Featuring Students in the Stagelight: Ella and Soraya

Stagelighters Ella Davies and Soraya Corydon are playing the part of the Prissy Cow in Chino Children’s Community Theatre’s Jack and the Giant, running October 20 – November 11. We caught up with these girls to ask them all about their experience in working together to play one part in the show.

SPA: Tell me a little bit about the show and the part you’re playing.

ED: We are playing the Prissy Cow in Jack and the Giant!

SC: Yeah, I’m the front of the Cow, and Ella has to hold on to me to play the back of the Cow.

ED: We say “Moo” a lot.

SPA: What has been the most exciting part of the rehearsal process?

SC: Probably learning how to dance while Ella’s holding on to me… trying to spin together is really hard!

ED: I think it’s fun to practice with someone else, like we’re the same character.

SPA: How have your classes at Stagelight prepared you for this show?

ED: I’ve learned a lot of acting skills so it’s made me better at making sure I’m facing the audience and rehearsing more seriously.

EC: The jazz class I’m taking is helping me pick up choreography quickly.

We wish these two Stagelighters a great run in Jack and the Giant. Visit chinocommunitytheatre.org  for tickets and more information about the show.

Student in the Stagelight: Ashley Jones

Ashley Jones, 15 years old, has been attending Stagelight Performing Arts since 2015 and has taken a variety of Musical Theatre, Acting, Improv, and dance classes. She is currently a sophomore at El Dorado High School  and was recently cast in the theatre department’s play, The Laramie Project. We asked her all about her role in this show:

SPA: Tell us a little about the play.

AJ: The Laramie Project is a dramatic play about the aftermath of the brutal beating of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Laramie Wyoming.

SPA: What role are you playing? How are you like your character, and how are you different?

AJ: I play five different roles. Two of the main ones are Amanda Gronich, one of the members of the company who wrote the play, and Marge Murray, the mother of the police officer that finds Matthew. I am most like Amanda in that she enjoys the theatre but doesn’t know how to tackle this new thing. I am not like Marge really because I don’t know what it is like to be a mother.

SPA: Did you do anything specific to prepare for this role?

AJ: I watched multiple documentaries on what happened in Laramie and looked up my characters because they were real people who were affected by this.

SPA: How have your classes at Stagelight helped you prepare for this role?

AJ: My acting for camera class has helped me the most to prepare for this role. The cold reading skills for the audition and rehearsals was so important.

Student in the Stagelight: Andrew Atondo

Andrew Atondo, an 8 year old Stagelighter, began starring on YouTube when he was just 3 years old. Andrew has been featured in, filmed, or has co-written over 200 episodes over the years. And with almost half a million subscribers on his channel “Andrew’s Toy Channel,” his YouTube work keeps him pretty busy! We caught up with Andrew to ask him more about this exciting work he does.

SPA: What got you started doing YouTube?

AA: Well, when I was a little boy, I watched some YouTube channels and always wanted one of my own. I really wanted a channel, so my mom finally gave me one. It was a dream when I started doing my first couple of videos.

SPA: What is your favorite thing about having a YouTube channel?

AA: My favorite thing is making kids happy!

SPA: Which episode has been your favorite?

AA: Well, I cannot lie, it is the cute Ninja Turtle eggs. There are lots of toys, and I want kids to see what toys are out there. I also got a limited edition one.

SPA: What do you want to be when you grow up?

AA: That’s a really tough question. But I want to be a YouTuber!