Top three percent of YoungArts auditioners chosen as finalists, Eilers among those few

By: Kathryn Vance

Every great artist or actor gets their start somewhere, whether it’s a lucky break, or whether it takes years of patience and auditions. For senior Kayla Eilers, the YoungArts program may just be the break she’s always needed. 

Eilers’ interest in the arts began when she was just three years old, taking a dance class as soon as she could walk. She has been a part of over 25 musical and nonmusical theatre productions, some of her favorites being “Gypsy,”“Honk”, and “The Drowsy Chaperone”, mainly because of the over-the-top characters that she portrayed. Eilers is also a four-year member of the NAHS choir and theatre departments and takes voice lessons and dance classes outside of school.

“I wasn’t surprised when I heard this news at all,” choir director Mrs. Linda DeRungs said. “I’ve always seen professional potential for Kayla and this is just the first step to her getting there.”

In  Nov. of 2011, over 7,000 17- and 18-year-olds auditioned to be chosen by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) as winners of the annual YoungArts program. Eilers sent in a video of her singing and doing a monologue. For the 2012 competiton, 597 winners were chosen and 152 finalists were chosen from that group; Eilers was one of the top three percent to be chosen as a finalist for the theatre category.

“I cried,” she said upon finding out she had been selected as a finalist to compete in Miami, Florida. “They called me to let me know and I was screaming on the phone. I couldn’t believe it.”

Other notable alumni of the YoungArts program are recording artist Nicki Minaj who attended for theatre, actress Vanessa Williams, best known for her work on Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives, who also attended for theatre, and country music star Chris Young who attended for voice.

She traveled to Florida for one week to compete with other teens in one of the nine arts categories. The categories include cinematic arts, dance, jazz, music, photography, theatre, visual arts, voice, and writing. Eilers performed in both spoken and musical theatre. She explained that there is a panelist of judges whom obseve and critique each student’s performance.

“Not only do they judge you on talent, but they also look into your character,” she said. “A lot goes into choosing who moves on to the next round.”

While at the week-long program, Eilers participated in workshops, performances, exhibitions, and classes with internationally renowned artists. The mentor for those in the theatre category is actress Debi Mazar, best known for being on Entourage and Dancing with the Stars.

“The performance [was the best part of the week],” she said. “I was performing with people who I had only known a few days but I felt like I had known them my entire life.”

All finalists won a $1,000 monetary prize, and if chosen to go to New York in the next round, can receive a $10,000 scholarship. Eilers will know if she qualifies for this later this spring. Twenty of the 152 finalists will be named as U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, which are selected by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.

To see a video of Eilers’ performance, visit youngarts.org.