#ValleyMusicals: Students share lessons from the stage

Katelyn Zawalick hesitated for a moment during a late-April interview at the Shamokin high school cafeteria.

She fidgeted in her seat, her eyes began to water ever so slightly and she looked away a moment to compose herself.

The question involved her role as Eponine in the school’s production of “Les Miserables” — specifically on how she worked on with Connor Elio, who played Marius, a character Eponine falls in love with and dies for even though the feelings aren’t reciprocated.

“I’m a very shy kid. I really don’t like to even talk to people unless they talk to me first, and I really didn’t know Connor or any of the other leads in this show before ‘Les Mis,’” said the junior after a moment. “Connor was a really big supporter during practices and helped me through some of my nerves with the show. It just happened that we got very close.”

So close, in fact, that the couple is currently dating.

“Theater has done so much for me in getting me out of my shell,” she said before reflecting on having to sing a solo song, “On My Own.”

“No one had heard me sing before and I was not confident in it at all. The first practice, I was so nervous about singing by myself in front of everyone that I sang really quietly and wouldn’t even look up to see if anyone was looking at me. I kept my script up in front of my face the whole time,” she said. “But everyone was so kind and caring and I decided to push myself for them.”

Her metamorphosis became complete as she received glowing reviews from her friends and family after each show.

“The response afterward was amazing. People kept acting amazed, saying I’m typically so shy and joked that they barely knew I could even talk, much less sing like that,” she said. “My lOth-grade English teacher joined in, too, saying how I was this little shy thing in class and asked me what happened.”

Zawalick’s story is similar for so many kids throughout the region. One of the best parts of this project is getting to speak with the students after the shows and find out why they love the stage.

“Theater is so important in that it really allows you to express yourself offstage for kids who may be more introverted — you meet kids with similar interests and work together for a common goal and ultimately inspire each other to come out of your shell,” said Christopher Rapson, a junior at Mifflinburg. “For me, it has helped me develop better ways to speak in front of a large audience, and that can be a huge fear to overcome.”

Nathan Grimes, a junior at Shamokin, admitted that the biggest lesson for him from this year’s show was time management.

“That aspect can be so ridiculous, especially if you are in sports, taking AP classes and involved in a variety of clubs. If you learn to juggle that all successfully in the safe atmosphere of school, it really will help you deal with responsibilities after graduation,” he said. “I’ve also seen people come into a show with no confidence at all, and after the show they’re going out for chorus solos and have this confidence about them that wasn’t there before.”

Emma Zechman, a senior at Mifflinburg, appreciates the melting pot environment that a musical can provide.

“You have kids who are athletes, and the music kids, and the science kids and even the ag kids — everyone comes together and loves our theater department and we all work together to pull off something amazing together,” she said. “It is a really cool experience that is very important to our school and our community.”

John Stabinski, a guard and middle linebacker for the Southern Columbia football team, played the role of Sonny in the school’s rendition of Grease this spring — his first time on stage.

“This is definitely different than performing on a football field or in track. You have one shot to get it right. There isn’t another week or another game, so you can’t mess up,” he said. “Our chemistry as a cast is also interesting — there is more chemistry here than some of the sports teams I’ve been on.”

According to Abbie Carney, a senior at Lewisburg, theater also offers a unique opportunity to learn empathy.

“You’re always playing a different role withcharacters with all sorts of backgrounds. Theaterhas allowed me to experience
things I wouldn’t necessarily encounter in life normally, especially in becoming people that may be very different than me,” she said. “It allows me to have a better appreciation for others and what they might be going through.”

Perseverance and improvisation are also key lessons learned from theater, according to Danville senior Madison Willoughby.

“You have to think on your feet, and if things go wrong, you have to deal with the stress, creatively fix the problem and move on,” she said. “It has helped me deal with stressful situations in my everyday life.”

The theater experience also helps reinforce the importance of family, according to Linette Taylor, of Meadowbrook Christian.

“We had a big group of seniors this year that grew up together on the stage, and you get to this point where everyone becomes family,” she said.

Classmate Grace Deitrick added: “As seniors, we have a sisterly love and deep care for one another, and even though we won’t be seeing each other every day after graduation, we know we will have each other.”

Shikellamy sophomore Lukas Michaels agreed.

“No matter how tough life is, you realize in theater there is always someone there for you,” he said. “We all need someone to help us through.

According to Shikellamy musical director Ellen Boyer, the messages within this year’s rendition of “The Wiz” translate into some of the most powerful lessons one can glean from the stage.

“Together, when we believe in what we truly are, we can do anything. It is about believing in yourself and your abilities. In our show, the Lion was really brave all along. The Scarecrow was brighter than she ever realized and came up with better ideas than some of the others,” Boyer said. “If we can get kids to see what they have inside of them and truly believe in themselves, what greater reward is there to do this?”