LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – On Broadway for one night only, two students from Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock got to see their work performed on one of the grandest stages in the world.
Isabella Nguyen and Maya Johnson submitted the winning song “Live Before Life is Gone” from their work-in-progress musical “Less Than Perfect” in the 2024 Musical Theatre Songwriting Challenge.
“It was very little fish in a big pond,” Johnson said.
WATCH: Mount St. Mary students see their song performed on Broadway stage The competition is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. As winners, the soon-to-be senior students were invited to New York City in June 2024 to work with mentors, culminating in a June 17 concert of their songs.
“We kind of didn’t believe it was happening until we were having it performed in front of us and even then it was like is someone going to like jump out and yell, ‘This is a prank,” Johnson admitted.
“Who are we, little kids in Little Rock, Arkansas, that no one cares about, to like go to New York and get this thing fully produced and published?” Nguyen asked.
There were more than 100 submissions from 34 states. Other winners were from California, New York, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, and Alabama.
Two Mount St. Mary students get scholarships, will have their song performed on Broadway According to Johnson and Nguyen, their typical audience is an empty room.
“I’m very more classic musical theater while they are a little bit more alternative,” Nguyen said as Johnson finished the sentence.
Their individual voices have harmonized on 18 songs in the Less Than Perfect musical. They have another possible winner in mind for next year’s competition, but both say they are more in it for the feedback than the prestige.
“If someone wants to start writing or start something creative in theater, they should do it because it’s terrifying and that’s kind of the best part. It’s overcoming the fear of it,” Johnson advised.
“The best time to start is now,” Nguyen stated.
Argenta Community Theater renamed, showcasing its 15 years in the arts The Broadway performance of Live Before Life’s Gone can be watched on YouTube . Other songs from the Less Than Perfect musical can be found on YouTube as well .
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Most Popular
Comments / 0