Sophomore Leah Reece has been involved in dance and theater since the first grade.
Over the summer, she had the unique opportunity to spend four weeks living in a dorm room in New York City and train with Broadway professionals.
The program, IAMT or The American Institute of Musical Theater, is an acceptance-based intensive located in Washington Heights, New York City. It offers extensive training in dance, vocal performance, and acting.
“On the first day, we had dance placements, and I got into advanced at only 14 years old. The other students that I was working with, they were all 16 up all the way up to 22 years old, and having that opportunity to work with people that have a lot more experience than me was really valuable,” Reece said.
Reece is especially thankful for her chance to work with Broadway professionals, including Jennifer Geller (Hamilton, Bring it On), and Michael Minarik (Matilda, Les Miserables), among others.
“It was a really incredible opportunity and experience because I got to work on even more styles than I ever worked with before,” Reece said. “I got to work with people that are in shows like ‘Illinoise,’ ‘Hamilton,’ ‘Chicago,’ ‘Back to the Future, ‘all different shows like that. It was really incredible.”
Math teacher and director Ms. Roxanne Everly is currently working with Reece on the fall play, Harvey by Mary Chase, in which Reece is playing the lead role of Veta Louise Simmons. This is the third show they have done together.
“Leah and I work really well together,” Everly said. “This show in particular, I’ve had this building relationship with her, because I’m the director now, and I’m not just the assistant director, or just somebody hanging out. She’s really great about asking for feedback, and also giving you ideas that we can discuss and come to a conclusion of what we want to do.”
Reece believes this summer was pivotal in her perusal of theater, not just in technical growth but also in its effect on her confidence and attitude.
“To go through this opportunity to be able to get accepted into a place like IAMT at 14 was really incredible, and really a confidence booster because I’ve really struggled with finding my self-confidence as a dancer,” Reece said. “No matter how young you are, you should always believe in yourself and don’t let anyone stop you from being yourself.”
