L
uckily for Kevin, his wife is his biggest fan. And he’s also her biggest supporter. “I think he’s a genius,” Jamie said. “He solves every problem we have producing the shows.
“And, he edits all my music for me.” The personal and working relationship for the Nadeaus is one to aspire to. The two have collaborated under the umbrella of the Orange Lutheran Performing Arts Program for over a decade, after Kevin began planning the school’s first Gala in 2003 and then came on as the school’s Artist-in-Residence in 2007. Jamie soon followed, as the school’s Director of Performance Dance. The duo put three kids through Orange Lutheran – Amy ’05, Cody ’09, and Maggie ’13 – all of whom were members of the Performing Arts Program and still seek to contribute to their high school alma mater today. “After many years together as husband and wife, it’s always exciting to work together as creative partners,” Kevin said. “I tell her, I see a different person when she’s directing a show than running our house and raising our kids. We enjoy collaborating. I still run every song idea past her for Gala. We have a great professional relationship. There is a lot of trust. I don’t have to check on her choreography and she doesn’t need to check on the music.”
FAMILY BUSINESS
The Nadeau family has found its second home in Orange Lutheran.
“We love Orange Lutheran and want to help advance its dreams for the arts.” Kevin Nadeau, parent of Amy ’05, Cody ’09, and Maggie ’13
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amily is at the top of a list of reasons why Kevin and Jamie Nadeau are as close as they are. The two have three kids, all blessed with their parents’ talent. Music and dance are near the top of the list. Kevin and Jamie have an innate love for the performing arts, and their talents just happen to compliment one another.
But also on that list is Orange Lutheran High School. Because at Orange Lutheran, Kevin and Jamie have seen their greatest passions – their kids and the performing arts – come together as one. Now, Kevin and Jamie have become completely entrenched in the school. And the relationship is mutually beneficial, to say the least. And as long as they can be of help, the Nadeaus won’t be leaving Orange Lutheran any time soon.
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The Nadeaus had long enjoyed success before arriving at Orange Lutheran, where luckily, success followed. Kevin is a professional musician, most famous for his work on advertising campaigns for companies such as McDonald’s, Toyota, Mattel and Kraft General Foods.
“I love mentoring the students,” Jamie said. “I love it. I love to pick them up and give them confidence. That’s my favorite thing. I love getting to know them and their needs.” “For the challenges of what they’re dreaming about, they need to have faith that God has a plan for them,” Kevin said. “You can’t make yourself famous. We’re always talking to them, when they wonder why they didn’t get an audition, why they didn’t get a role, or why they’re in the back row, we try to remind them that you have to commit to your craft and realize that at some point, you will be in front of a director that sees the potential in you and has the right role. “They will have their moment. In their young lives, faith will help them cope with those things.”
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or Kevin and Jamie, it’s not all about the talent. It’s also about the environment.
“We pray before every show as a group,” Jamie said of her relationship with her dancers. “And at other high schools, you just can’t do that. It’s quite the difference.” Since the inception of the Alexandra Nechita Center for the Performing Arts, focus on the arts has skyrocketed at Orange Lutheran. It’s one of the reasons the Nadeaus brought their children to OLu and it’s the main reason Kevin and Jamie can’t see themselves anywhere else.
His most recent project was co-writing and co-producing “Reach Up LA,” the theme song for the 2015 Special Olympics. His most famous project is the, “I’m Lovin’ It” campaign for McDonald’s.
“The arts are something that we have always been passionate about,” Kevin said. “When we first saw how committed this school was to the arts, it was natural for us to help out any way we could to keep moving this dialogue forward.
Jamie is an acclaimed choreographer whose work has been featured on stages across the country and internationally.
“The leadership here has an unbelievable commitment to the arts. It’s a great opportunity for the students and for us.”
However, today, their greatest contributions are the ones given to Orange Lutheran.
Today, Amy ‘05, is a professional dancer, and most recently choreographed Tarzan the Musical in 2014 along with friend and performing arts teacher Chelsey Everhart ’05. Cody ‘09 plays guitar at Daily Gatherings, the annual Gala, and is an adjunct faculty for Pam Hansen and the worship arts. Maggie ‘13, is a student at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University.
“For the careers that we have chosen, we realize we’ve been blessed,” Kevin said. “This is a huge opportunity for us to perpetuate those opportunities for others, the same way we had a mentor or teacher, a person you look back at and say, ‘That person motivated me to do what I do.’ “And we’re at a point where we get to choose where to invest our efforts and time. Very rarely does this feel like work.” Aside from their actual positions at the school, both Kevin and Jamie continue to play the role of mentor for young artists that come through Orange Lutheran. The challenges of pursuing a career in the entertainment industry are ones that the Nadeaus are all too familiar with, which is why they aim to prepare students from a performance standpoint, but also a psychological and spiritual standpoint.
All three Nadeau children have followed in the footsteps of their parents and the entire Nadeau clan will continue to be active members of the Lancer Family. “We continue to see opportunities provided by the school leadership to empower students through the arts,” Kevin said. “The enthusiasm around this program is why we’re here. “We love Orange Lutheran and want to help advance its dreams for the arts.”
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