Meet More of the Blast 25 Seniors

With opening night less than a week away, the Blast 25: Mixtape blog reminds Patch readers that Churchill High School's annual production will be performed February 21, 22, 28, and March 1 at 7:30pm and February 23 at 2:30pm.  Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.wchsarts.com until midnight before the day of the show.  Tickets will also be available at the box office one hour before show time.

A number of Churchill seniors have performed many times over the past four years in Blast, the musical and dramatic productions, show choirs, band and orchestra concerts, and talent shows.  

One such performer is Kristina Hann, who describes her favorite moment in Blast as, "right before you get on stage and you're about to do your number.  You look out to see the audience and it's like they're not even there."  This year, Kristina teams up on an exciting duet (Son of a Preacherman) with Gloria Samen, with whom she also serves as class representative to Jazz Ambassadors, one of Churchill's premier show choirs.  Those who have heard Kristina perform her own original music won't be surprised to learn that she hopes to enter a recording arts program at college next year so she can, in her words, "learn more of the behind the scenes of recording studios to help me finalize my own music."

The 25th anniversary of Blast will feature many talented singers and dancers, but as in past years, the Blast Band will also shine.  Leading the way will be Blast student band director Jack Waugh who will also stand out on the electric guitar.  Jack calls his time in the Blast band, "Collectively a fun experience.  Everyone enjoys it and we're all doing our best to put on a good show."  Jack looks forward to enrolling as a Jazz major in college next year.

Carley Rosefelt has been busy auditioning for college musical theater programs and calls her final Churchill performance experience "bittersweet, because this is our last year," adding, "I wouldn't trade it for anything."  In a refrain common to other seniors, Carley notes, "I started performing at Churchill freshman year with a few friends and they've become my closest friends."  This year Carley will be featured as the soloist in Michael Jackson's Thriller, and will join Rachel Rosenberg singing Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On.  She also choreographed and will sing back up in several other numbers.

Like Carley, Shelley Austin cherishes the friendships she forged in Churchill's theater and choral programs.  In fact, her favorite Blast memory is closing night each year, when "some of us who have been friends since freshman year have a sleep over, stay up, eat bad food and talk all night all night!"  For the second time, Shelley is one of Blast's vocal captains but notes, "Although this is my last year, its been really fun training a junior vocal captain who will take over next year."  Shelley's solo this year is the haunting Coldplay tune, Clocks.

Shelley and her fellow singers, dancers, musicians, and technicians have spent countless hours preparing for Blast's 25th anniversary show.  The Blast 25: Mixtape blog encourages everyone in the community to support these dedicated students by coming out to the show.  See you at Churchill!