Sing us a song: Local children audition for Ohio Light Opera
By Ellen Pill
December 8, 2016
614
The day may have seemed like a typical chilly, rather gray, wintery afternoon to most, but to many aspiring local entertainers it was audition day.
Eleven-year-old Lincoln McMullen sat quietly with his parents, waiting to be called. I just like to sing and stuff, he said. I just like being on the stage ... the lights and stuff ... how big the audience is.
When asked if performing is something hed like to pursue when he grows up, he didnt hesitate. Yeah ... being on Broadway ... or Playhouse Square.
The young performer has previous experience performing with WacPac in Wooster. When it was his turn, Lincoln read lines with the Ohio Light Operas artistic director Steven Daigle. Performers were provided with sides ahead of time to study and prepare. Sides are script excerpts.
Julie Wright Costa, the associate artistic director, also was on hand, taking notes and encouraging the young performers. This is a big room, and we have a lot of space, Costa said to Lincoln. Can you try it again and project a little more? Make it ring throughout the entire room.
Laura Neil, executive director, also was present as well as the chairman of the Ohio Light Opera Board of Directors. Chairman Michael Miller and his wife Nan had flown in from their home in Los Angeles for a board meeting.
The couple had been operetta fans for years when they decided to visit Wooster. Miller said, We kept reading about a festival in Wooster, Ohio. For years Id look at Nan and say, How good could it possibly be?
In 1993 the Millers decided to take a chance and came to Wooster for three days to see the Ohio Light Opera for themselves.
Miller pointed to Costa and said with a smile, We saw this young lady in The Gypsy Princess. Then the next morning we saw Julie at The Parlour. That doesnt happen in L.A. that you see the stars having breakfast at the same restaurant. We got to know Jim Stuart, then we got to know Steve, and we were asked to join the board in 2000.
Nan Miller said, What they do here is so amazing. They do auditions in seven cities, and this is the last stop. They are so respectful of everyone who auditions and so encouraging. We love seeing old friends, and mostly I just like knowing that there is new talent born every year.
Costa explained a bit more about the childrens auditions. We dont audition children every year, depends on what is selected for the particular season. This year since we are doing The Music Man, we have to hear little boys for Winthrop. The character has a fair amount of dialogue but has to be age appropriate, so that is a challenge.
Along with the children Costa and Daigle auditioned a young woman coming in for the first time as a young adult.
Noelle Crites, a Shreve native, was in several shows as a child. This is actually my first professional audition. It was nerve-wracking because it was my first, but also I got comfortable really fast because the people are so familiar.
Crites graduated from Triway High School and is headed to Fredonia, New York, where she will pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater.
Daigle said in cases like Crites, We get these nostalgia moments when we end up seeing children come back to audition. We always talk about what a community environment this is, and the kids who keep coming back are a big part of that.
Along with numerous other children ranging from elementary school age up through high school, Beth Christopher brought her children Bryson and Madi from State College, Pennsylvania, to audition. Bryson had his OLO debut last year, and his sister Madi has been in several shows.
Neil said, We love this time of year. We are six months away from the summer, and it goes really fast between now and the arrival of the company. Its not a slow time. Its a really busy time. Having the childrens auditions is a wonderful way to reconnect with local community members. It is exciting for all of us and a great deal of fun.
Applications for musicians for the upcoming season will begin online Jan. 1 at www.ohiolightopera.org. The 2017 season runs June 17 through Aug. 12. Currently the OLO is sending out ticket order forms for early subscriptions for donors. To receive the donor mailing, call 330-263-2345. Tickets go on sale online Jan. 11 at 9:30 a.m.
