Katy Roth 16 ~ Denise Gallagher Memorial Scholarship
Katy Roth attends DFW Performing Arts Conservatory in Southlake, Texas. She enjoys dancing, singing, and acting and loves to be on stage. Katy has been a member of Dana's Studio of Dance for 4 years and when she is not dancing, she can’t wait to get to the theater. Through her affiliation with Artisan Centre Theatre, she has had parts in West Side Story and Les Miserables.
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The Super Stars Broadway Camp at Lyric Stage, which I was able to attend
with the Denise Gallagher Memorial Scholarship from Mike Gallagher, was a
very fun and educational experience for me this summer. Being a dancer
who has dreams in the musical theatre department, this camp was perfect
for me.
I’ve
done shows previous summers, but before I was only a dancer,so I was
always in the ensemble. In Oliver!, I played the part of Nancy, which is a
lead, so I wasn’t really in the big, energetic ensemble numbers. I’m not
sure which I like better... being in the ensemble or being a lead
character.
Wendy Welch, our director, was so helpful. She was very sweet and
understanding when it came to putting together scenes. It blew me away
how the director, choreographer, acting coach, stage manager, and music
director can come together to produce a huge production.
After our opening show, when we were
out in the lobby greeting the audience, Miss Wendy came up to me and
said “Katy, you’re going to do this for the rest of your life, right?”
This made me realize that, yes, this is really what I want to do for the
rest of my life. Singing, dancing, and acting in front of audiences.
Performing is my life. Being on Broadway is my dream.
It was fascinating to learn British and Cockney accents from Miss
Christy. I had no idea that it would be so difficult to sing and speak
in a whole new dialect. This was very intriguing to me.
I never really sang much before Oliver! I go to a performing arts
conservatory, but I’ve always been just a dancer. I learned so many
singing techniques from Mr. Alex that I will take with me and will
benefit me in the 2011-2012 year at my school.
I would definitely recommend this scholarship to another dancer. I
learned so much and I had so much fun. Especially for someone who loves
to perform. Going into this, I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t really
expect make as many friends as I did with the cast and crew. Not only
did I learn so much, I had so much fun. Not every 16 year old girl wants
to spend 3 weeks of her summer waking up early to go to rehearsal all
day, but I loved every minute of it.
I hold the memories from Oliver! so dear to my heart. This was the
biggest part I’ve ever had in my life so I was so nervous. I loved how
the entire cast and crew made me feel so welcome. We did our pre-show
rituals then a huge round of hugs came my way, but the most special to me
was from Luke who played Oliver. He was so precious when he’d hug me
before the scenes and he’d hold my hand in the big dark set pieces. I
had to hold back tears at the final curtain call when I ran out and saw
people in the audience standing and clapping for me. I’d never felt that
feeling before and it was life changing.
After this camp and show, Oliver! is now my favorite musical. I have so
many new friends, and I’ve learned some very important lessons. Thank
you so much for this amazing opportunity. I will definitely be back next
year!
~ Katy Roth