Name: Kelsey Spelich
Year: Sophomore
Major: Journalism: Public Relations; Minor: Music
Hometown: San Diego, CA
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HCO: What got you started with musical theater?
Kelsey: The moment when musical theater became a passion of mine was when I was about 5-6 years old. Growing up, I found enjoyment while watching old classic musicals like Singin’ in the Rain, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, etc. My mom also thought it was important to expand my cultural horizon by taking me to the theater to see musicals in theaters like Mt. Helix in San Diego, the La Jolla Playhouse, and in countless theaters in New York on Broadway. However, I didn’t start performing professionally in acting (minus the school productions) until I was 11 years old. I started singing when I was 5 years old and then studied ballet and tap from the age of 6-11. Soon, after watching my friends in a production of Annie, I thought to myself, “Wow, this looks like a lot of fun. I want to do that!” From there, I performed in about 15-20 musicals including The Music Man, Fame, Beauty and the Beast, Chess : In Concert, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and West Side Story in my senior year of high school where I attended a world-renowned performing arts boarding school, Interlochen Arts Academy (trained artists like Josh Groban, Helen Hunt, Jackson Rathborne, Alan Menken, Tom Hulce, etc).
HCO: Have you always had a passion for singing?
K: Definitely, but I didn’t think that when I was born. I was actually born deaf due to serious ear infections and it caused me to become deaf. I received surgery when I was around 4-5 years old. When I think of a specific memory of hearing for the first time, I remember lying in bed at the hospital and my dad decided to play “All Shook Up” by Elvis Presley. I had no idea what exactly it was, but I really enjoyed it. This curiosity started to bloom and I started to explore new artists and genres.
As for singing, I didn’t choose to start lessons at first. When I was around 6 years old, I was driving in a carpool with my mom’s friend, Mrs. Decker, and she had the radio on. Naively, I started to sing along. She could hear me in the back and once we got to my house, she walked straight up to my mom, looked her in the eye, and said to her “You need to get that girl singing lessons.” Ironically, I discovered that I also have perfect pitch after a few lessons with my first singing teacher, Mrs. Timarris. So 15 years and 5 singing coaches later, I’ve trained in a variety of genres such as Classical, Opera, Contemporary, Musical Theater, and Jazz.
HCO:Â Which musicals have you performed in?
K: West Side Story (2012), West Coast Premiere of Spring Awakening (2011), Chess-In Concert (2011), Beauty and the Beast (2010), Les Miserables, The Music Man, etc. I’ve been in about 15-20 musicals.
HCO:Â Tell me which characters you play in Spring Awakening.
K: I am playing the roles of Thea and Frau Gabor (Melchior’s mother). What is different in this production from what I’ve previously performed in is that the adults are being played by the children through their perspective of them. So it’s going to be interesting to see the dynamic contrast between adult and child.
HCO:Â What is your favorite part about performing in a musical?
K: My favorite part about performing in a musical is being able to let yourself go onstage. When you are a character, you incorporate parts of yourself in the character to make the transition from you to the character easier. So, when I am up on that stage I can channel a part of me that could be unique for the character I am playing. When we as people walk around, we usually put on a mask. Onstage, I am able to drop the mask and not care who is judging or what they’re thinking; as long as I tell my character’s story, I feel accomplished. I feel like I did my job. That is the most rewarding experience in the world.
HCO:Â Do you plan to pursue any kind of musical performance in the future?
K: Unfortunately, I don’t believe that I am going to pursue theatre professionally. However, my goal is to become a music supervisor for film and television. I have this passion for music and how it thoroughly moves the plotline in a film or television show. That’s one of the reasons why I love musical theater; the music moves the story and can influence a person’s emotions in a heartbeat. Though I will never stop going to the theater and I will never stop singing. It would be so difficult to not have music or theater in my life.Â