#SingYourSongNEO
The 2020 musical theater season for Northeast Ohio high schools was curtailed this spring by the coronavirus. Before sets were finished, songs memorized and tickets were printed, high school drama departments shuttered along with school districts across the nation for the remainder of the school year.
Many high school students started to sing their songs in solitude, recording them on smartphones. Thanks to Broadway stars like Laura Benanti and her #SunshineSongs movement, more and more musical theater kids were encouraged to connect with their friends and family through in-home, online performances.
In this spirit, Playhouse Square and ideastream developed the #SingYourSongNEO project for Northeast Ohio students to upload their videos for all to see and hear.
Just Click the button below to see all the submissions.
The performances are brilliant, funny, heart-wrenching and most of all, honest. For instance, Revere High School graduating senior Julia Scott sent in her sassy dragon performance from the canceled production of “Shrek the Musical.” Mayfield High School’s Daniel Blum and Minerva High School graduating senior Kyle Hudson are dueling Beasts from two different “Beauty and the Beast” productions that never took the stage. And graduating senior Regina Wolf of Amherst Steele High School puts on a tour-de-force performance from her bedroom with a solo from "Newsies."
We want to introduce you to some of these amazing kids and spotlight the hard work and passion they put into their school productions that never came to fruition. A number of these entries come from graduating seniors who lost the chance at one last high school curtain call.
Playhouse Square and ideastream share this virtual standing ovation for our Sing Your Song singers!
Let’s meet some of them.
Armani Ponder-Keith of Akron Firestone High School
Armani Ponder-Keith of Akron Firestone High School
Celia Chamberlain of Sandusky High School
Celia Chamberlain of Sandusky High School
Christopher Paterson of Loudonville High School
Christopher Paterson of Loudonville High School
Joelle Kristoff of Chagrin Falls High School
Joelle Kristoff of Chagrin Falls High School
Julia Scott of Revere High School
Julia Scott of Revere High School
Nadine El Dabh of Rocky River High School
Nadine El Dabh of Rocky River High School
Regina Wolf of Amherst Steele High School
Regina Wolf of Amherst Steele High School
Daniel Blum of Mayfield High School
Daniel Blum of Mayfield High School
Kyle Hudson of Minerva High School
Kyle Hudson of Minerva High School
Julia Polster of Solon High School
Julia Polster of Solon High School
Joelle Kristoff, Chagrin Falls High School senior
“Show Off” from “The Drowsy Chaperone”
I was so excited to play Janet Van De Graaf, because, first of all, it was the lead, and, secondly, it was a part I would never get to play professionally, because I'm not tall, skinny and I haven’t been dancing for 12 years. This song was my favorite to perform, because of the intense choreography and the crazy way this song fits into the plot.
Armani Ponder-Keith, Akron Firestone High School junior
“Nothing” from “A Chorus Line”
I didn’t get the chance to perform the role of “Diana” in my spring musical this year due to Covid! It’s a very fun role that I have played so far and can’t wait to play this role in the future. This show is such a beautiful story and is worth telling. I enjoyed my character so much because I have been told that I wouldn't be an actress by people and that’s what Diana’s saying in the show and I can relate a lot.
Christopher Paterson, Loudonville High School freshman
“Big Bright Beautiful World” from “Shrek"
This musical is very important to me! Not only was it a complete blast to work on, but the role of Shrek reminds me of my school struggles (growing up a performance musician in a school of athletes). It is great to really be able to express that, and have fun doing it, too!
Julia Scott, Revere High School senior
“Forever” from “Shrek the Musical”
“Shrek” would have been my seventh and final production with Revere Players. This song features a feisty dragon who complains about her life, but has a quick and drastic change of heart when she falls in love with Donkey! Dragon is, of course, the ultimate dynamic role— she can be both incredibly sassy and sentimentally romantic, all in the same song! This show, this song, and this character will all have a special place in my heart forever.
Daniel Blum, Mayfield High School sophomore
“If I Can’t Love Her” from “Beauty and the Beast”
This song to me means, if you love someone or something so much, you can't live without them, just like I can't live without music! Anyone can sing, hopefully watching this video can inspire you to find your voice! My main goal is to be the thing that inspires people to pursue their goals, hopefully this made your day!
Kyle Hudson, Minerva High School senior
“If I Can’t Love Her” from "Beauty and the Beast "
I have always dreamed about playing Beast and singing this absolutely stunning score. “If I Can’t Love Her” has been in my audition book long before I was a part of this show. I could never have dreamed that the class of 2020’s senior year would end like this. This song has so much more meaning to myself as the day that school was shut down I got to sing it one last time on the Minerva High School auditoria’s stage.
Nadine El Dabh,
Rocky River High School
senior
“Heart to Hart” from “9 to 5: The Musical”
This musical means so much to me. Although I didn't always connect to having a crush on my boss per this song, the connection to Roz Keith and the show as a whole has taught me so much. I learned to always stand up for myself, stand by my friends, and follow my dreams.
Celia Chamberlain, Sandusky High School junior
“Cinderella” from “Into the Woods”
This song means so much to me because in this part of the show, Cinderella is making such a huge decision, your usual, “should I stay or go?” It shows her entire thought process, which is really fun to portray. This musical has really helped me to gain confidence, as I got a lead role, and all of the songs are so much fun!! The story is also awesome with all of the ups and downs, you really get connected to the stories of all of the characters.
Julia Polster, Solon High School senior
“The Winner Takes it All” from “Mamma Mia!”
At our last rehearsal for “Mamma Mia,” the day the governor announced the first block of school cancellations, we were able to fit in a hurried run-through of the entire production. As I sang through “The Winner Takes It All,” it dawned on me that the “winner” in this case might be the coronavirus, coming to take away all that I had spent my entire high school career building towards. When the show was officially canceled, I almost immediately felt I had gained a deeper understanding of the pure loss described in the song.
Regina Wolf, Amherst Steele High School senior
“Watch What Happens” from ‘Newsies”
This song already had so much meaning to me, but now it's hard for me to even get through it without tearing up. “Watch What Happens” is about a young girl finally getting to publish her own big story in a newspaper. This performance was going to be my big story, but sadly, it's as if my newspaper was never printed. I loved this cast so so much, and am thankful for the time we got to spend together. Newsies forever.
Despite the Sing Your Song submission process ending, we encourage any and all Northeast Ohio musical theater students to continue sharing their songs from their lost, but not forgotten high school musicals of 2020. Record them, post them and share online with #SingYourSongNEO
Ideastream’s Mike McIntyre spoke with some of our Sing Your Song Singers on Wednesday, June 3, on 90.3 WCPN’s the Sound of Ideas.
While Playhouse Square’s annual Dazzle Awards highlighting high school musical performances was also canceled due to the pandemic, several participating students joined a virtual chorus in “Morning Glow” from “Pippin.”
Encore
We want to share one last entry from the Zaraa sisters, Elizabeth and Katharine, unable to perform in the Cleveland Montessori production of “Willy Wonka Jr.” Despite the sisters not being in high school, their enthusiasm was too sweet to pass up.
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