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 Effective Arts Division will current this yr’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 way of the passionate performances of those devoted younger artists who’ve found their personal voices alongside the best way.
From display to stage
Sister Act: The Musical transforms the beloved 1992 movie right into a vibrant stage manufacturing with expanded musical numbers and theatrical components designed particularly for stay 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 provides our college students thrilling new alternatives for inventive expression,” Claybrooks stated. “The musical format permits us to showcase each their performing and vocal skills whereas honoring the center and spirit of the unique story.”
Pupil management shines
The manufacturing has turn out to be a community-wide effort, with important management coming from throughout the pupil physique itself. Lauren Merton, a senior serving as pupil director, has been instrumental in bringing the manufacturing to life.
“It’s been enjoyable. It’s my fourth yr 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 yr, 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 essential,” she stated. “I really feel like that chance needs to be granted to all college students who need to pursue performing arts.” Following commencement, Merton plans to attend college and earn her BFA in musical theater.
When requested concerning the affect of working with Claybrooks, Merton’s admiration is obvious. “He’s simply helped me develop as an individual,” she stated. “He’s allowed me to discover my curiosity in theater and has given me many management alternatives to assist me turn out to be the individual I’m right now.”
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 numerous 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 at all times been a number one supporting character, however being the lead that I’ve carried out analysis on — it’s very refreshing and thrilling.”
The function of Deloris, along with her daring character and highly effective vocals, has pushed Goolsby to develop as a performer. “I’ve at all times been a singer, simply not a loud or assured singer. So taking part in Deloris is sort of a whole 180 from what I’ve been doing my complete life. I’ve at all times been like the vocals within the background, however now I’m being the primary voice. It’s sizzling. It’s thrilling. It’s so scary, nevertheless it’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 provides me criticism, like, undesirable criticism, I don’t take it instantly to coronary heart anymore. I’m like, ‘Properly, that’s your opinion. I feel I did nice.’”
Trying towards the long run, Goolsby sees theater remaining a part of her life. “I positively need to be on Broadway at the least a couple of times. It wouldn’t be one thing I might do for the remainder of my life, however positively 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 one of the best in everyone. 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 way of Deloris’s affect. For Davis, performing in productions like Sister Act fulfills a childhood dream.
“It’s crucial as a result of it first helps us have some creativity that we really need to do outdoors of, you understand, the state-mandated schooling,” Davis explains. “Additionally, it’s simply very uplifting. It makes you very comfortable. Properly, in the event you prefer it, I prefer it, so I’m very comfortable.”
Davis’s ardour for theater started at an early age. “After I was three, my mother at her school, she works like in larger schooling, she took me to see ‘Depraved,’ and I used to be mesmerized. After I was eight, she took me to see ‘Magnificence and the Beast.’ And thus far, 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 ideal affect on me. He’s taught me confidence and method and to at all times have a constructive can-do perspective.”
Cross-College Collaboration: The Devoted Detective
Malachi Johnson, a junior from World 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 capacity 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 pals. I’ve understood music in a special, deeper manner. I’ve understood music in a more moderen manner. I’ve additionally understood theater in a more moderen manner.”
For Johnson, the expertise has been notably priceless in increasing his theatrical data. “Beforehand, I actually didn’t know a lot, however now I’m getting uncovered to extra skilled terminology, skilled administrators resembling Mr. Claybrooks.”
Though Johnson attends a special faculty, Claybrooks has taken a private curiosity in his growth. “He appears to have my finest curiosity at coronary heart. Though I don’t even go to the college, he signed me up for nice packages outdoors of faculty—extracurricular packages like GHP Literary. And he encourages me to do higher, to push myself. He’s an ideal assist and an ideal inspiration.”
The villain with a dream: Meet Curtis
Junior Zion Wilcher takes on the function of Curtis, the menacing gangster pursuing Deloris. Regardless of taking part in 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 sturdy bonds fashioned throughout the manufacturing. “Everyone’s so uplifting; everyone’s like a household. We’re all supporting one another, and it’s simply the reminiscences that we’re making. I like the humanities a lot.”
Wilcher credit this system and Claybrooks with important private and creative development: “He’s lifted me up a lot, and he’s instilled numerous confidence in me,” he stated. “Even in a technical sense, he’s given me numerous 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 little 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 need to do extra than simply performing. I really need to do musical theater. After I go to varsity, hopefully NYU, I need to pursue musical theater as one among my majors.”
Past leisure
Whereas audiences can count on to be completely entertained, Claybrooks emphasizes that the manufacturing goals to ship one thing deeper.
“Sure, there’s humor and unimaginable music, however at its core, it is a story about discovering your voice and the transformative energy of group,” says Claybrooks. “As educators, that’s our mission every single 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 assist these superb younger performers,” says Claybrooks. “They’ve put their hearts and souls into this manufacturing, and I couldn’t be prouder of what they’ve achieved.”
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, arduous work, and the precise steerage, they, too, can discover their voice. Buy your tickets right now.
