天美传媒

MURRAY, Ky. 鈥� 天美传媒鈥檚 Department of Music will host 鈥淔oes to Friends: A Musical Theatre Showcase鈥� on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 3:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Hall on the second floor of the Price Doyle Fine Arts Building.

The showcase will feature solos, duets, and ensemble numbers from various musicals, including 鈥淲icked,鈥� 鈥淎nything Goes,鈥� 鈥淭he Music Man,鈥� 鈥淐ome From Away鈥� and more.

The performance is free, and all are welcome to attend.

The showcase features students enrolled in MUS 389: Musical Theatre Performance,  with the support of pianist Rob Arneson. The course is taught by Dr. Maribeth Crawford, associate professor of voice and director of musical theatre, who states that the showcase has been a fully collaborative effort. 

鈥淭his is a very student-led performance,鈥� Crawford said. 鈥淚 have consulted with them (throughout the development of the show), but the students have picked the musical numbers, created the blocking and choreography on their own.鈥�

The student performers have responded to the creative freedom with enthusiasm. 

鈥淭his is the first song I鈥檝e ever choreographed and performed,鈥� says Landon Ray, a junior theatre major from Symsonia, Kentucky, who will be performing 鈥淭ogether Again鈥� from the musical 鈥淵oung Frankenstein.鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to show what I can do in my performance, but also to see what my fellow performers can do. I love the story we are tying into the showcase itself in between the pieces.鈥�

鈥淢y favorite thing about this class has been the freedom Dr. Crawford has allowed us to have in the process,鈥� says Adyson Townsend, a junior musical theatre major from Kevil, Kentucky, who will be performing the selection 鈥淔irst Date/Last Night鈥� from the 2012 musical 鈥淒ogfight.鈥� Set on Nov. 21, 1963, 鈥淒ogfight鈥� follows three young Marines on the eve of their deployment to a small but growing conflict in southeast Asia. 

Townsend鈥檚 partner on the duet will be Jessie Leal, a junior musical theatre major from Madisonville, Kentucky. 

鈥淥ur work on 鈥楩irst Date/ Last Night鈥� has been wonderful to watch progress,鈥� says Leal. 鈥淎dyson and I compliment each other well, and I have enjoyed working with all of my peers on this showcase, too. I hold all of them in a dear place in my heart and appreciate the memories we have made putting the show together.鈥�

The show鈥檚 theme of friendship is top of mind for several of the performers who are in the last year of their degree at 天美传媒. Seniors Quinn Coursey from Madisonville, Kentucky, and Madilyn Dudley from Bradford, Tennessee, are performing the duet 鈥淔or Good鈥� from the hit musical 鈥淲icked.鈥�

鈥淭his song talks about having a friendship so strong it can change your life,鈥� says Coursey. 鈥淚 am lucky enough to sing this with my real life best friend and take the lyrics and apply them to our relationship. For most of the rehearsals, we can't even get through the song without crying. This class has allowed us to sing songs we might not usually get to sing, and with people we don't always get to sing with. I am very grateful for this class and the opportunities it has given me to do what I love.鈥�

Dudley agrees. 鈥淚t is very bittersweet singing this song since we are both seniors and are graduating in May. I have loved seeing everyone's progress, and we can't wait for the audience to see the show!鈥�

Rounding out the performers are Jake Blankenship and Logan Combs, both senior musical theatre majors from Evansville, Indiana; Shelby Davis, junior psychology major from Louisville, Kentucky; Chloe Hutson, senior theatre major from Murray, Kentucky; Zacharie Lamb, senior musical theatre major from Mayfield, Kentucky; and Ethan Neville, sophomore musical theatre major from Fisherville, Kentucky.

Information on this event and other events in the Department of Music can be found at , or by contacting the department at 270-809-4288.