BWW Blog: Meet Evatt Salinger, Winner of Bobby G Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor

I truly feel like I have been working on the part of Jean Valjean for more than a year now. Last summer I began voice lessons with Mrs. Jill Holly, largely in anticipation of Les Mis auditions, and it changed everything. It enabled me to worry less about singing and concentrate more on how my acting and singing worked together. I still believe I was not worthy of such a demanding, beautiful role, but I did my best.

Mrs. Winchester (my Director) and I spent a lot of time honing in my character. I didn't immediately feel a huge connection to Valjean, but that quickly changed. As I became more familiar with the character, I started to really understand his compassion and isolation. This work broke emotional barriers within me too. I think Valjean changed more in me than I brought to him, and I tried to incorporate that in my performance.

Every performance was something special. My brother, Curtis Salinger, auditioned for his first show at Durango High School, and it was amazing acting alongside him. He brought raw emotion and power to Marius. It was amazing coming home and teaching him certain things about singing and acting and running songs with him. I sang "Bring Him Home" to him every night, and I'm so happy I could share this show with him before college. My cast mates consistently gave everything they had to the show, and though I may be biased, I think they absolutely deserved the opportunity to perform at the Bellco for Colorado Thespian conference, as well as the Bobby G Award for Best Overall Musical.

I found out I was nominated for the Bobby G Awards while sitting in the dentist's office with my dad. Honestly, at the time I didn't realize what an incredible program and opportunity it was. All I knew is that I'd drive seven hours to Denver a few times and pick a couple songs I'd never heard from a list. Oh, and tune up my voice to sing "Bring Him Home" again... back to the voice coach! My longtime friend, Emma Buchanan, was also nominated for her portrayal of Éponine, and in no time we were in a car heading to Denver for rehearsal and final auditions.

When we arrived at the Denver Center of Performing Arts for the first medley rehearsal, we discovered some awesome, friendly, incredibly talented kids from around the state who loved theatre just as much as we did! Rehearsing turned out to be a blast and by the end of it all I think we'd all forgotten this was supposed to be a competition. I would've been so excited for anyone of them if they'd gotten the award. After three nights in Denver, Emma and I walked into our final audition for the Bobby G Awards. I was very excited and also very nervous because I had never performed my audition song for anyone. Most of my rehearsing happened by myself in my hotel room... which was also exhilarating because I just went with what I felt was right. I decided to shed the worry, let go, and have tons of fun! I guess it turned out ok. I sang 18 bars of "Bring Him Home" as well as "Shiksa Goddess" from The Last 5 Years. When friendly faces in the other room asked my how I'd done, I wasn't sure what to say. My nervous energy had sort of connected me into another world, and I didn't really remember what had happened. But it felt good to just be myself and let loose. Then, we drove seven hours back to Durango.

Durango was nominated for the second most awards in a total of 10 categories. At the Bobby G Awards Ceremony, we sat in agony watching award after award slip by. Finally, the award for Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role was announced. When they announced that Emma had won, Durango High School exploded. The majority of the audience in the Buell stood cheering as Emma walked to the stage. After Emma accepted the award, I was sure they wouldn't give both Leading Awards to Durango High School. When they called my name, I put my face in my hands in disbelief. Hands pulled me up and my new friends yelled their congratulations. Then, I ran past my school on the way to the stage. People were crying and yelling. I was crying and yelling and high-fiving scattered hands of parent as I went down the stairs. I fumbled through my speech on my phone, thanked my parents and my mentors, and did my best to convey my gratitude for the awards. After I walked off stage, Emma and I were quickly herded back up to the Durango section, getting there just in time to hear them announce LES MISERABLES as the Best Overall Musical!

Last week, we sang the National Anthem at the Rockies Game. Walking into the field for sound check was my first time inside a professional stadium. Reverb echoed around the empty place as we sang the anthem, which was a little disorienting. When the stadium filled with 30 thousand fans, the echo was slightly less noticeable. Emma and I fumbled our first real video interview on the field which was fun and exhilarating. The Denver Center of Performing Arts made an awesome video combining these interviews and the anthem. What a good way to save a memory forever.

Then, I went back to Durango where I started preparing for The Jimmy Awards at my childhood performance arts camp, DPAC (Durango Performing Arts Camp). This was my 5th year at camp, and sadly my last as a camper. We spend much of the week in workshops lead by gifted professionals working on songs and monologues. So, I brought my audition songs to be workshopped. Other than that, my preparation will include my trademarked process of singing in the shower, inner-monologuing, and goofing around with the lyrics before I even begin rehearsing. I'm pretty gifted at not overworking a song... but I'm determined to feel fully prepared this time in the next stage of the competition.

-Evatt

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