Tuesday, June 28, 2016

AYAA Talkback: Women We Admire

Hello, everyone! I was supposed to post the next dreamcasting today, but I decided I wanted to do this first, so it will be saved for tomorrow. The idea for this post actually came from Vincent Pugliese, so thank you, Vinney!

I messaged a bunch of young women around the Valley and asked them to pick one woman or fellow teenager in our theatre community who is inspirational to them and asked them to tell me why. Their responses are below:

Summer Beckman: "I look up to Aubrey Cole and Reagan Burows. They are both incredibly talented and such fun and kind people to work with! I am amazed any time I see them perform."

Noa Gauthier: "A woman I look up to in AZ theatre is Christy Welty. She is an amazing vocal coach and she also does community theatre on the side. She has amazing technique and I learn so much from her every lesson. I look up to her because I hope to always pursue theatre and do something else involved in the community on the side like directing, coaching, etc. She does that and I hope one day to be as helpful as her to other kids while getting to pursue what I love."

Kaleigh Feuerstein: "My role model was Ms Audrey Johnson (she passed away a few years ago) but she was the like my stage mom at DST for so many years and the reason I still do musical theatre to this day."

Kate Nienstedt: "I look up to Corrine Mann a lot, she is an amazing choreographer, and a wonderful performer. She's amazing and easy to work with, and I really look forward to working with her in the future. She's given me so many amazing opportunities that have helped me grow. She recently asked Olivia [Kate's sister] and I to help choreograph James and the Giant Peach, and it was an amazing learning experience I will never take for granted. Not only an amazing dancer, and choreographer, she has a great voice, and I hope I can be as much of a triple threat like she is in the future."

Lina Cappellano: "Jessica Webb moved to New York as an 18 year old. She had a dream and didn't take no for an answer. Even though she knew that what she wanted wasn't guaranteed to work out, she took risks and now she is shining in the Big City. While she lives many miles away, she never seems that far because I know that I can call her at any time and she will always be there for me. Though she has made a life for herself in New York and has already been apart of a very successful show, she still pays close attention to her family and friends at home. I want to move to New York as well, and I hope that I can be as successful as Jessica, not just as an actress, but in balancing work and remaining supportive to those of who do look up to her. Jessica if you're reading this, I miss you so so much. You are one of my best friends and I'm so proud of you! I hope to see you soon."

Becca Webb: "Jackie Brecker, because she's always working as hard as she can no matter what and is a fantabulous performer."

Zoe Zamora: "I really look up to Carrie Ann Klofach because of her knowledge and dedication to her career and craft. I admire the hard work she puts into each and every show that she is in and into every character she plays. She is simply a genius at what she does. Not only is she phenomenal on stage, but she is also an amazing teacher. Her knowledge about this industry and art form inspires me to become a better performer every day."

Avery Lee: "My inspiration is Hope Ozer, founder of Valley Youth Theatre. She has such a wonderful heart and I greatly admire her entrepreneurship. But most importantly, I love that she does it solely for the children, and truly enjoys seeing us perform. Her pure soul reflects in the productions that VYT puts on, and her passion for working with children is undeniable."

Audrey Coleman: "Corrinne Mann or Kendra Clement, because their passion for the arts and love for others has always shown through in everything they've done. They are both astonishingly talented, yet never stop complementing others and remain humble. I always look up to the hard work they put in to achieve what they would like to, and never taking the easy way out."

Grace Lisicki: "Brittany Howk. When I first got into theatre, she was at Counterpoint with me and I have always been in awe of her talent, hard work, and dedication. She's awesome!!"

Alexia Filler: "Shelby Daeffler is such a fantastic actress. I've seen her and worked with her in a Shakespeare setting, and she is such a leader. She has such rigorous parts and is still one of the first to learn all her lines. Not only that, but she's also well versed in singing and dance. Her performances are very artistic, and she truly becomes who she is portraying. Also, she makes such an effort to be so kind and genial to everyone she encounters, and I think the world needs more people like that. She's probably the most talented actress I've had the chance to work with, and also the one who seems to connect and relate to everyone the best."

Miranda Smith: "Jackie Brecker. She inspires me so much and is what I hope to become. I first met her after I heard her sing at the NYA awards, and I was literally struck dumb with her talent. She has given me such great advice that has helped me grow so much as an performer, and a teacher. Jackie is always willing to answer my zillions of questions even if it's inconvenient(and I know it is sometimes😂) because of her impeccable knowledge of every aspect of performing and more. She's my role model because of her hard work she puts into performing and how professionally and mature she carries it out."

India Rose Chudnow: "I really look up to Beth Anne Johnson- I've only met her a few times but she is so talented and really invested and doing what she loves and that is very admirable."

Summer Farnsworth: "Carrie Ann Klofach is the most pleasant person to work with. She genuinely cares about those in her cast and treats the producers of the show the same as the backstage crew- she doesn't treat anyone different based on their role or position in the theatre. Not only is she perfecting her craft, but she loves to help those on the same path. She's a talented performer, wise mentor, and a great friend to all."

Maria Boas: "I'd have to say Benny Cowans. She's very sweet, has a great sense of humor, open to everyone and their ideas and of course extremely talented. The time I spent in her company was always positive and though she's been blessed with a beautiful voice, she doesn't let it get to her head and never acted stuck-up. It's always refreshing to see, especially in young women. She brought you up and didn't make you feel low, she treated everyone with the same respect."

Sarah Pansing: "I look up to Carly Grossman because not only is she an amazing performer and incredibly talented, but she has such a kind heart and is such a genuine person as well!"

Johnna Watson: "Johanna Carlisle all the way. Even under difficult circumstances she maintains a professional yet entirely lovable atmosphere. The perfect castmate/family member. She has a flawless balance of business and and fun and every lucky person who meets her would agree."

Mackenna Goodrich: "I have a couple. My picks are Emma England and Corrinne Mann. As I start to go into college, I've realized that I would rather be a choreographer and a director than an actress and these two women have shown me how it can be possible and how to do it with grace and love. I am in theatre today because of the experiences I had at Emma England's Studio 3 in my early teens. Emma's focus on education and the magic of dance is what makes her program so successful. I feel like Studio 3 faces a disproportionate amount of criticism that it doesn't deserve and Emma continues to prove the haters wrong. For Corrinne, in the three shows I have had the opportunity to work with her on, she never fails to keep calm under pressure and when a cast of 40 annoying teenagers just will not shut up! She is so talented and I've learned a lot working with her at AYT. Oh and special mention to my best friend Jackie Brecker, who in two short years has elevated herself from a very talented actress performing at youth theatres to a business savvy leading lady."

Sophia Bavishi: "I look up to my voice teacher Kelli James, who is also a fellow actor. Every Time I go to have a lesson with her she inspires me more and more. She is full of so much joy and so much passion for theatre. She has taught me to never let myself give up for not getting in a show, and to always keep moving forward."

Benny Cowans: "An actor I look up to is Janna Hanson. I was in Annie with her at Hale Theatre Centre and she was always kind to everybody-even the little kids. you always find adult actors who treat their younger actors with little respect and like they're not worthy of being in the same productions as them. She was like my big sister and my best friend. She's a cancer survivor and I just remember thinking how brave and courageous she was for always being so positive. Not only is she beautiful and kind but is also extremely talented. I'm so happy that i was in a show with her and I hope to be in another one with her too!"

Jessica Sinodis: "Nicole Knox because she is constantly pushing herself to break her personal limits. She juggles college classes, Musical theatre @ U of A and work. She spends hours in her car every day driving back and forth from Tucson to Phoenix just so she can perform and do what she loves while still being in contact with her family and friends."


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