LAUREN BARTLETT Publication Chief
On Thursday April 13, the Swanson Center Mainstage was packed with friends and family members of senior musical theater major, Cheyanne Osoria as she presented her senior capstone project entitled, “A Star in the Making.”
This show was written, directed and starred Osoria as the main character. “A Star in the Making” portrayed different aspects of Osoria’s life starting with being a child growing up in New Jersey with her single mother. While Osoria wrote this show, it was mainly a mixture of songs from various famous musicals such as “Sweet Charity,” “Jekyll & Hyde” and “SMASH.”
Each song portrayed a different part in Osoria’s life from relationships with men, to moving to Piedmont and even about her personal insecurities. In between songs, a member of the cast would come to center stage and give a short monologue about the upcoming scene. One of the most powerful performances was “Dangerous Game” from the musical, “Jekyll and Hyde.”
During this scene, Osoria, along with friend and senior Kordai Harris preformed a duet. This scene gave the audience a look into a darker side of sexual abuse. Another powerful scene was “I Know Where I’ve Been” from the musical, “Hairspray.” This song was about knowing that the future is headed in a good direction because of the struggles of the past. While the lyrics spoke for themselves, the scene was taken the extra mile when Osoria assigned various cast members to hold different signs. The posters stated cultural issues such as bullying, war, LBGTQ rights and immigration. This was very a very powerful and emotional scene to those in the audience and it was obvious that it was important to Osoria as well.
My personal favorite scene was “Bosom Buddies” from the musical, “Mame.” I liked this scene a lot because during the monologue, cast members talked about how Piedmont is a place that most people call home for four years. During the four years there is a lot that happens, and while we have family to depend on, your friends are the ones who live with you and really see you through it all. This scene was focused on friendships that you make in college, and it was a very bittersweet moment for all seniors in the audience, myself included. Even if you didn’t know Osoria on a personal level, you still got a good look into her life and you saw things that you would have never known just by looking at her.
As I sat in the audience, after knowing Osoria for four years, I learned things about her that I didn’t know and I saw a very vulnerable side to her that she very willingly shared with everyone. One minute, I was crying, and the next I was laughing. Osoria, plus her ensemble of about 20 of her fellow classmates created and performed a magical show that not just anyone could have pulled off. Her show was also accompanied by live music from fellow Piedmont faculty and students. You could tell that every one of her cast members cared about her and put their all into this performance to show their support. While watching the show, you come to the obvious realization that everyone around you has a story, and whether you have heard it or not, it is there.
If we, as citizens of this country, want to achieve the peace and love that we all strive for, this is where you can take the first step. Remember, you don’t know what the people around you are going through, always try to take a step back before judging someone for their clothes, hair or attitude.
At the end of the show, Osoria humbly thanked everyone for all of their support and announced that she will be a part of an acting apprenticeship at the Aurora Theater in Atlanta for the 2017-2018 year. Starting in the fall of 2018, she will attend Oklahoma City University to pursue her masters in musical theater.
