NCHS Senior Rhianna Carter, daughter of Frank Carter and Lori Carter, will take the stage in the musical performance of “Newsies” as “Romeo” on April 10 through the 13th, with show times of 7 pm for Thursday through Saturday and 2 pm on Sunday. Tickets will be available from cast members beginning February 17 and now in the offices of the local schools.
What musicals have you been in at NCHS and what characters/roles did you play?- Other musicals I have been in were “Oklahoma” and “Six”. I was an ensemble member in both of these musicals.
What was your favorite musical and why?- My favorite musical would have to be “SIX” because of the unique music, dancing, and costumes. Every song in SIX had a different vibe and Brooke and Shelby did an amazing job choreographing them all. It was very fun performing all the different types of dancing for each song. The costumes of all the queens were very unique and pretty as well.
What scene in Newsies is your favorite and why? (This does not have to be a scene you are in)- My favorite scene in Newsies is King of New York because there is a lot of tap dancing involved and it is very fun to perform.
What are three things being in the musical have taught you? and how have you learned these?- One thing that being in musical has taught me is time management. Being in lots of extracurricular activities takes away almost all of the free time you have. I have had to learn to balance musical, student council, band, tennis, school, and my home life. Musical takes many hours out of the week for practicing so I’ve had to learn to use my time effectively. Another thing that being in musical has taught me is how to be patient. There are lots of times during musical when you have to wait for other scenes to finish practicing and this can be very boring. Lastly I’ve learned how to not procrastinate. Procrastination is like the number one thing not to do in musical because it can bring us all behind if people do not prepare for practices because we have to go over stuff again. So musical has taught me to not wait till the last minute to do stuff.
What are two pieces of advice you would give young people who want to start performing in musicals at NCHS?- Two pieces of advice I would give to incoming freshmen would be to start as early as you can and to do it even if you think you aren’t good enough. Starting musical my junior year is one of my biggest regrets because I never realized how fun it was to perform on stage. So I recommend starting as early as you can because it goes by very fast and you’ll never realize how much fun you had till it’s over. I also would advise the freshman to do musical even if you think you aren’t good enough. Finley and Kristie are very good at including everyone no matter what level they are at.
What qualities do you see exemplified in the adults who help put on this show that you will take with you as you leave NCHS and how do they demonstrate these qualities?- Qualities I see exemplified in the adults who are involved in musical would be leadership and negotiation. All of the adults have to take a leadership role over the entire cast or else we would never get anything done. They all also have to be negotiable with the costumers, choreographers, cast, and each other when it comes to making the show the best it can be.
What about Newsies is different from other musicals you have been in?- The main difference between Newsies and other musicals I have been in is that I play a named character in the show. In other musicals I have been in I was just in the ensemble but for Newsies I play the role of Romeo. It is very fun to perform my lines and get to interact with the audience more.
What will you miss the most once the final curtain closes on your NCHS musical career?- The thing that I will miss most once the final curtain closes is performing with my friends. Being in musical has helped introduce me to so many kind and wonderful people that I wouldn’t have normally talked too outside of musical. It has been so fun these past two years performing with them and I will deeply miss all the time we spent together.
