Junior Nola Cowles took a journey to her past to help her prepare for the title role in this year’s EHS musical, “Anastasia.”
“I’ve always loved music and theater,” Cowles said. “It was something for me to do for a couple months, and I really enjoyed it.”
What began as an animated film in 1997, “Anastasia” was then adapted into a Broadway musical. Cowles said she embodied the role of Anastasia, who, like Cowles, showed personal growth during the play.
Cowles said she feels passionately about musical theater and has been involved in theatrical activities for a long period of time, which helped her prepare for the role of Anastasia.
“I have been acting since seventh grade,” Cowels said. “And with that I was basically raised around music so I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember.”
Cowles said that since middle school, she has been actively improving her musical and theater skills since it is such a big part of her life and something she loves. She said she was excited to get the role of Anastasia.
“I think me and Anastasia are very similar because she is determined but also has some sass to her,” Cowles said.
Cowles said that inaddition to a connection to the character, being a lead brings a lot more responsibility.
“The time commitment was really difficult, especially when I would have to stay after rehearsals on the weekdays until about ten-thirty,” Cowles said. “I would have to do things that the others didn’t have to do and it was just a big time responsibility overall.”
Even with the hours and hours spent to ensure an excellent production, Cowles said it was all worth it because of the friendships and talents she saw develop.
Cowles said the energy and effort that go into a musical production are similar to the energy and effort that athletes put into sports. Like athletes, actors are always learning new techniques and ways to win the points to win and most times they will mess up and learn from their mistakes.
“I learned a lot of new vocal techniques and it seems I was singing a wrong way than I should be,” Cowles said. “I learned a lot more about theatre and generally and it was just a continuous reminder of how much I really love music and theatre.”
Cowles said she is committed to pursuing theater after high school.
“I would really like to continue theater in the future,” Cowles said. “It is just a really hard industry to get into.”
With the musical finished for another year, Cowles was most excited about the relationships she developed as part of the cast.
“I made a lot of new friendships and connections,” Cowles said. “I think I will miss those friendships with my people the most.”
