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Canfield junior tastes a bit of Broadway
Photo
Katelyn Lisowski executed a stage leap for a dance routine.
BY ABBY SLANKER
Katelyn Lisowski, daughter of Kim and Ed Lisowski of Canfield, got a little taste of Broadway, when she was recently accepted by Cleveland Playhouse to work with the Broadway cast of Phantom of the Opera during a weeklong advanced Broadway camp.
From hundreds of candidates, Lisowski was among 35 young performers selected to attend. The audition included having to sing two songs and dance and deliver a monologue. The judges panel selected only a handful of students they could develop into future Broadway performers.
The selection process ended with a formal letter weeks later accepting her into the camp.
“I wasn’t very nervous going into it,” said Lisowski. “Of course, the nerves kick in when they ask you to perform in front of the cast. Other than that, the feeling was more anxious. I couldn’t wait for the week of the camp and when it finally came I was super excited.”
Lisowski worked one-on-one during her stay in Cleveland with the “Phantom of the Opera” cast.
“Working with Broadway performers was absolutely amazing. It really opened my eyes to all the hard work and long hours they put into a show for the pure entertainment of the audience. They all really love what they do, and could give great advice for aspiring performers, like myself,” said Lisowski.
The individual training focused on voice, acting and dance training with much advice and guidance into colleges and professional auditions.
“The professionals gave individual feedback, which was invaluable to me, and to the group they had tips for auditions and performances and even warm-ups. We were able to put what we were told into practice by participating in acting games and a few dance classes, as well as singing a short segment of a song of our choosing,” said Lisowski.
Lisowski will be a junior at Canfield High School in the fall. She is enrolled at Stage Left Dance and Theater Arts Academy in Canfield taking musical theater, acting and dance classes each week. She is looking into musical theater college programs for the future.
“I would love to perform on Broadway someday; it’s definitely one of my goals. But if that’s not in God’s plan for me, then just community theater would be great. Just having the opportunity to be on stage is awesome,” she said.
Lisowski’s dream role in a Broadway play would be to portray Mimi from “Rent.”
“I love the score for her character, and her struggles and triumphs throughout the musical. I think her role would be a blast,” she said.
As for her favorite Broadway play, she said, “I love “Rent” and “Wicked,” which both have powerful messages, but lately I’ve been getting into the musical “In the Heights.” Its spunky Latin vibe is really fun to dance to.”