Meyer, musical theater program, take Center Stage for community engagement

The West Music Department took one final victory lap around Bikini Bottom for its production of The SpongeBob Musical! On May 6, the cast and crew of the musical had the opportunity to collect the community engagement award at the Center Stage Awards. Their journey didn’t end there, as choir and musical director Bethany Meyer was selected by the community as a finalist for the influential theater educator award. 

Freshman Aura Wallace encountered multiple judges throughout the show week who came and took notes about the undersea extravaganza.

“Being judged puts a lot more pressure on all of us,” she said. “It pushed us to do our best.”

Although the experience was both new and stressful, senior Abby Wianecki thinks that it will only benefit her peers.

“This year, because we were getting judged, it gave an extra push so that we would try and win as many awards as possible,” she said. “We just put ourselves out there and tried our best.” 

For others in the cast, like sophomore Nava Lomena, being judged felt intimidating as a part of the learning process. 

“It was really nerve wracking since we didn’t know who the judges were, or when they were going to be there,” she said. “You had to get into this headspace where you don’t think about it much, and it ended up not being that bad.”

Sophomore Alyssa Vigil loved the community engagement that came from this ensemble.

“We brought in a lot of people from our community to see our show,” she said. “It was really fun and there were so many kids there who got to enjoy it as well.” 

Junior Ember Davis thinks the relationships made during rehearsals can make or break a show. 

“We won the community engagement award because we really cared about each other, what we were doing, and putting it out there both on stage and behind the scenes,” they said. 

Meyer was selected by the community as a finalist for the Influential Theater Educator Award, a title she did not necessarily aim for when first starting out. 

“I did not go to school for drama,” she said. “I went for music education, so theater is definitely like a second home for me, but I’ve always enjoyed it.” 

Meyers credits the people she works with as the greatest honor. 

“Everybody that I have interactions with in theater is teaching me something,” she said. “I am only where I am today because of the other people in my life, and that's not just adults, it's also students.”

The group of people that surround Meyer have also been the people who continue helping her improve as a teacher.

“I think one of my strengths as an educator is relationship building with my students,” she said. “I enjoy working with young people and learning about their lives and being nosy in what they're doing, just being a part of their life.” 

Freshman Adri Meszaros has benefitted from this attention.

“Meyer is the best, she got nominated because she is really passionate about what she does,” she said. “She really cares about her students; she respects us as people and deeply cares about the impact she is making in our school.” 

The Center Stage Awards event itself was a night of red carpet wonder full of sparkling ballgowns and flashy tuxedos. The showcase dazzled around 2,000+ students and community members from 10 counties in Northeast Wisconsin. Senior Myrah Lago enjoyed seeing new and different performances.

 “My favorite part of the show is just being able to watch all of the other talent that is in the area; everyone does so well,” she said. “The outstanding ensemble especially put on incredible performances, and I’ve really loved watching all the other people here.” 

Center Stage brings together young, talented individuals and shows them there is a future in theater. Meszaros found the performances especially inspiring.

“Some of the ensemble numbers from the other schools are insanely good,” she said. “I love seeing all the other schools’ talent and I’m so happy to be here” 

Bringing Northeast Wisconsin's theater programs together is one of Center Stage’s main goals. Their hope is to have students experience the diversity of theater, and to see what their peers are accomplishing. This is what junior Christian Brazeau appreciated from the evening.

“I loved the number from Bring it On and seeing the seniors Lago and Resop in the opening song,” he said. “Of course also seeing Will Matzke walking up on stage and accepting our community engagement award.” 

Not only is Center Stage an opportunity to showcase young talent and inspire students, it is also great for an encouraging environment, according to Meyer.

“Musical theater is a positive place for students to learn,” she said. “I am also learning as we go along.”

By Delaney Smith

May 22 2023

Oshkosh West index Volume 119 Issue VIII