July 7, 1999

Singers more than measure up to competition

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       'A Little Fall of Rain' turned into a large downpour of accolades and applause for Dave Nerychel and Sarah Baty.
      Members of Traverse City West High School's Thespian Troupe, the two competed last month at the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Neb., and brought home top honors for their duet from Les Miserables. Competing against 48 other musical duet teams, all top high school performers from around the world, their first place finish stunned both Nerychel and Baty.
      "It really surprised me to win," said Baty, who will be a senior next year and plans to continue performing in school and with the Old Town Playhouse. "There were so many good people there, it was incredible. We were both shocked."
      Nerychel, who graduated this year, felt that their relaxed attitude helped them more than anything else did. Both were at the festival to have fun and to learn - they did not take themselves too seriously.
      "When we competed in the first round, we were in a room full of our competitors and you could look around the room and cut the tension with a knife," said Nerychel, who has a scholarship to attend DePauw University in Indiana this fall to study music performance and music business. "Everyone was staring you down. We were all smiles and everyone else was so serious; that gave us an edge."
      What amazed the students in the West High School's Thespian Troupe was that in their first year of competing at just the state level, they sent three people to the international competition. Advisor Kristie Bach, who accompanied the students to Nebraska, was also pleased, especially considering the amount of information and experience the returning students will bring to next year's Thespian Troupe.
      "The festival was wonderful, we were just exposed to so many things," said Bach, a drama and broadcasting teacher at West High School. "We went to a variety of workshops and plays and the talent that was showcased was great. These kids have all this expertise to bring back."
      Although she did not place at the festival, Abby Pavlov, who competed in Scenic Design for the play 'Titanic to All Ships,' made her mark with the judges and other competitors. Competing against schools who had budgets of $2,000-3,000, Pavlov wowed everyone with what she was able to accomplish on a small budget.
      "When she got up and said we were working with a budget of $100, you could hear an audible gasp," Back said. "We got really a lot of positive comments on what she did with that."
      Bach and the other returning students are already fired up about the Thespian Troupe and next year's International Thespian Festival. Even on the drive home, they were brainstorming ideas for raising money for next year to ensure that as many students could go as wanted - and that they could go in style.
      They kicked off their first fund-raising event this week during the Cherry Festival. Meredith MacColeman obtained a vendor's license and members of the troupe will be selling pop and popsicles and giving small performances in front of the State Theater to raise money.
      "It was a long drive and none of us want to do it again," said MacColeman, who will be a junior next year. "The idea for fundraising just kind of came up on the drive home and we want to raise money early on to go next year."