Established in 1964, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, so named for its close proximity to the great playwright’s cottage, provides skilled performers a variety of programs intended to nurture creative talents, both budding and in bloom.
One such offering, referred to as the Cabaret & Performance Conference, is unique in its acceptance of musically-inclined youth aged 15 through 18.
Over a period of 10 days (which, in truth, stretch far into the evening), students acquire confidence in their performing abilities via masterclasses taught by Broadway stars, open-mic sessions, as well as a feature-film-length junior cabaret followed by a grand finale in which all fellows, regardless of age, join their voices in an entertaining night of song and dance.
The conference, featuring Broadway stars such as Judy Kuhn, Tonya Pinkins and Marilyn Maye, may rightly be deemed prestigious. Thus, it is a testament to the immense talent of the ELHS student body that at least three Vikings have successfully auditioned for the selective program: juniors Emma Frisbie, Sophia Sherman, and Zoë Dykas.
Her first year in the program she was “really nervous. I kind of felt way out of my league … to just be there with all of these professionals, but the year after, I felt my groove; all the people were amazing. I felt confident in myself … The friends I made there were so unique,” Frisbie said.
As members of a rigorous song- and-dance program, fellows naturally encountered challenges during an intensive week of rehearsals culminating in two fabulous shows.
“It’s very rewarding, but it’s very exhausting due to the long days … It’s no different than being an athlete. Your voice
is a tool just as much as your legs are, your abs are; when you work out your voice you get sore, just like when you work out your muscles,” Frisbie said.
Though East Lyme graduate Sebastian Gates-Graceson’s experience as a full-fledged fellow of the Conference differed from that of Frisbie, he echoed her sentiments.
Yet despite these difficulties, the mettle of these rising stars, combined with the expertise of their teachers, conveyed them to new heights of confidence and artistic success.
“I figured out how to be a better performer, ultimately, and how, instead of thinking about it as performing, thinking about it as sharing an experience with the audience. Telling my side of the story is just a very helpful way to look at it, and that’s ultimately what the O’Neill has taught me,” said junior Zoë Dykas.
Dykas, alerted to the program via her parents, found her performing abilities significantly enlarged, lifted to impressive heights.
“I think it has helped me better myself as a performer and really take the time to soak in each and every one of the lyrics that I say. It allows me – this year especially, because it was more focused on our solo numbers … to find the capacities of what I could and couldn’t do. And I was able to really take that in and experiment with it and add my own riffs whenever I wanted to. It was just a really magical experience,” she said.
Partially responsible for this “magical” atmosphere is the sense of community which binds the various fellows, some from as far as Poland, into a tightly-knit tapestry of diverse performers.
“Everyone comes from different backgrounds and careers, especially the adult fellows, so it’s really cool to hear everyone’s stories and learn from them,” Frisbie said.
Numerous stories were gleefully shared between Gates-Graceson and the adult-aged performers he encountered as the youngest adult fellow to date.
“We all grew closer to each other. We were like one big family. I still talk with a lot of them now,” Dykas said, adding “since we’re all in the same situation, we’re all together. I think the juniors, we all formed this special bond together. That’s kind of unbreakable.”
