EIU Media Relations

EIU Students, Local Residents Chosen to Sing in '100 Years of Broadway'

Eight local residents and Eastern Illinois University students have been selected to join Broadway stars and an all-star New York band on stage in the "100 Years of Broadway" concert at EIU's Doudna Fine Arts Center on Saturday, Oct. 30.

Singers auditioned for an opportunity to participate in the musical revue by recording videos of themselves singing show tunes and submitting them online.

"The production manager for the show said they had about 18 submissions from our region for the show, which is pretty high since they usually get an average of around 10," said Dwight Vaught, director of the Doudna Fine Arts Center. "He said the quality was also high, leading to a large number of selected entries."

One winner and seven runners-up were chosen.

The winner was Meg Borah, 18, of Charleston, who will sing a solo part in the show finale. She is a freshman at EIU, where she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Family and Consumer Sciences.

The runners-up, who will sing one chorus number with the five Broadway stars, included two local residents: Savannah Stowell, 13, of Charleston is a student at Charleston Middle School; Tracy Harpster, 36, a Neoga native who now lives in Mattoon, is pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing from EIU.

Five other EIU students were also chosen as runners-up: Mariam Amr, 21, of Normal, a senior majoring in communication disorders and sciences; Ashley McHugh, 22, of Roscoe, a senior majoring in music; Sarah Holman, 23, of Galesburg, a senior majoring in music; Ash Christine Elkins, 19, of Aurora, a sophomore majoring in journalism; and Jayna Evans, 18, of Homer Glen a freshman majoring in foreign languages who will be unable to perform due to a previous commitment.

"100 Years of Broadway" recreates the greatest moments from the finest shows of the century, from brilliantly revived arrangements of Broadway classics to thrilling numbers from Broadway's newest hit shows.

Along with musical director and pianist Neil Berg, the production is to feature Rita Harvey (Christine Daee, "Phantom of the Opera"), Ray McLeod (Wreck, "Wonderful Town"), Carter Calvert (Grizabella, "Cats"), Danny Zolli (Jesus, "Jesus Christ Superstar") and Erick Buckley (Jean Valjean, "Les Miserables"). The cast is subject to change based on Broadway and touring developments.

Tickets, which are $20 each, may be purchased in person at Doudna Fine Arts Center Box Office, by telephone at 217-581-3110, or online at http://www.doudnatix.com.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a division of the EIU College of Arts and Humanities. For more information on the facility and scheduled events, please see http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.