From Barker to Broadway
Jun. 14—Elizabeth Hopkins, a senior of Barker High School, celebrated a major accomplishment on May 21 when she won a Kenny award. The Kenny's are a regional high school equivalent of the Tony awards, and are held every year at Shea's Theater in Buffalo. Now she is hoping to get an even bigger win at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, commonly referred to as the Jimmy's, which will be held on June 27.
"It was a professional level performance," said Barker music teacher Cheryl Johnson during a phone interview, "It was a great culmination of all of her skills and studies throughout her entire public school experience,"
Hopkins has been doing theater since she was a child through the Kenan Center at the Missoula Children's Theater, and now she's hoping to make a career out of it. Hopkins credits her parents with being supportive of her aspirations, and for her mother getting her started in theater many years ago.
"My Mom got me started in it because I was a ball of energy, and she wanted me to funnel it somewhere," said Hopkins.
When she graduates, she's planning to study theater at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania in pursuit of a bachelor's in acting, with a concentration in musical theater.
Hopkins won her Kenny award for her role as the aspiring writer Jo March in the March Barker High School musical production of Little Women. Jo was a role that Hopkins had always wanted to play, both because she's an inspiring character to Hopkins, but also because she likes the songs from the musical.
"I love Jo's drive, and her passion," Hopkins said. "She puts her all into what she does, and I really admire that about her.
Part of what Hopkins describes about her approach to the medium of acting, is not to think about it as a performance, but to instead put parts of her own personality into the role.
"I'm not a huge performer," said Hopkins. "I love the work behind it, and getting to funnel parts of myself that I understand into other roles that may not be as easy to portray by myself in my regular life,"
Hopkins also gives credit to the productions co-director Andrew Burke for helping her prepare for the role, as well as mentoring her through her time in high-school.
"I heard the song 'Astonishing' a while ago on Youtube, and I fell in love with it," said Hopkins. "I've been trying to work it with Mr. Burke for four years. We stood on the auditorium stage and tried to belt out that last note a lot. At first I couldn't do it, but I finally could by the time the show came around."
One day, Hopkins is hoping to have a chance at playing the role of Jenna Hunterson in a production of Waitress, as it's her favorite musical.
"Jenna's character is just amazing, and it's a show that you laugh in, and it's a show that you cry in," said Hopkins. I just had the best time watching that show and falling in love with each of the characters,"
Barker had applied for nominations for the Kenny awards for several years, and this year they got three, including Hopkins who was nominated for 'Outstanding Leading Performance in a Female Role.' Nominees then participated in a 'theater bootcamp' on the week of the awards, where they undergo intensive training on theater concepts and exercises, and are reevaluated as to who would win the award. Hopkins ended up winning her award after impressing the adjudicators with her performance at the bootcamp. This included a performance of the song "Stay with me," from Into the Woods, which was the main song that was performed during the bootcamp.
The Jimmy awards will also involve a more intensive bootcamp workshop in the lead-up to the actual ceremony. Hopkins will be skipping her own graduation ceremony to be able to attend this. It will be held at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre in New York City.
In regards to theater, Hopkins considers it her calling. She's proud of the work that she's managed to put into her theater skills, and wouldn't be doing anything else.
"I just love it, and I'm sticking with it. I don't see myself loving anything else as much as I love doing theater," said Hopkins. "The art behind theater is so beautiful, and way that you get to tell these stories, and the work behind it, it's all so fulfilling,"
