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King Weekly Sentinel https://kingsentinel.com/?p=4338 Export date: Fri Nov 22 10:14:08 2024 / +0000 GMT |
It’s never too late to steal the show With his starring role as Fagin in Villanova's musical theatre production of Oliver!, senior student Mark Polese undeniably stole the spotlight at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. Reactions from the audiences were clear: no one could take their eyes off of him. Having been involved in productions with The Great Big Theatre Company (Toronto) from a young age, Polese is no stranger to the stage. But his exceptional acting talent still came as a pleasant surprise to the director during the first day of rehearsals. Not only could the boy sing and act, but he also rose to the challenge of working closely with middle school students for many hours each week. The youngest sibling of five in his family, Polese had rarely spent any time with younger children before this show. “It was a good exercise in patience,” he states of the experience. It turns out that Oliver! not only stretched Polese's performance ability but also his capacity for leadership throughout the rehearsal process. Said one impressed middle school student, “Mark is just so amazing! I can't believe we get to work with him.” When asked why he decided to audition for the school musical this year, Polese confesses that it took some encouragement from his friends. “I was more confident,” he says, admitting also that being in his senior year contributed to the pressure to be involved. Looking back, Polese says he would have joined earlier had he known the musical would be “one of the best experiences I've ever had.” And for this young musician, that's saying a lot! Throughout his high school career, Polese has established himself as a confident singer and guitarist with his own pop-rock band and plays the tenor saxophone in extracurricular ensembles. When asked why he chose to start playing the sax in band class, he laughs and says, “If you really wanna know, it was because of Lisa from The Simpsons. I thought she looked pretty cool.” And the rest is history. Polese has played guitar and tenor saxophone with the Senior Concert Band and the Senior Jazz Band for four years now. And with his own rock band, he has performed at many school talent nights and special events. Finishing four performances of Oliver! might feel like the end of a long journey, but for Polese, this is only the beginning of his musical career. Having been accepted into Queen's University for the fall of 2014, he will continue his music studies as a classical guitar major. Polese looks forward to this program as a big lifestyle change. “I can do something that I like for four to five hours a day.” Having first tried drums, piano, and even the violin as a kid, Polese eventually settled on the guitar and has been playing it for nearly nine years now. Although he had a musical childhood, he thought he would go to university for a degree in the sciences if he couldn't convince his dad to let him study music. “I think it was my step-mom who gave me the courage to go for a university music program, since she was a piano major at Queen's. This probably influenced my dad in letting me apply.” In his free time, Polese listens to a wide variety of music and especially enjoys Spanish guitar. By studying guitar at university, he hopes to learn more about his passion. Polese also intends to participate in many more musical productions at university and looks forward to spinning his guitar studies into a career. Polese's peers and teachers are truly inspired by his talent and determination. Villanova College wishes him much success as he graduates at the end of this month and continues to develop his musical gifts. |
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Post date: 2014-07-02 11:17:07 Post date GMT: 2014-07-02 15:17:07 Post modified date: 2014-07-23 10:42:46 Post modified date GMT: 2014-07-23 14:42:46 |
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