Video: Young Singers in 'The Vocalist' Follow Their Dreams at Media Theatre

This summer, there is a great opportunity for audiences who appreciate rising talent and a great opportunity for rising talent to find an audience.

The Media Theatre, in a reinvigorated summer singing contest now entitled "The Vocalist", allows young aspiring singers to follow their dreams, as Media's Jake Donnelly stated when Artistic Director Jesse Cline asked him what his song "Over the Rainbow" meant to him. Donnelly stated simply following an excellent rendition of the iconic number, "It means that whatever you want to do you should follow your dreams."

Of course, it's a cliche--but it's one that holds true for these young performers who reside in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

The Media Theatre's "The Vocalist" is a showcase for young performers over the summer in which they are able to highlight what they are able to do when it comes to performing. As John Whittig, the CEO of Iron Workers Bank (the title sponsor for the presentation) said, "This is our fourth year in sponsoring the contest. We so appreciate what The Media Theatre does and after the first year of our involvement we knew we wanted to continue. The talent level is strong and working with Jesse Cline, accompanist Tom Fosnocht, and Sue Serio is a privilege."

FOX-TV's Sue Serio added her warmth and charm once again as the emcee. "I have had the pleasure of doing this for the past five years and really feel as if I am a part of The Media Theatre family."

Several changes from previous years have taken place as the contest has rebranded itself from "Delco Idol" to "The Vocalist". One of them is that no contestant is eliminated until week three, as the presentation moves into its Semi-Final round. Another change is that, aside from voting online, audience members may now vote for their favorite performer during the show using an insert in the upgraded playbill. The set is also upgraded to include projections for each contestant and live streaming of the show is also available.

Act One started off rather shakey, with songs that were mostly ballads. That is until Asia DeShields, 16, of Newark, Delaware hit the stage. She brought the house down with her soulful rendition of "I Who Have Nothing".

Act Two was, by far, the strongest of the night. 16 year old Austy Hicks started it off with a rousing rendition of "Anthem" from the musical "Chess". After his performance, Cline stated "I have heard this song done many times at auditions in New York City and your performance was just as moving as when it is done by trained adult professionals."

Others in Act Two seemed solid including Daniell Lachalle, Alex Larsen, Marcelyn Lebovitz, and La'Eshia Lewis. Needless to say, those who had last names beginning with the letter L did not disappoint on a night when performers were scheduled in alphabetical order.

Standouts in Act Three included two University of the Arts students, Nicholas Trawick and DeShana Wooden. A Media Theatre New School student, Marie Sminkey, was also a highlight.

This is not to say that others did not nail their performance or entertain the audience.

There are some who need to live up to the opportunity to follow their dreams. This means dressing appropriately and choosing correct material for who they are.

Overall, in "The Vocalist" Week One it was obvious that the talent level as a whole was higher than ever before.

For tickets to "The Vocalist" on Wednesday nights through August 7 at The Media Theatre or "The Vocalist Junior" on Sunday nights through August 11, call The Media Theatre at 610-891-0100 or visit mediatheatre.org

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