Christina Shorter talks singing with sisters, award winning performance in Augusta Players’ presentation of Dreamgirls

WJBF – Christina Shorter is a well-known singer in the Augusta area, and she recently lit up the Imperial Theatre stage in her award winning performance as Effie White in the Augusta Players’ presentation of Dreamgirls .

Shorter chats with WJBF about her background in singing and performing and how Dreamgirls impacted her life.

Thank you for joining us on Celebrating Black Excellence. Now, how did you get started with singing and the arts?

So, I will tell you this little story. When I grew up, or as I was growing up, I thought everybody sang because in my house, everybody sang, and everybody play instruments. Then, when I got to elementary school, I kind of realized, “Oh, this isn’t a thing everybody does.” So, I started very early on – my family on both sides are musical. My dad… many people know Fred Prophet. He spent many years on The Parade of Quartet right here on News Channel 6 singing, and he still sings and does music. I do it, and my sisters do it, and it’s just a thing!

And speaking of the sisters, people know you and your sisters – the Prophet sisters. What is it like singing together as a family and doing music together?

So my sisters and I… we are very close. Singing together… you have the Jacksons, you have all these families that have those families harmonies, and so, there’s nothing like it. I sing with a lot of great people, a lot of great singers, but being able to sing with my sisters is just a natural gelling that just happens. Whenever we get together, we get ideas. If one person has one idea and doesn’t have anything else, the other person kind of adds to it, and it’s just harmony.

Now let’s get let’s talk about your acting. So what sparked your interest when it came to becoming an actress?

When I was very young, my dad took my sisters and I to the Augusta Mini Theatre with Mr. Tyrone Butler , and we saw one of their productions, and I don’t know if it was like one particular play or just a series of different things, but when I was young, I may have been seven, it made a real impression on me, and I always wanted to act. I really didn’t get in to it until later on. I’ve done like different things in church, and I had a great opportunity with Karlton Clay. (Laughs) It was amazing, just an amazing opportunity to be on television. I’ve done several plays. Gerald Scott… I had my first real main role in one of his plays, and then, Miss Monique, which is a radio personality in the area with Raising AJ Productions. I’ve done several plays with them, and then, more recently, I was able to be a part of the Augusta Players presentation of Dreamgirls .

You played Effie White in the Augusta Players presentation of Dreamgirls. What was the rehearsal process like for you?

It was so enriching. I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people, even from the audition throughout rehearsals. So much talent. There’s so much talent in Augusta, and I say that over and over again. There’s so much here to offer. In those rehearsals, it was definitely probably a lot of our rehearsals were at least three times in the week, so everyone had to be committed, but it was wonderful to see so many people that are like minded, that are going for the same thing and really want to see the success of the show. I don’t I don’t have any children of my own, but I ended up having a lot of theater babies, and we stay connected like our whole crew. You know, we had maybe about four or five of them graduating from high school. We showed up to graduations, we showed up to events, it became family. So it was more than just rehearsals and trying to get the parts, but it was family. It was support. If somebody didn’t have their part, hey, we’re going to go in that thing together and work it out. So, it was a beautiful opportunity.

Did you feel any pressure to play this part? What was it like for you playing Effie?

So, I will tell you this even though I’ve done music for years and have has been in the spotlight in different ways, I still have a little sense of shyness in me, and so, there’s sometimes a little timid-ness to just kind of stay in the back, working in the back, help everybody else, and move them forward. There were a lot of people that were like, “Hey, you should go for this role. You should do this role.” Going back to watch not just Jennifer Hudson, but to go back and see the original 80s cast and see Loretta Devine, Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph… everyone in those roles, and to see the work that they put into it, and it was definitely good pressure. It was inspiring. It was like, “Hey, I can do this, and I’m going to do it great, and I’m going to do it well because Augusta has great talent. This is the Augusta version, but this is also another great production. So, yeah, I was inspired.

So, you also won an award for your performance. Congratulations on that. So, tell us about that.

So, it was definitely surprising. I got best actress for the season for the Augusta Players. So they had amazing productions just all year round, and some of my friends that were in Dreamgirls were part of those other productions. So, we were all rooting for each other and just excited. They called my name, and I was kind of like, “Oh,” and everybody else is screaming like, “Girl, you got it!” Just the support is just really great, and it was a great honor.

So, what’s next for you?

So, I am working on music with Claude Deuce. I am doing some more acting and helping with the production that’s coming up in November at the Imperial Theatre for Raising AJ Productions. I’m singing at Arts In The Heart Of Augusta , and I will be there on that Saturday at 5:30 on the jazz stage. So, y’all, come and see me: Christina Shorter and the cousins. So, yeah, staying busy.

If people want to know more information about you or if they want to book you for lessons, how can they do so?

You can send me an email at shorterbookings@gmail.com . You can also find me on Facebook . I have a public page: Christina Shorter , and I will show up for you all.

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