An Arlington student will soon be performing on Broadway after advancing in a recent regional finals competition for the national August Wilson Monologue Competition.
Stakiah Washington, a senior at Lamar High School, won 2nd place out of 19 students from Dallas-area high schools during the February 20 competition at Southern Methodist University. Washington, who performed a monologue as "Rena" from August Wilson's Jitney, will compete in the national finals in May against finalists from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Greensboro, North Carolina.
Lamar's theater instructor and director Ira Steck worked with students throughout the year to prepare for the competition. Ten of his students performed monologues in January and, of those, three advanced to regional finals held at SMU Meadows School of Arts last month.
Steck described all three students as hard-working and dedicated.
Stakiah's trip to New York in May is paid for by the August Wilson Monologue Competition. She will have the chance to see shows, participate in workshops and perform in The August Wilson Theater on May 1st.
"It is truly an amazing opportunity that I am proud to say she has worked very hard to earn," Steck said. "I am so happy to see her impressive talent, exemplary work ethic, and generous and humble attitude be recognized in such a fitting manner. "
In this latest episode of MyArlingtonTV's Dream Builders, the three advancing students are working on their monologues with their teacher.
"Dream Builders" is a show on MyArlingtonTV that highlights the ways our community is helping kids dream big, nurture their creativity, polish their skills and develop the tools they need to achieve their American Dream as young adults.
The City's Office of Communication develops programming for MyArlingtonTV. Viewers can find MyArlingtonTV programs on the following cable systems: Time Warner Channel 16 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99, and streaming capabilities at www.arlington-tx.gov.
All episodes of Dream Builders are also available on the City's YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter account.
MyArlingtonTV Links:
Dream Builders, Support Quality Education, Arlington ISD
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