Headed To Regional Theater Competition
Five LaGuardia Community College students who were involved in the Long Island City school’s production of Little Shop of Horrors were nominated to compete in the Kennedy Center’s American Collegiate Regional Theater Festival, the college announced.
The festival is described as a highly competitive audition that will attract over 300 students from colleges and universities throughout the northeast.
The five students, who were nominated for Musical Theater Initiative and/or Irene Ryan Acting scholarships, were:
– Daniel Feliz, who played Seymour, the florist who discovers a mysterious plant;
– Jasmine Holloway, who played Chiffon, the lead singer of the show’s four-woman chorus;
– Tiffany Scott, one of two Audreys, Seymour’s co-worker in the flower shop and love interest;
– Javon Minter, the voice of Audrey II, the man-eating plant from outer space; and
– Patrick Surillo, production stage manager, who received an outstanding stage management nomination.
Two students who were cast in a multitude of roles-Kamilla Lipinska and Francisco Carrillo-were named Irene Ryan Acting alternates.
“Participation in the festival is an incredible component to the college theater student’s experience,” said professor Stefanie Sertich, who submitted the college’s first-ever application to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. “And the fact that our students were not only selected, but garnered the most nominations, is quite an accomplishment. I couldn’t think of a better way to launch the new theater major.”
Started in 1969, the American College Theater Festival is a national theater program whose mission is to improve the quality of college theater in the U.S.
Its network comprises more than 600 academic institutions nationwide and involves 18,000 student artists who showcase their work.
The nomination process began last May when Sertich invited two festival judges to attend the production of the comedy horror musical. Professor Jason Ramirez, the show’s director, staged a production of the Broadway musical which was based on the original Roger Corman movie of 1959.
To capture the feeling of the original movie, Ramirez interspersed archival black and white film footage from the original and staged the first act in black and white; the second act was in full color.
“It was very ‘Wizard of Oz,'” he said.
Professor Lisa DeSpain was the musical director and Steven Hitt, the managing director of LPAC, was the choreographer. Ramirez recruited a design staff that included a lighting designer from the Roundabout Theater company and a costume designer from the Ridiculous Theater Company, as well as a band of Broadway musicians.
But the 13 student cast members were the stars, according to Sertich. “The judges applauded the tremendous effort, commitment and talent of our cast and crew,” she said. “What impressed them most was that only a few of our students had ever performed on stage before.”
That included Feliz, a 19-year-old theater major who captured two nominations; and Minter, a philosophy major.
“What I found interesting was that Javon, who was not physically on stage, was nominated for what he did with his voice,” Ramirez said.
Another impressive first-time performance, he added, was Surillo’s stage direction. “He called a very intricate show, which involved a lot of lighting, sound, set and video cues,” Ramirez said. It was a ridiculous amount of work for a veteran stage manager, and he handled it like a pro.”
The professor added that what makes Surillo’s nomination even more impressive is that, as a rule, the students who compete in this category come with years of stage managing experience.
Although the college’s theater program is in its infancy, Ramirez said he is not surprised over the students’ impressive work.
“We are 15 minutes from Broadway, so the level of training we are giving the students is of that caliber,” he said. “It would not make sense to train them at a lesser level.”
The five nominees now have six months to practice their song and scene selections and develop their script for the regional festival auditions, held at Cape Cod Community College in January.
At the five-day festival, the students also will participate in a wide range of workshops, including playwriting, acting, singing, design and stage management, all taught by professionals.
Selected from each of the eight regional festivals will be the top two candidates. The 16 students who reach this stage will receive a $500 scholarship and the chance to compete in the national festival in Washington D.C. in April 2013.
For now, the theater professors are focusing on getting the students prepared for the nationals.
“This is the first time they are involved in a high-stakes audition,” Sertich said, “and we are going to make sure they are ready.”
