SHOWSTOPPER: Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Musical Theater Dept Senior Showcase

As senior year comes to an end, a lot of mixed feelings rise up in our little hearts as we attend each other's senior recitals here at SOTA. With the Musical Theater Department's Class of 2017 Finale concert SHOWSTOPPER, I will begin my month long chain of articles on my fellow seniors' last shows at SOTA.

Directed by Ron S. McCan, the Musical Theatre department separated just this year from the Classical Voice department of SOTA and became an independent department at SOTA (with their very own color teal!).

The seniors featured in this performance and who pulled it all together in a rather professional manner are Ben Stacy, Ryan Doyle, Mara Schumann, Tasneem Norris, Mackenzie Rohan, Lucy Murphy, and Joe-Joe Kelly.

Ron McCan, director of the SOTA MT dept

With a variety of solos, duets, trios, and ensembles, every senior was displayed to their full potential, providing an entertaining evening for families and friends. Ben Stacy manifested his ability to make the audience both laugh and cry with his stunning acting. Ryan Doyle's sweet tone of voice truly touched the hearts of the audience in his featured numbers. Mara Schumann stunned everyone with her exceptional dancing skills. Tasneem Norris played such a wide variety of characters throughout the whole evening that it was hard to believe that they were all played by one person. Mackenzie Rohan portrayed her characters with grace and smoothness. Lucy Murphy's profound understanding of her characters had the audience captivated until the very end. Joe-Joe Kelly incorporated humor and wit into all of his numbers, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats.

The evening was very uplifting and enjoyable. As a finale for the MT SOTA Seniors, it was a grand finale to the end of one chapter and a hopeful prelude to the next.

Yay class of 2017!!!!