Semifinalists will audition live in February
By Matthew Piechalak | [email protected]
Nine Parker Upper School Drama students received second-round callbacks in the Music Center’s Spotlight Program.
“I am so proud of the kids,” says Parker Drama teacher Elise Marinkovich. “What makes this so remarkable is that only 100 students are chosen to go to the next round, so for Parker to have nine students make it [in] is a big feat.”
Spotlight is a “scholarship and arts training program, which empowers students by emphasizing preparation, courage, critical thinking, and perseverance,” according to the website. For more than 30 years, Spotlight has been a nationally-acclaimed scholarship and arts training program open to Southern California high school students.
The program is free and gives away more than $100,000 in cash scholarships. This is the fourth year students in Elise’s Advanced Theatre class have participated in the competition.
“The feedback the students get has been constructive and has really given the kids things to work on,” she says. “The last three years we have been lucky to have two to four students get chosen for the second round of callbacks.”
The students will compete live in the semifinal auditions in early February in Los Angeles. The Music Center is one of the largest performing arts organizations in the country.
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Congratulations to the following students:
Acting Callbacks:
Caleb Haberman, Class of 2020
Kyrah Panfil, Class of 2021
Zoë Wallace, Class of 2021
Maggie Weller, Class of 2022
Evan Cain, Class of 2022
Arya Hanumara, Class of 2022
Eleni Stavros, Class of 2021
Gia Marino, Class of 2020
Maria Burritt, Class of 2020
Singing Callbacks:
Maddy Considine, Class of 2021
