Manchester, Town and Country Students Shine in Area Talent Show

Young performers representing 25 St. Louis area high schools, including those in Manchester and Town and Country, put their talents on display at .

The students were competing in the semifinal round of the St. Louis Teen Talent Showcase. The showcase, in its first year, is backed by the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation and is presented as a way to shine a light on local teen talent.  The performers in the semifinals and finals are eligible to win scholarships for college.

Acts ranged from singers, to dancers, to baton twirlers, to a ukelele player. The students had to conquer their nerves and perform with poise and spirit for the esteemed panel of judges. The panel of five judges included Ron Gibbs, managing director at Stages St. Louis; Paul Reuter, executive director of The Sheldon; and Mike Isaacson, the co-head of Fox Theatricals and the new executive producer at the Muny. At the end of the day, twelve acts were chosen by the judges to compete in the finals on May 6 at the Fox Theater.

senior DeVantē Malone sang an interpretation of the song “For All We Know.” Malone, who has been singing since seventh grade, saw a poster for the showcase in CBC’s theater department and decided to enter the competition. After making the preliminary cut, Malone said that he felt more comfortable this week, and more “open to the audience.” He did not make it to the finals, but ended the competition feeling good about his performance.

student Kelsey Reinsfelder performed a musical monologue called “The Girl in 14G.” She portrayed the mousy inhabitant of an apartment building complaining about her noisy neighbors. Reinsfelder’s sponsor, Kennedy Director of Admissions Monica Sullivan, said that Kelsey is “very talented…a natural-born performer” who has appeared in school plays and musicals and is a member of the varsity dance team. Despite her strong showing in the competition, Reinsfelder will not be advancing to the final round.

De Smet students Ian Brennan, Michael Hillmer, Ben Stitzel, and Zach Erhardt performed a cover of Smashing Pumpkins’ song “Today.” Their rock performance stood out among the show tunes and dance numbers. Their journey ended with the semifinals.

Clayton High School senior Dana Rijett Warren gave a spoken-word performance of her original poem, “Lovely Lies.” The poem, which combined introspection with humor and even anger, portrays a young woman’s conflicted feelings about love. Warren asked, “What is love?” and intimated her own experience with being hurt by a first love. The poem built to its strong conclusion, where Warren admonished men that “no means no,” and ended by saying that “A man ain’t worth nothing if he hurts you.” Warren will advance to the final round, where she can deliver “Lovely Lies” from the Fox Theater stage.

 The final competition on May 6 will be open to the public and free of charge. The panel of judges for the final will include two New York theater professionals and actress Phyllis Smith, a St. Louis native best known for playing Phyllis on the sitcom The Office.

The first, second, and third-prize winners will receive scholarships from Lindenwood University and prize money for their school’s performing arts departments.