Broadway Kids:
We hope you enjoyed reading about Theatre at the Mount “success stories” in our 2004 playbills. In our “Star is Born” series we profiled 6 TAM veterans who have gone on to professional acclaim in the theatre.
The recent success of some of our young teen performers proves that stars are indeed born at Theatre at the Mount.
On Saturday, November 6, Theatre at the Mount Director Gail Steele accompanied 6 young actors and actresses to an audition held at the Chelsea Studios in New York City. Music Theatre International/Broadway Junior Productions were seeking talented kids, ages 7 – 18 to be part of the casts of 4 new workshop productions based on the popular Disney films Mulan, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty and The Aristocats. Sam Simahk, Liz Coakley, Jake Warren, Jessica Berube, Mikayla Campbell and Britney Steele auditioned with 350 of the best young performers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. They did Theatre at the Mount proud, as 5 of them were selected to take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity. They will begin rehearsals in New York on February 12 and will perform in New York on April 10. We hope you enjoy reading their stories as they take their “first steps to Broadway!”
On Saturday, November 6, Theatre at the Mount Director Gail Steele accompanied 6 young actors and actresses to an audition held at the Chelsea Studios in New York City....
Sam Simahk is a junior at Oakmont Regional High School and plans on majoring in Musical Theatre or Education in college. In third grade, his parents sent him to Theatre at the Mount’s Summer Drama Camp and he has been hooked on theatre since. Sam says that the brilliant directors, music directors and choreographers at TAM have sharpened his acting, singing and dancing skills. Audiences have enjoyed Sam’s performances in The Dancing Spider, Schoolhouse Rock, The Velveteen Rabbit, Scrooge, Once On This Island, Good News, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Charlotte’s Web and Carousel. Sam will play the role of Shang in Mulan and is thrilled to have this opportunity to be in the MTI workshop production with his TAM friends. He hopes to perform professionally some day, and think this is a step in the right direction.
Liz Coakley had the lead role in her second grade production of The Littlest Christmas Tree and was so excited that she wanted to be involved in every other show that followed. Since coming to Theatre at the Mount in 2001 she has done just that, attending Drama Camp and Spotlight on Musical Theatre every summer and appearing in Alice in Wonderland, Velveteen Rabbit, Once On This Island, Chicago, Funny Girl, Footloose, Good New, Cabaret, Godspell, Tall Tales and Heroes, Fabulous Fable Factory and Jesus Christ Superstar. Liz says that the professionalism she has encountered at TAM has taught her about the team work and hard work needed to create a wonderful show. Liz feels honored to play the role of The Matchmaker in Mulan and plans to work very hard to learn what it takes to make it on Broadway.
Britney Steele was introduced to musical theatre at a young age, playing Aunt Polly in a children’s theatre production of Tom Sawyer. Throughout her young life she has studied dance and acting, honing her skills at Alexander’s Children’s Theatre in Concord, Open Door Theatre, Clinton Community Theatre and most recently Theatre at the Mount. She has attended TAM’s Spotlight on Musical Theatre and has been seen on our stage as Gilmer in Godspell and Patricia Bingham in Good News. She says that every staff member at TAM is professional and personable, eager to help her with anything she needs direction on. Britney notes that she will only be a few steps away from Broadway when she plays the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland and hopes to learn a lot by performing in a Broadway Junior production. (Britney is not related to TAM Director Gail Steele.)
Jessica Berube played the Wicked Witch in her 2nd grade production of The Pumpkin Patch and loved not only the green make-up she got to wear, but the whole experience of being on stage. While singing in the Sunday school choir, she was noticed by the organist because she sang louder than everyone else. This resulted in her first singing solo. When her parents took her to see Theatre at the Mount’s production of The Music Man and she realized that there were kids in it, she knew she had to find a way to get involved. Since then, Jessica has been in 7 TAM productions including Children of Eden, Nuncrackers, Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Charlotte’s Web and How to Eat Like a Child. Being cast in the ensemble of Mulan has given Jessica a tremendous boost in confidence and she knows it will be an “awesome” experience.
Jacob Warren is a senior at Bromfield School in Harvard and began his interest in theatre at home, performing the entirety of Peter Pan and James and the Giant Peach for his parents. He studies dance with Jeanette Neil in Boston and hopes to major in musical theatre/dance either in New York or Boston next fall. He has a long list of TAM credits including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Sound of Music, Children of Eden, Alice in Wonderland, Tall Tales and Heroes, Mame, Chicago, Footloose and Funny Girl. Jake says that his experience at TAM has shown him how to work in a professional environment and to strive for perfection. Jake is excited to be playing the role of Chi Fu in Mulan and to face the challenges of working with an extremely prestigious company and staff.
Sam, Liz, Britney, Jessica and Jake are the “rising stars” of Theatre at the Mount. We are very proud of their accomplishments and we will follow their experiences with great excitement and interest. Watch your Theatre at the Mount playbills for updates!