Young Artists Announced for Livestream with Kelli O'Hara

Westport Country Playhouse Announces Fairfield County Young Artists Participating in April 17
Livestream Event with Tony Award® Winner Kelli O’Hara

Westport Country Playhouse announces the randomly selected Fairfield County, Connecticut, high school students who will participate in “Getting to Know You: A Celebration of Young Artists,” hosted by Tony Award®-winning Broadway star Kelli O’Hara, on Friday, April 17, at 7 p.m., on the Playhouse YouTube channel and Facebook Live.

During the virtual showcase, the students will have the opportunity to share their experiences with O’Hara and perform a musical theater selection. Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director, will introduce the program.

“We are thrilled that so many students from across Fairfield County signed up to be a part of this unique event,” said Jenny Nelson, Playhouse director of education and community outreach. “Twenty talented students will participate in this first event and, hopefully, there will be many more shows to come."

High school students from across Fairfield County prepared, filmed, and submitted videos of songs, many of which they had hoped to perform in school musicals this spring. Ten participants and ten understudies were selected at random.

All videos submitted as part of the entry process will be compiled into a supercut shared at the end of the program and on Playhouse social media channels.

The 10 featured young artists who will showcase their talents are:

Emily Araujo, 17, Norwalk, Norwalk High School
Momo Burns-Min, 18, Weston, Weston High School
Camille Foisie, 16, Westport, Staples High School
Kelly Fox, 18, Stamford, Westhill High School
Ryan Lynn, 17, Wilton, Wilton High School
Emma Rimerman, 17, Stamford, Westhill High School
Emily Rooney, 16, Norwalk, Center for Global Studies (Brien McMahon High School)
Luke Ryan, 15, Darien, Darien High School
Ana Rosa Sforza, 16, Norwalk, Norwalk High School
Ella Therriault, 17, Southport, Fairfield Ludlowe High School
The 10 understudies who will submit a question for O’Hara to answer during the show, and, if necessary, step in to perform at a moment’s notice are:
Alex Arnold, 14, New Canaan, New Canaan High School
Sarah Chute, 15, Norwalk, Brien McMahon High School
Antonio Hernandez, 17, Norwalk, Brien McMahon High School
Joelle Singer Jensen, 16, Greenwich, Greenwich High School
Jamie Mann, 16, Westport, Staples High School
Robert Marcinauskis, 17, Shelton, Shelton High School
Ella Miller, 16, Trumbull, Trumbull High School
Jessica Olexy, 16, Bethel, Bethel High School
Amanda Robertson, 15, New Canaan, New Canaan High School
Sabrina Spraggins, 14, Newtown, Newtown High School and Regional Center for the Arts (RCA)

To access the livestream on April 17, visit westportplayhouse.org, go to bottom of the homepage, and click on the Facebook or YouTube icons.

During the event, tax-deductible donations to the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit Playhouse will be accepted.

As a special thanks to all of the high school students who submitted videos, the Playhouse has created a Facebook group, Playhouse Young Artists, as a place to connect, share audition tips, discuss onstage experiences, ask for advice, and more.

“With such an overwhelming response from our community, it's clear that the students have a great need to express themselves through the arts, and Westport Country Playhouse is committed to providing artistic and educational resources during this difficult time,” said Nelson.
Support for the event is from Bankwell, 2019-2020 Family Programming Sponsor.

For Westport Country Playhouse information, visit westportplayhouse.org, leave a message on the box office voicemail at (203) 227-4177, or email at boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org. The Playhouse’s physical box office is closed during the pandemic, but staff is working from home, returning phone messages and answering emails. Please understand with the high volume of inquiries, it may take up to a week to respond. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).