High-school seniors Angela Steele and Davis Brinker are Broadway bound, at least for a few days, after winning the Triple Threat competition that's part of Hennepin Theatre Trust's celebration of high-school musicals, SpotLight Showcase, which took place at the Orpheum Sunday and Monday nights. The showcase is the annual culmination of SpotLight, HTT's education initiative.
The two bested 10 other finalists to win the all-expenses-paid trip, which will include voice, acting and dance lessons, an audtion with a casting agent, a brief performance at an event called "Broadway Sessions" and, of course, several Broadway shows -- which Brinker said he hopes will include the current Les Miz revival.
Steele last played the antagonist supporting character Amber Von Tussle in "Hairspray" at her school, the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, while Brinker portrayed Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables" at Washburn High School in Minneapolis. To be eligible for the contest, they first had to be named an outstanding performer in a school musical, do both video and live auditions, then rehearse for a week with the other candidates for the SpotLight performance.
Davis said he plans to begin studying acting at the University of Indiana in Evansville in the fall. Steele, who moved here from New Zealand with her family a few years ago "because there are a lot more performing opportunities," is taking a year off before college until she can establish citizenship. She's already landed a role in Theater Latte Da's production of "Oliver!" opening in early 2015.
