MY STORY: INNOVATOR
FROM GIRL SCOUTS TO BROADWAY By Vianca Navarete
M
any things have gone virtual this past year - like movie releases and healthcare appointments–and Broadway productions. In fact, a Broadway production was performed virtually for the first time, and one of our Girl Scouts had the opportunity to be part of it.
Tell us a little about the off-Broadway production and your character’s role. Newsies is a well-known musical based on the 1899 Newsboy Strike, in which a ragtag group of boys and girls shut down the most powerful newspapers in New York City in their quest for higher wages and better working conditions. Like Girl Scouts, they wanted to make the world a better place. I played Spot Colon, the leader of the Brooklyn newsies.
What was unique to this production, and how did you prepare for it? This was the world’s very first 100% live, entirely virtual production. There have been streaming “virtual musicals” before, but they have all either been live streams of a theatre Amber Chan, a Junior in company on stage together, or the actors film their Troop 3835, has been a Girl scenes on their own at home and send them in Scout since kindergarten for editing to produce a “virtual and has been a young show” that is then streamed. actor for a few years. This Amber hosts a ATNY’s Newsies was completely cookie booth! past year she auditioned live and virtual, with all actors and gained a role in the broadcasting from their own world’s first 100% live and virtual fullhomes worldwide. We performed length off-Broadway musical, Newsies. in front of a green screen For this production, Actors Technique NY in our living rooms, so each (ATNY) theatre company used proprietary performance was unique, subject technology developed by the director, to all the whims of live theatre Broadway veteran Carl Anthony Tramon, to Amber and her troop at the AZ Capitol to speak to because it was live theatre. The make the production as seamless as possible. representatives about the balloon bill. proprietary software helped sync While she’s not auditioning for roles, Amber is busy studying the music, voices, and dancing. Have you ever tried to sing and Girl Scouting. She’s participating in this year’s Girl Scout over Zoom? Here’s an experiment - sing “Happy Birthday” Cookie Program with plans to sell 560 boxes. To learn about with a few friends. It’s hilariously awful, but that’s why a live how Girl Scouting has impacted her career on stage, she virtual production had never been tried before. takes us behind the scenes in this interview!
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GIRL SCOUT
Connections
SPRING 2021
