Hurricane Katrina figuratively blew Rachel Lorando and her family to Rio Rancho in 2005 and the Cleveland High junior-to-be figures if she can survive that tragedy, learning her lines for a life in the theater is a piece of cake.

Lorando, a PLAY Conservatory student, has been busy the past few weeks rehearsing for her part as Alice in Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland Jr.”

The show, produced and directed by former Rio Rancho High School drama teacher Jonathan Dunski, opens July 10.

Rachel Lorando

In 2005, Lorando recalled, “We lived an hour outside of New Orleans, so we got hit. We were lucky (because our house wasn’t hit by the hurricane). Once the levees broke, our house was destroyed and there was nothing to save.”

The family moved to Rio Rancho because a relative lived here and she said she loves living here. Discovering how much fun acting can be has provided a new direction in her life.

“I enjoyed musical theater, watching it in New Orleans,” she said. “I never got a chance to do it.”

That changed when she was a seventh-grader at Mountain View Middle School, where “Grease” was having auditions.

“I tried out and got the lead,” she said. “That was so exciting. I was Rizzo, not the lead-lead. Everyone said, ‘Rachel, you were so mean on stage. Usually, Rachel, you’re so shy.’

“Nobody thought I’d be in theater because it requires you to be on stage and people watching you,” she said. “It’s such a thrill.”

Later, attending the Mid-High, she appeared in “High School Musical,” directed by drama teacher Marc Roberts, with whom she’ll be reunited at CHS.

She has also performed in two other Dunski summer productions and had an understudy role this past spring in “Grease” at RRHS.

“I played Patty Simcox’s understudy. There were a ton of seniors — really good seniors,” she said of not nabbing a lead role. “But it was really fun. Miss (Gael) Natal’s the best.”

Lorando said she plans to remain close to Natal and RRHS drama students by participating in a post-school thespian troupe.

Her all-time dream role, she was asked.

“The good witch in ‘Wicked,’ ” she replied.

As the “tall” Alice, the 5-foot-10-inch Lorando said, she doesn’t get to sing, like the smaller Alices, but has a speaking role and “I get to be stuck in a house, so I’m excited. She grows really tall and gets stuck in the rabbit’s house.”

“Rachel is an accomplished singer, who is also a keen storyteller,” Dunski said. “We knew Rachel from her work in PLAY Conservatory the previous two summers, so we invited her in especially to play this role. She’s a tall blonde and therefore a perfect physical match, but more important, she’s a fine performer and an excellent role model for the younger ones.”

More lines will need to be learned before she heads to the city’s brand-new high school in August.

“After the play, I’m doing another of Jonathan’s productions, ‘High School Musical,’ at Albuquerque Little Theater,” she said.

After graduation in 2011, Lorando said, “Of course I want to go to college. I may be moving back to Louisiana but definitely majoring in music.”

Louisiana State could be her destination, she said.

“My entire family has gone there,” she said. “I might shoot for New York and be an aspiring actor there. I don’t know yet.”

She’ll have plenty of time to think about what to do in the future, maybe even while she’s stuck in the rabbit’s house.

PLAY Conservatory’s third annual summer project, produced in partnership with St. Pius X High School, runs July 10-19 at St. Pius, 5301 St. Joseph’s Drive NW.

Attendees will get a chance to join Alice’s madcap adventures in Wonderland as she chases the White Rabbit, races the Dodo Bird, gets tied up with the Tweedles, jives with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar, and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game.

“It’s a fun, fast-paced romp with new arrangements of classic Disney songs such as ‘I’m Late,’ ‘The Un-birthday Song’ and ‘Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,’ says Dunski. “This delightful one-act musical features a cast of children ages 7 to 16 and is appropriate for all ages.”

The production is the culminating event of a tuition-based conservatory program, in which a team of five teaching artists worked with young performers to develop skills in acting, singing, dancing, and professionalism. No prior experience was required to participate, though admission to the project required a successful audition. Students rehearsed five days per week for five weeks, up to seven hours per day.

“The program is as unique as it is challenging,” Dunski says. “No other summer children’s theater program works so intensively or stages as many performances. Our projects demand that the kids work like pros.”

Public performances are Fridays at 2 and 7 p.m., Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Jim Morley Theater on the St. Pius X campus.

General admission tickets are $10. To purchase advance tickets by phone, call 831-8406. Tickets are also available at the theater 30 minutes before show times. Group discounts are available: $5 tickets for groups of 10 or more.

This PLAY Conservatory project is part of “Summer@St. Pius,” a comprehensive program of enrichment workshops for middle school students which offers arts, athletics, and academics sessions from June 1 through July 10. Visit saintpiusx.com and click on “summer adventures” for additional information.

PLAY Conservatory offers unique and challenging educational programs in Theater and produces superior quality entertainment for the entire family.

To find out more, go to playconservatory.org or contact Dunski at 321-9351.