Creating Magic from an Actor's View

Creating Magic from an Actor's View

By Club Writer, Kailee Kunchick (class of 2026)

Broadway Knights is an O'Connell tradition where the performing arts department puts on a cabaret, a show where people perform a number of Broadway favorites. Broadway Knights brings the magic of musical theatre to life by singing, dancing, and acting. This year was Disney themed, and these performers have been working hard to put this show together since the summer, when the director Mrs. Kaylor gave them their song assignments When the school year started, they got to work, and exemplified the magic of Walt Disney. It was a spectacular success, but as a performer it involved a lot of hard work. These are some students responses to the Broadway Knights process:

What makes the BroadwayKnights (BK) more special than some past ones?

Grace McCabe (‘26): “This was my last Broadway Knights and I think it was my best. It was so much fun to watch everyone completely ace their songs”.

Jillian Sok (‘28): “This is my first BK not as a freshman, so it’s nice to have younger people as friends and castmates”

What is your favorite part of BK?

Grace McCabe (‘26): “The group rehearsals are always fun because I get to practice with my friends across all grades, but my ultimate favorite has to be the individual rehearsal with Mrs. Kaylor and getting deep into character and learning how to navigate my song.”

Jillian Sok (‘28): “My favorite part is showing different songs from different musicals so multiple styles and genres can be shown. I also just love performing in general.”

How long does it take to prepare/rehearse everything?

Grace McCabe (‘26): “For me, I already had my personal song and duo song memorized, so I had more time to spend on perfecting the group numbers which were super emotional and heartwarming.”

Jillian Sok (‘28): “It takes a month to prepare, but I only rehearse around 10 hours.”

What is your favorite memory?

Grace McCabe (‘26): “I can't really remember my favorite memory from past years, but my favorite memory from this year was sitting in the balcony with all my friends cheering as loud as we could.”

Jillian Sok (‘28): “My favorite memory is sitting on the balcony and watching the other performers when I'm not singing.”

 What advice would you give to new comers/performers?

Grace McCabe (‘26): “A piece of advice I would give is that it gets easier right now when you get out on the stage. It seems terrifying, but it all comes with time and hard work, so be patient.”

Jillian Sok (‘28): [My Advice is to put in the work, and when they do, it’ll be a really good and fun show.”

What is your favorite Disney Broadway song?

Grace McCabe (‘26): “My Favorite Disney Broadway song is Part of your World or literally anything from a Disney princess movie.”

Jillian Sok (‘28):”My favorite Disney Broadway song is “She's in Love”.”

How do you relate to your character?

Grace McCabe (‘26): “Ariel's song is about longing to be part of a world she can't be. I used this and thought of how badly I want to go live a life of performing> This hit me hard while on stage, especially when Ariel sings, 'Betcha on land they understand.’”

Jillian Sok (‘28): “I relate to Snow White because I see the good in everyone.”

What song would you sing out of all the BKs you did?

Grace McCabe (‘26): “My favorite song I did in all of my years of Broadway Knights was also my last: ‘Part of Your World.’” 

Jillian Sok (‘28): “‘Someday My Prince Will Come’ because I think I sang it really well.”

Being a performer is not easy, especially in high school, because you are still a student and you have to get your homework done. But it makes it hard because we have to spend hours in the theatre especially during tech week. But theatre is like a family; everyone works together to entertain and bring joy to others, which is what actors love to do at DJO. It is also a great way for students to develop their talents, because as Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” This quote exemplifies how people should approach theatre and the  arts.