
teamwork and discipline," he explains. "George Brock and
Steve Leisz toiled tirelessly with my schedule to ensure I
could participate in both theatre and wrestling in high school,
and I think that kind of collaboration is pretty rare."
As with most live theatre productions, his role in "Book"
requires eight performances a week. "You have to be healthy
and in great shape, so a background in athletics is terrific."
Besides Broadway, Estus has performed in regional theatre,
film, and movies—and at only age 26, his future looks bright.
"If students love acting
and know it's something
they want to do, they
just have to go for
it," he advises. "As in
every field, there are
plenty of naysayers,
but the ability to handle
rejection is especially
important in theater. You
have to love auditioning—
see it as your chance to perform
for the day. There's a lot of nonsense
that comes along with the 'business' but if you still love the
acting and the art it encompasses, it's worth it," he says.
"Read a lot, do good work in class, don't be afraid to fail, and
find ways to enjoy every step of the process. Everyone's road
to success in this field is completely different. Keep hustling
down your own road and don't pay attention or compare
yourself to anyone else. If you work hard, know your lines,
and show up on time, good things will always happen. And
when they do—it's so awesome!"
—Claire C. Fletcher
Marlo Cobb Saucedo '87: Distance, Up Close
Marlo Cobb Saucedo '87 was introduced to art long before
high school through summer classes at MFAH's Glassell
School. Art was a passion, but not a career goal. After
graduating from EHS, Saucedo attended Davidson College,
writing for The Davidsonian and majoring in psychology with a
concentration in Spanish and French.
Her first job took her to Washington, D.C., where she assisted
with the resettlement of Vietnamese‐American
war babies in her work for the International
Catholic Migration Commission. She
left that position to earn an M.B.A. in
entrepreneurship from the University
of Texas, all the while taking art
classes in Austin. When creative
friends began dropping out of
the M.B.A. program at a fast
clip, she was inspired to create
a handwriting‐to‐line visual
diary of the experience called
"Escaping."
Returning to Houston with her
M.B.A. and working as an HTML
coder, Saucedo continued to feel
pulled toward visual art. After she and
her husband, Alex, bought their first home
in Bayou Lofts among the storied buildings of Houston's early
downtown, Saucedo developed an interest in the architecture
and history of Houston. She revisited handwriting‐to‐line
techniques in depictions of the Houston skyline. Each work
noted the building's height, architect, address, and year
completed, and she sold the pieces to lawyers and architects
with downtown offices.
Today her medium extends to collage on canvas and
board, using acrylic mixed with high‐end latex. The works
feature words in English, Spanish, or French that allude to
history, poetry, and opinion. Saucedo calls her style "visual
art narrative." She's interested in exploring the internal and
external, mind and matter, and presenting interiors at a close
distance, "like the stories we hold within ourselves," she says.
Having a studio in The Silos on Sawyer since 2016 has
escalated her productivity and focus. "You never want to be
the smartest person in the room," she says. "I'm fortunate to
have talent all around me at Sawyer Yards. We collaborate,
discuss our work, and bounce ideas off each other."
As for the future, "I'll keep focusing on what I enjoy—color,
shape, writing, and collaboration," she says. "Thinking bigger
is better," she believes, "and failure is better than never trying."
—Margaret Young
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