Broadway Actress Megan Mcginnis Serves As Artist-in-Residence For Orange County School Of The Arts

Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) Musical Theatre Conservatory students collaborate with Broadway actress and singer Megan McGinnis for the school's annual "Performing with the Pros." During this exceptional, cabaret-style performance, McGinnis and OCSA students take the audience on a journey through the star's personal and professional life experiences through music. McGinnis is best known for her roles as Belle in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" on Broadway and Eponine in the first Broadway revival of "Les Misérables." Other theater credits include: "Daddy Long Legs" (off-Broadway), "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Little Women" and many others. "Performing with the Pros" is open to the public and takes place Friday and Saturday, Feb. 2-3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Margaret A. Webb Theatre. Tickets are $26 online, $27 at the door, and can be purchased at boxoffice.ocsarts.net.

In years past, "Performing with the Pros" has featured various Broadway actors, including Eden Espinosa ("Wicked," "Rent"), Ali Stroker ("Spring Awakening") and OCSA alumnae Susan Egan ("Beauty and the Beast," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Cabaret"), Krysta Rodriguez ("The Addams Family," "Spring Awakening," "In the Heights") and Lindsay Mendez ("Wicked," "Godspell," "Carousel").

Performing with the Pros, which has been an annual event at OCSA for more than a decade, gives students the opportunity to work side-by-side with industry professionals who can provide them with invaluable training and learning experiences. The students and McGinnis will endure a fast-paced, intensive four-week rehearsal process to prepare them for the performance.

"Performing with the Pros allows students to envision the path to success, offering them a very special glimpse into the possibility of their own future as professional performers, placing their dreams within reach," says Karen Rymar, assistant director of the Musical Theatre Conservatory.

McGinnis has an interesting history with OCSA. As a teenager, she had many friends who attended the arts high school, including Scott Barnhardt, who is the school's Musical Theatre Conservatory Director. She also made a short documentary about the school in college.

Performing with the Pros is part of OCSA's Master Artist Series, which is generously sponsored by Maureen and Michal Mekjian, the McBeth Foundation, the Samueli Foundation, the Elerding Foundation, Harriet and Sandy Sandhu, the O.L. Halsell Foundation, the William Gillespie Foundation and the Kimmel Foundation.

The nationally recognized Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) provides a creative, challenging and nurturing environment that offers bright and talented students unparalleled preparation for higher education and a profession in the arts. Established in 1987, the school currently serves nearly 2,200 gifted students in grades seven through 12. In addition to a rigorous academic program, OCSA offers students the opportunity to focus on one of the 14 arts conservatories offered. OCSA has been named as one of California's Gold Ribbon Schools for 2017 and is an Arts Schools Network 2017-2019 Exemplary School. OCSA is consistently named one of America's Best High Schools by U.S. News & World Report, recognized in Newsweek magazine's annual list of America's Best 2,000 Public High Schools in the Nation, and ranked as one of the Best Charter High Schools in California by Niche.

OCSA is the only specialized arts program of its kind in the region to offer tuition-free academic and arts instruction to students from Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. The nonprofit public charter school relies solely on private donations, totaling $8.5 million annually, to fund the pre-professional arts training programs. For additional information, visit www.ocsarts.net.

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