Tony-award winning actress gives tips to Wheeling students
While rehearsing for their fall musical "In the Heights," Wheeling High School students received a visit from a member of the Broadway show's original cast, Karen Olivo.
Last summer, Wheeling's choir director, Stephen Colella, reached out to Olivo, his college classmate, and asked if she would consider talking to his students in the musical through a video chat.
Instead, Olivo, a Tony-award winning actress, agreed to visit the cast during downtime from her latest show - "Hamilton." She is currently performing in the Chicago production of the hit musical, playing the role of Angelica Schuyler.
Olivo has been involved with theater for most of her life. Her father was a director of children's theater who put her on stage at a young age so he could keep an eye on her, she said.
"Once I decided that the theater was what I wanted to devote my career to, I just kept rehearsing and auditioning and trying to get as much exposure as I could," Olivo said.
The visit was a personal and rewarding experience for both Olivo and the Wheeling cast of "In The Heights," which runs at 7:30 p.m. each night Thursday, Nov. 17, through Saturday, Nov. 19, in Wheeling's school theater, 800 S. Elmhurst Road.
"The amount of effort (the cast) is putting in is far greater than a grade, so it's inspiring to see people really loving the medium and taking it seriously and working at it," Olivo said.
For students, meeting Olivo was inspiring.
Wheeling senior Leo Walker was enthused to see someone who was so dedicated to her craft.
"With every response, you could see how much she loves her craft, how seriously she takes it, and you just want to learn everything from her," Walker said. "I think in our community it is difficult not to relate to her in some way."
Walker and the cast said Olivo's critiques on their performance were constructive because she was a part of the original show and knows what to add to enhance character's performances.
"She said something to the extent of 'I am always learning. Always trying to be better,'" Walker said. "I think that struck a chord with our cast because we truly want to be good. She made such simple fixes, but they made such an outstanding impact on our performance."
Colella said the show is an accurate representation of the Wheeling High School community. The musical follows the tight-knit Hispanic community of Washington Heights in New York City as it deals with generational change, joys and heartbreaks.
"The show that we're doing, 'In the Heights,' is Wheeling High School," he said. "It's about a diverse community that is struggling and is the underdog."
General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students with an ID. More information is at www.whs.d214.org.