Center Theatre Group Selects 12 Students for August Wilson Monologue Competition Regional Finals

Center Theatre Group has selected 12 local high school students to participate in the regional finals for the 2018 August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC) to be held at the Mark Taper Forum on Monday, March 5.

This is the seventh consecutive year Center Theatre Group is hosting the Southern California component of the national monologue competition. The program is designed to inspire and educate Los Angeles youth using monologues from August Wilson's "American Century Cycle," a 10-play cycle that details the complexity of the African American experience in the 20th century.

Those selected to participate in the regional finals are AuDrya Clayton (Los Angeles), Mylah Eaton (Studio City), Natalia Echeverria (Los Angeles), Hannah Franklin(Los Alamitos), Sarah-Michelle Guei (Carson), Jackson Lewis (Agoura Hills), Nico Moreta (Los Angeles), Gerardo Navarro (Los Angeles), Dominique Payne (Carson), Khalil Powell (Burbank), Tairah Umeadi (Carson) and Daniel Velez (Los Angeles). The students represent eight local high schools within Los Angeles and Orange counties. Franklin also participated in the 2017 competition.

The students selected will receive training and rehearsal sessions provided by Center Theatre Group throughout January and February. The sessions will allow the students to refine their performances while gaining valuable acting techniques.

Photo: L-R: (back row) Mylah Eaton, Natalia Echeverria, Sarah-Michelle Guei, Tairah Umeadi, Hannah Franklin, AuDrya Clayton, (front row) Nico Moreta, Khalil Powell, Daniel Velez, Jackson Lewis, Dominique Payne and Gerardo Navarro are the Los Angeles regional finalists for the 2018 August Wilson Monologue Competition hosted by Center Theatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum. Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging.