When the curtain rises at southwest Atlanta’s Westlake Excessive College this week, audiences will witness a musical transformation that’s been months within the making. The Westlake Excessive College Nice Arts Division will current this 12 months’s musical, Sister Act, on Feb. 28 and March 1 on the Westlake Excessive College auditorium. Infusing this beloved story with youthful vitality and noteworthy vocal prowess, Director Quandrell Claybrooks has orchestrated a manufacturing that reimagines the movie by the passionate performances of those devoted younger artists who’ve found their personal voices alongside the way in which.
From display screen to stage
Sister Act: The Musical transforms the beloved 1992 movie right into a vibrant stage manufacturing with expanded musical numbers and theatrical parts designed particularly for dwell efficiency. The story follows lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier, who witnesses a homicide and is positioned in protecting custody in a convent. Disguised as a nun, she revitalizes the convent’s choir, bringing new vitality to the church and group whereas hiding from the criminals who pursue her.
“Adapting this beloved movie for the stage offers our college students thrilling new alternatives for artistic expression,” Claybrooks mentioned. “The musical format permits us to showcase each their performing and vocal skills whereas honoring the guts and spirit of the unique story.”
Pupil management shines
The manufacturing has grow to be a community-wide effort, with vital management coming from throughout the scholar physique itself. Lauren Merton, a senior serving as scholar director, has been instrumental in bringing the manufacturing to life.
“It’s been enjoyable. It’s my fourth 12 months doing it, and it’s simply actually thrilling to do my final present,” says Merton, who found her ardour for theater after becoming a member of her first manufacturing as a freshman. “I didn’t know I needed to do theater till I signed up for the category my freshman 12 months, and I actually fell in love with it.”
For Merton, the chance to take part in Westlake’s theater program has been transformative. “It’s majorly vital,” she mentioned. “I really feel like that chance must be granted to all college students who wish to pursue performing arts.” Following commencement, Merton plans to attend college and earn her BFA in musical theater.
When requested in regards to the affect of working with Claybrooks, Merton’s admiration is clear. “He’s simply helped me develop as an individual,” she mentioned. “He’s allowed me to discover my curiosity in theater and has given me many management alternatives to assist me grow to be the particular person I’m at present.”
Star energy: Meet Deloris Van Cartier
Junior Trinity Goolsby steps into the highlight as Deloris Van Cartier, the lounge singer-turned-undercover nun on the coronary heart of the story. For Goolsby, this function represents a big milestone.
“It’s a lot enjoyable. It’s lots of work, however I do that already, so this was like a enjoyable, additional work,” Goolsby shares with enthusiasm. “It’s my first time being a lead ever. I’ve all the time been a number one supporting character, however being the lead that I’ve achieved analysis on — it’s very refreshing and thrilling.”
The function of Deloris, together with her daring character and highly effective vocals, has pushed Goolsby to develop as a performer. “I’ve all the time been a singer, simply not a loud or assured singer. So enjoying Deloris is sort of a whole 180 from what I’ve been doing my complete life. I’ve all the time been like the vocals within the background, however now I’m being the principle voice. It’s sizzling. It’s thrilling. It’s so scary, but it surely’s so thrilling.”
The Westlake theater program has helped Goolsby develop not simply as a performer, however as an individual. “It’s toughened me up. Within the sense of if somebody offers me criticism, like, undesirable criticism, I don’t take it instantly to coronary heart anymore. I’m like, ‘Nicely, that’s your opinion. I feel I did nice.’”
Trying towards the longer term, Goolsby sees theater remaining a part of her life. “I undoubtedly wish to be on Broadway at the very least a few times. It wouldn’t be one thing I might do for the remainder of my life, however undoubtedly one thing I might do possibly for 5, 10 years.”
Like many college students within the manufacturing, Goolsby credit Claybrooks with serving to her uncover her potential: “Mr. Claybrooks sees the very best in all people. And since he noticed no matter he noticed in me, it helped me open up extra doorways, open up extra paths to go, and only for me to be extra comfy in myself within the sense of like, ‘Oh, I do know I can do that. Oh, I do know I obtained this.’”
Discovering her voice: Sister Mary Roberts
Senior Jayla Marie Davis portrays Sister Mary Roberts, one of many convent’s shy nuns who finds her voice by Deloris’s affect. For Davis, performing in productions like Sister Act fulfills a childhood dream.
