Assignment #1 - Wes Davis - The Opening Number

Hey! I'm Wes.

When I'm not dragging my feet from class to class, I spend most of my time auditioning for shows and fine tuning anything I can in the realms of singing, acting, and dancing. To say that my life pretty much revolves around theatre is an understatement. It's literally the only thing I do. This summer in particular solidified this fact for me and demonstrated that theatre is hard work, and yet it's work I can spend hours doing without the hint of a complaint. Everyone already knows this next part about me because I never shut up about it, but I only did one thing this summer. I spent the majority of my summer in rehearsals for a show with the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre, called "It's a Grand Night for Singing." This year's show was UK's 27th anniversary of putting on this show every summer. The show is a musical review of iconic Broadway hits throughout the years, and new numbers are selected and performed every year for devoted audiences numbering up into the 1400s every night. It was my first time in a community production with theatre professionals and it taught me so much about myself, my values, my goals, and just about life in general. The people I were surrounded by taught me that the arts are so fulfilling and can lead to a successful career if you work hard enough. Working with the UK Opera Theatre was such a clarifying experience for me and sharpened my skills as a performer.

Here's a photo from this year's production in the Herald Leader! I miss these amazing people so much
(I'm the farthest person over on the right)

Academically, I didn't do as well as I would've liked last year. Whilst I was bettering myself immensely in theatre and focusing on my craft I let my school work suffer, which was a big mistake. Doing Grand Night and Putnam while also worrying about GSA call backs was a lot to handle at the end of last year. This year, I just hope to survive if I'm being honest. Junior year is hard, we all know that, so now we just have to make it to the other side still intact. Maybe my superpower would be photographic memory if it would help me in school. I knew this girl who had photographic memory (I've never been more jealous) and her scores were incredible paired with the fact she never had to study. However, I think shapeshifting or invisibility would be the most fun. I'm not sure what I would use the super power for but it would be a nice party trick or something fun to show off in auditions!

There's nothing I geek out over more than a tap routine with jump ropes. I can't even fathom the amount of rehearsal this took but I would love to be able to do this. They look like they're having so much fun and it just showcases the magic of theatre. I'll never not love this routine.
Website: https://youtu.be/pX5eNDmw_N8