By: Joyell Nevins
Record Herald Editor
Article published courtesy of the Weekly Record Herald and printed in their April 29, 2011 edition.
WEST MILTON – Mimi Klipstine Dick of West Milton won a $1,000 scholarship Tuesday evening through the fourth annual Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Scholarship Competition at The Loft Theatre.
“I am so excited to receive this award because it’s such an honor. Stephen Schwartz is a genius,” said Dick, admitting, “Honestly, I had not clue whether or not they would call my name [as the winner], because everyone was so talented. I only hoped.”
The scholarship was started in 2007 by the Human Race Theatre Company to honor musical theatre composer Stephen Schwartz, known for such shows as Pippin, Wicked, and Godspell. So far the company has awarded $18,000 worth of scholarships to 23 different students with a permanent address in Montgomery or surrounding counties and a passion to study musical theatre.
Dick first had to audition against 28 students to be one of ten high school and college contestants chosen to perform. The night of the competition, students sung their top choice of two show tunes, one of which had to be a Stephen Schwartz song. After an intermission, where the audience got to cast a vote for their favorite, the judges cut the group in half to five.
Those five performers got a second chance to shine. Songs and characters from both sections ranged from a cockney pub owner, to a woman pining after her first love, to a member of the Munsters. The students made full use of the Loft stage, stretching their voices and showing off their personalities.
Dick belted out “Defying Gravity” from Wicked in the first round. She originally performed the number for a cabaret at an Interlochen Arts Camp.
“I love this song because whenever I sing it I just imagine myself as Elphaba, green skin and all, going against the crowd and rebelling,” said Dick.
Then she summoned another bad-girl character, Reno from Anything Goes, in her second number “Blow, Gabriel, Blow.” Anything Goes was the first musical Dick performed at Interlochen Center for the Arts, where she is currently studying.
“I love the role of Reno so much and wanted to bring this song to Dayton,” said Dick.
Her voice and style impressed the judges enough to land her the high school scholarship. Wright State University student Alexandra Finke won the $2,500 college scholarship.
The judges were Kevin Moore, Producing Artistic Director, The Human Race Theatre Company; Tina McPhearson, Vice President – Programming, Victoria Theatre Association; and Patricia Linhart, Human Race Resident Artist and Associate Professor of Musical Theatre Voice, Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. The evening was hosted by Dayton Philharmonic Conductor Neal Gittleman and musically directed by Julie Spangler.
Mimi will be studying musical theater following graduation. Currently, she is part of the Interlochen production of Beauty and the Beast.
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