“It’s essential as a result of it first helps us have some creativity that we truly wish to do outdoors of, you already know, the state-mandated training,” Davis explains. “Additionally, it’s simply very uplifting. It makes you very pleased. Nicely, in the event you prefer it, I prefer it, so I’m very pleased.”
Davis’s ardour for theater started at an early age. “Once I was three, my mother at her faculty, she works like in larger training, she took me to see ‘Depraved,’ and I used to be mesmerized. Once I was eight, she took me to see ‘Magnificence and the Beast.’ And up to now, I’ve performed the identical function that I used to be mesmerized with in ‘Magnificence and the Beast,‘ so now I’ve to be in ‘Depraved,’” she shares, revealing her aspirations for future roles.
Like her castmates, Davis speaks extremely of Claybrooks’s affect. “He’s having an awesome affect on me. He’s taught me confidence and method and to all the time have a constructive can-do perspective.”
Cross-College Collaboration: The Devoted Detective
Malachi Johnson, a junior from International Impression Academy, crosses faculty boundaries to play Lt. Eddie Souther, the police officer who locations Deloris in protecting custody. Johnson’s participation highlights the manufacturing’s skill to draw expertise from throughout the district.
“The choral program has benefited me in a number of methods,” Johnson explains. “No. 1, socially, I’ve met new mates. I’ve understood music in a unique, deeper means. I’ve understood music in a more recent means. I’ve additionally understood theater in a more recent means.”
For Johnson, the expertise has been notably beneficial in increasing his theatrical information. “Beforehand, I actually didn’t know a lot, however now I’m getting uncovered to extra skilled terminology, skilled administrators akin to Mr. Claybrooks.”
Regardless that Johnson attends a unique faculty, Claybrooks has taken a private curiosity in his growth. “He appears to have my finest curiosity at coronary heart. Regardless that I don’t even go to the varsity, he signed me up for excellent packages outdoors of college—extracurricular packages like GHP Literary. And he encourages me to do higher, to push myself. He’s an awesome assist and an awesome inspiration.”
The villain with a dream: Meet Curtis
Junior Zion Wilcher takes on the function of Curtis, the menacing gangster pursuing Deloris. Regardless of enjoying the villain, Wilcher has discovered the expertise to be overwhelmingly constructive.
“Being part of this program is sort of a household to me,” Wilcher shares, emphasizing the robust bonds fashioned in the course of the manufacturing. “All people’s so uplifting; all people’s like a household. We’re all supporting one another, and it’s simply the reminiscences that we’re making. I really like the humanities a lot.”
Wilcher credit this system and Claybrooks with vital private and inventive development: “He’s lifted me up a lot, and he’s instilled lots of confidence in me,” he mentioned. “Even in a technical sense, he’s given me lots of expertise in performing and singing, as a result of after I first got here right here, I actually couldn’t sing. Now I’m extra comfy with singing every thing like that.”
The expertise has even formed Wilcher’s profession aspirations: “I do have a plan to pursue musical theater. Truly, after I first obtained right here, I solely needed to do performing, however now, being in productions like this has made me wish to do extra than simply performing. I truly wish to do musical theater. Once I go to varsity, hopefully NYU, I wish to pursue musical theater as one in all my majors.”
Past leisure
Whereas audiences can anticipate to be totally entertained, Claybrooks emphasizes that the manufacturing goals to ship one thing deeper.
“Sure, there’s humor and unbelievable music, however at its core, this can be a story about discovering your voice and the transformative energy of group,” says Claybrooks. “As educators, that’s our mission each day. This manufacturing is an extension of that work.”
Efficiency particulars
Westlake Excessive College‘s manufacturing of Sister Act will run for 2 performances from Friday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, March 1, at 2 p.m., within the faculty’s auditorium. “We invite everybody locally to come back to help these wonderful younger performers,” says Claybrooks. “They’ve put their hearts and souls into this manufacturing, and I couldn’t be prouder of what they’ve completed.”
For these college students, the present represents extra than simply an extracurricular exercise — it’s an opportunity to shine and maybe uncover one thing new about themselves within the course of. Identical to Deloris and the nuns in Sister Act, they’re studying that with dedication, laborious work, and the precise steerage, they, too, can discover their voice. Buy your tickets at present.
