Student in the Spotlight: Don’t Be a Stranger to Kelly Shao

Kelly’s beginnings in theatre were humble. “When the My Son Pinocchio Jr. cast list came out, I ran to Mr. Gordon to ask if the ‘Kelly’ on the list was me because I was afraid to think it was and be wrong,” Kelly remembers.

Despite her initial doubts, it’s awe-inspiring now to watch Kelly twirl and belt on stage with unmatched grace and swagger. She is an inspiration to anyone looking to pursue something out of their comfort zone. Kelly says she feels as if she’d grown into her confidence over the years due to the joy performing gives her. She used to be very scared of playing characters like Tanya from Mamma Mia and Paula from Catch Me if You Can, but after years of experience, Kelly says she feels more eager to challenge herself.

When asked about her experience in the theatre community and what it has given her, Kelly was all smiles. To her, it has been fun to entertain and to be given the challenge of a lead role many times. She claims that theatre has also made her more empathetic. “When I see how my characters hurt others or are hurt by others, it makes me much more reflective of how my actions impact other people.”

Others in the theatre community say Kelly has played a maternal role in their lives and kept their morale high. Kelly always does a thorough job in developing her character, whether for a school or community theatre performance. She says that her way of giving back to the theatre community is to always give everything she has into her performance.

Kelly is honored to have been given significant theater roles, and also has a wide variety of achievements in choir. She is the Alto II section leader for Region II Choir and received the Outstanding Achievement Award for Choir in her junior year. She currently participates in Chamber Choir, Vocal Jazz, and Collegium Choir. It’s also worth mentioning that she can nail a French accent, as seen in her latest role in Catch Me if You Can.

When asked about what she wanted to do with her theatrical prowess in the future, Kelly says she isn’t sure. However, she does know she wants to continue performing in college and might minor in theater. But who knows? All she knows right now is that she wants to continue it if she can.

Kelly has brought Montgomery an entertaining and brilliant six years of performance. From behalf of all of Montgomery: Thank you Kelly, and break a leg!