May 2010

Our students and coaches have been very successful this winter and spring, since we last published news!!

Senior
Josh Skurnik’s portrayal of Pippin garnered him the Metropolitan Award for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Musical, presented by the Helen Hayes Theatre.

Alumna
Kate Bristol was cast as Dorothy in the national tour of The Wizard of Oz.

Alumni Justin Schuman was accepted to the Northwestern U. Musical Theatre certificate program.

Jennifer Foster
won 1st Place (and $1500!) in the Inagural Kathryn Skatula Musical Theatre Scholarship Competition.

Alumna
Kathleen Arcovio will begin graduate studies in Arizona State’s Theatre for Young Audiences MFA program in September 2010. She is currently a teaching artist with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Senior
Gianna Yanelli is making her professional theatre debut as Hodel in Walnut Street Theatre’s Fiddler On The Roof

Senior
Katy Koval will be performing in The Will Rogers Follies at West Virginia Public Theatre this summer.

Senior
Erica Vlahinos is playing the role of Queenie in the Colorado premiere of Andrew Lippa’s Wild Party.

Senior Danielle Nash was nominated for a SALT (Syracuse Area Live Theatre) Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Alumna Elizabeth Judd (Wendla) and senior Emily Mest (Thea) were recently cast in the upcoming national tour of Spring Awakening.

Alumni who have been cast in summer stock: Nikki Bonino (PCLO), Korey Buecheler (PCLO), Kailie Torres (PCLO and West Virginia Public Theatre); Lysie Shutrump (Lost Nation Theatre), Jen Brissman (MUNY), Kelly O’Neill (MUNY), Joseph Rosko (Prizery Theatre), Brittany Weir (MacHaydn Theatre), Shannon Hucker (Music Theatre of Wichita), Chelsea Gidden (Connecticut Rep)

Senior
Erica Vlahinos was selected as a 2010 Presidential Scholar in the Arts, the highest honor to be awarded in the NFAA Arts Competition. She and the other Presidential Scholars will visit the White House to meet President Obama in June!

Senior
Katie Wesler will be playing Liesel in Red Mountain Theatre’s Sound of Music this summer.

MTCA Director and song soach
Ellen Lettrich was hired to do voice therapy at Cornell Weill Medical Center on NYC’s Upper East Side beginning in July. This is one of the top Voice Centers in the country!

Rhyn McLemore and Gil Brady played John and Elizabeth Proctor in the Gallery Players production of The Crucible.

Alumni
Eric Herbst was chosen for an extremely selective internship at William Morris Endeavor Agency for the summer.

Natalie Weiss made her Broadway debut in Everyday Rapture on May 19!

Aluma
Santina Umbach played Mimi in Rent at BoCo. She also received rave reviews for her performance as Pickles in The Great American Trailer Park Musical at Boston’s SpeakEasy Stage.
http://boston.broadwayworld.com/printcolumn.cfm?id=127437

Alumni Jason Bias was in the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma's production of Sweeney Todd, featuring Emily Skinner.

Alumna
Chelsea Gidden played Queenie in Baldwin-Wallace’s Wild Party.

In the Fall 2009, alumna Amanda Kroiss choreographed the Dolphin Show production of Parade at Northwestern in which alumnus Will Skrip played Britt Craig.
http://www.steadstylechicago.com/paradedolphin.htm