Youth Theatre Carson City shines at national Musical Theatre Competition
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sun, 04/02/2023 - 12:23pm
In March of 2023, Youth Theatre Carson City’s Showstoppers show choir traveled to Southern California to compete in the Musical Theatre Competitions of America 2023, a national competition against 36 teams representing 19 states and 3 countries and learning from some of Broadway’s biggest and brightest stars.
Youth Theatre Carson City brought home several awards and honors including 1st Place Freshman Solo: Anuhea Azevedo and 3rd Place Senior Monologue: Jaymes Escobedo. Directors Andie Wilkerson and Briana Valley were recognized for their dedication to Theatre Education.
Several of the Showstoppers auditioned against over a thousand other students and were selected to participate in featured musical numbers in front of the entire convention of over 2000 people at the close of the festival. Jocelyn Pedersen and Aven McColl were selected to work with Broadway Legend Nikki Snelson, whose Broadway credits include Legally Blonde and Sweet Charity, in a Fosse tribute.
Parker Schmid, Lilliahna McColl, and Heaven Jones were featured in an “A Musical” production number created by famed Director/Choreographer John Vaughn. Kylie Carrigan was selected to perform alongside Broadway’s Aladdin and Jasmine, Adam and Arielle Jacobs in a production of “A Friend Like Me” directed and choreographed by Broadway’s Joe Abraham, whose Broadway credits include Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Hairspray. Natalie Maguire and Bay Eaton received $100 Spirit of MTCA Scholarships and Emma Cavner was awarded a $1,000 scholarship to the New York Conservatory of the Dramatic Arts summer program.
Above receiving recognition and accolades, the Showstoppers also had the chance to learn alongside the country’s top performers and directors in the field. Students had the opportunity to work one on one with the above-mentioned Adam and Arielle Jacobs, Joe Abraham, and Nikki Snelson, and also Tom O’Leary of Phantom of the Opera fame, Sjaan Trowbridge of the Walt Disney Company, to name a few.
“I couldn’t be more proud of all our amazing young performers and the hard work they have put into their performances this season,” commented Andie Wilkerson, Youth Theatre Carson City’s Artistic Director. “Not only are they incredibly talented, but they are incredibly kind, driven, enthusiastic and compassionate individuals.”
You can catch the Youth Theatre Carson City Showstoppers as they perform their award-winning performance pieces and more at Youth Theatre Carson City’s End-of-the-Season Showcase and Spotlight Awards on April 18 at 7pm at the Carson City Community Center. Admission is free.
About the Youth Theatre Carson City Showstoppers
The Youth Theatre Carson City Showstoppers are a special group of performers, hand-picked from the most talented, dedicated and enthusiastic members of the Youth Theatre Carson City program. Made up of 24 local young singers, dancers and actors between the ages of 8-18, the Showstoppers tour and compete bringing their love of the arts to their community, and now to a national stage.
About MTCA
Musical Theatre Competitions of America was established in 2005 to provide a competitive and educational event for Musical Theatre students and directors. Over the three-day event, students participated in professional-style auditions, competed with both group and individual performance pieces, took master classes from Broadway professionals and received personalized feedback from industry professionals.
