THOMASVILLE – Two Thomas County Central High School thespians recently took center stage to learn from a master artist in their field. 

Thomasville Entertainment Foundation presented a master class in conjunction with its sold-out concert featuring Tony Award-winning performer Kelli O’Hara Tuesday, Jan. 10. It offered specially-selected youth performers from local high schools the opportunity to work one-on-one with the Broadway vocalist at Thomasville Centre for the Arts. TCCHS selected juniors Carson Chapman and Ransom Young. 

“I always want my students to have the opportunity to work with a new director,” Gabrielle McMullen, TCCHS drama teacher and program director, said. “The fact that Ms. O’Hara is a seven-time Tony nominee was [the] icing on the cake for students to take part in this workshop!” 

Each school could send two students. McMullen said TEF reached out to her about the master class and asked her to pick two students in leading roles for the school’s upcoming spring musical – “The Addams Family” – who would benefit from O’Hara’s tutelage. 

“I hoped that students who participated would gain perspective from a professional and learn new tips and techniques to add to their acting toolbox,” McMullen said.

To choose TCCHS’ participants, McMullen discussed vocal abilities and talents with the show’s music director, TCCHS alumnus Cameron Parker, to determine who would best benefit from a professional’s direction, take notes from an unfamiliar source and who would put in the vocal work to prepare for the workshop.

“If I could, I would have had each of my students involved with the production take some one-on-one time with Ms. O’Hara,” McMullen said. “It was very hard to narrow our cast down to just two.”

Ransom Young, interested in pursuing theater after high school, jumped at the chance.

“Any opportunity that I am offered to help me grow in any way, I will take it,” he said. “You are always able to learn more and do better, no matter how skilled you may be.”

Carson Chapman calls the workshop with O’Hara a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I’ve lived in this town all my life, and I’ve only worked with about three directors,” he said. “I really looked forward to hearing the account of someone whose career is professional performance, even just to listen to her success story. I hoped it would help me build confidence and experience for my possible performance career, doing Gomez Addams justice … .”

O’Hara, known for her stage and screen roles, is considered one of Broadway’s best leading ladies. She won a 2015 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Anna Loenowens in “The King and I.” Additionally, she earned the Drama League’s Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre award in 2019. Onscreen, her credits include roles in “13 Reasons Why,” “All the Bright Places,” “The Good Fight” and “The Gilded Age.” 

Workshop participants rehearsed a song from their spring musical role that they presented to O’Hara. Young, who plays Fester, sang “The Moon and Me” while Chapman performed Gomez’s “Happy/Sad.”

Both youth performers gleaned essential tips from the veteran actress.

“It is very easy to lose your spark when performing in a show,” Young said. “After you do it so many times, it just becomes second nature. However, she told us always to give it our all when performing: you never know if someone in the audience is seeing theater for the very first time – or their very last time.”

O’Hara’s personality and honest advice hit just the right note with Chapman.

“Her constructive criticism was incredibly helpful,” Chapman said. “O’Hara instructed her students to portray our scenes as private moments with our characters rather than performances for the audience. Her advice unlocked a new perspective on theater for me, allowing me to connect my own experiences to characters to create all the more intimacy.”

Themoment that stands out most to Young is how O’Hara recognized him and Chapman, who sat in the front row at her concert.

“She applauded us at the end and pointed us out to the crowd,” Young said. “She also said she was enamored with mine and Carson’s performances of our songs.”

Chapman’s memorable moment was O’Hara’s reaction to his performance.

“The most surreal part of the experience was how she thanked me for singing for her at the end of my performance,” Chapman said. “Adrenaline excited me too much to realize, but my peers informed me afterward that my performance made O’Hara cry. I’ve never been incredibly confident in myself or my abilities, but to know that I can move a professional so deeply is extremely reassuring.”