A familiar face in the local inclusive-theater world is being remembered as a force for good across Northern Virginia.
Merry Jayne Casillas of Arlington died Sept. 21 after a brief illness. She was 43 years old and, for the past two decades, was a part of the ArtStream inclusive-theater troupe.
Casillas had “been with ArtStream from the very beginning, and would have been starting her 21st season as an ArtStream company member next month,” the organization said in a statement.
“We will miss her dearly,” ArtStream officials said, adding that the local stage “won’t be the same without her wit, sass, thoughtfulness, and talent.”
ArtStream provides adults with intellectual and developmental challenges a place on the stage across the D.C. region. Participants work to develop scripts, dialogue and songs, which are presented in collaboration with support personnel.
In 2016, the Sun Gazette interviewed Casillas, who was portraying a take-charge, Barbie-type character in the comedy-whodunit “Idle Playthings” at Gunston Arts Center.
She said she’d been on stage since she was 12 years old. “I love it,” she said.
As for learning the script, she said she received help from her family — “and I have a big family,” she said.
As news of her death spread, online tributes poured in.
Said Jordan Hansen: “Thank you for all the big hugs, the sweetest text messages, the funnest games, the best girls nights, and for your big beautiful heart.”
Family, friends and those who shared the stage with her gathered Sept. 26 for a memorial service at Arlington Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on N. Inglewood Street.
“She’s still with us — we savor her memory,” her father, Ed Casillas, said during the ceremony.
Merry Casillas, who was born with Down syndrome, never let challenges get in her way, family members said.
Friendship “meant something very real,” said her sister, Summer Casillas.
“Merry never met a stranger,” she said.
Casillas was the youngest of seven brothers and sisters born to Ed and Jill Casillas. In addition to her parents and siblings, she is survived by 22 nieces and nephews and nearly as many grand-nieces and nephews.
As news of her death spread, “we’ve had a great outpouring, just a flood of love,” her mother said.
The two great passions of Merry Casillas’s life were her church and ArtStream. Her mother noted that on her death certificate, her occupation is listed as “actress.”
As for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “she was so embraced here,” Jill Casillas said.
“This was her sacred place,” she said. The times she had to miss services “infuriated her,” her mother said.
ArtStream’s Northern Virginia theater troupes will begin work in mid-October in choosing topics and developing scripts for shows to be presented next spring.
The nonprofit organization said staff members would be available if others in the troupe needed someone to talk to or referrals to mental-health services.
“The passing of a community member is a difficult experience, and we want to emphasize that you are not alone if you are struggling with this news,” the organization said.
The family has asked that memorial donations be made to ArtStream. More about the life of Merry Casillas can be found here.
