Several current students and alumni performed alongside Broadway actors in Studio Tenn’s September production of “Evita” at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC). The show ran from September 9-18 and was the first-ever local production to hit TPAC’s “Broadway Series.”
Of the 23 current students who were involved in the production, 21 of them are musical theatre students and two are theatre students (listed below). Also involved were two musical theatre alumni and one theatre alumna. Full-time voice instructor in the Musical Theatre Program Emily Speck was the production’s choreographer.
Speck discussed the exposure students received through their involvement and its ability to give them an edge among other candidates when looking for future jobs. “These students were all awarded Equity Membership Candidate points (EMC), which furthers their path to becoming part of the Actors Equity Association,” said Speck. “They also had the opportunity to perform in Jackson Hall, the largest theater venue at TPAC, seating around 15,000 people throughout [the] 12-performance run of the show. This is incredible exposure and experience for Belmont’s young professionals who are aspiring to work on this level. They experienced what it is like to work on an Equity contract, on a ‘Broadway-level show,’ according to many… It’s incredible that our Belmont students are able to put this show on their resume for all to see. It immediately gives them clout not only to have worked on this production, but to work with this creative team and star lineup in this capacity.”
New York talents in “Evita” included Broadway performer Eden Espinosa and Tony-Award winner Anthony Crivello. The names of the students and alumni involved are listed below.
Current Musical Theatre students: Abby Docherty, Delaney Gold, Kyle Carress, Lexie McEntire, Quinton Craig, Dylan Davis, Gabe Hoyer, Anna Dewey, Mary Kate Hughes, Meredith Waggoner, Arden Taylor, Natalie Ragazzo, Imari Thompson, Julian Malone, Jake Perotti, Katelynn Fahrer, Dani List, Katie Grogg, Lizzy Hinton, Samantha Blake and Becky Flaherty.
Current Theatre Students: Robert Helvey (Assistant Technical Director) and McKenzie Wilkes (Production Assistant)
Musical Theatre Alumni: Neal Buckley and Arik Vega
Theatre Alumna: Rebekah Lecocq, Production Assistant
For more information on the production and to watch the trailer, visit Studio Tenn’s site. To see behind-the-scenes footage of the production, click here.
Above photo provided by MA2LA.
