HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA: Harley Seger of Christ Presbyterian Academy

Welcome, dear ladies and gentlemen and all supporters of theater (both local and otherwise) to the inaugural installment of High School Drama, our soon-to-be-weekly feature that will introduce some of Music City's hardest working teenaged actors to the world outside Tennessee. Clearly, we live in a city made all the more interesting by the creative people who live here and we are especially fortunate in the theater community to be blessed by scores of talented individuals who make a night in the theater a compelling and challenging experience.

In fact, the "adult actors" (and I use that term both sparingly and lovingly) should keep an eye cast over their shoulders toward the younger actors fast gaining ground on them. High School theater is growing by leaps and bounds, led by outstanding educators like Paula Flautt, Daron Bruce, Jenny Noel, Will Butler, Brittany Anderson, et al, and their students are making their mark on the theater community, not only in high school productions but in community and professional projects, as well.

We kick off this new series with the enormously talented, big-voiced Harley Seger, a 16-year-old junior at Christ Presbyterian Academy, who has been onstage for half her life. A stalwart of CPA theater under the direction of Paula Flautt (it was Flautt's production of Carousel that critically altered my views of high school theater, resulting in my first-ever review of a high school show), earlier this spring Harley was named best actress at the first Lipscomb University High School Musical Awards for her show-stopping performance as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

And that's where my Harley Seger story begins-I was the presenter of her award-and found myself bowled over by her performance. She's a stunning singer and impressive actress, to be certain, but I've found myself more impressed by how she handles herself with poise, good humor, confidence and professionalism. Clearly, Harley Seger is someone to make note of now so that in the future you can say you knew her when.

What's your theatrical goal in life? The natural response to being asked "what is my theatrical goal" would, of course, be to perform on Broadway. But honestly, my major goal is to make a living doing what I love. I aspire to be a working actress. Every day getting to create and discover more through art while making a living is what I am striving for. Performing on Broadway is a huge accomplishment, and I hope I get the opportunity to be a part of that community someday.

If you could play any role in any show...what would you choose? There are so many amazing female characters I hope and pray I get cast as one day. Some top roles I have wanted to play for years are Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and Emily in Our Town.

What's been your best theatrical experience to date? I've been blessed with a lot of amazing opportunities and experiences since I started performing at age eight, but one of my best theatrical experiences has been getting to play the role of Dorothy in The Wizard if Oz. It was the first musical I ever saw on stage. Since seeing Oz in 2004, I have gone on to play Dorothy three separate times. In my most recent run as Dorothy, I was fortunate enough to receive the award for Best Dramatic Actress at the first annual Lipscomb High School Musical Theatre Awards.

Who are your favorite actors? Some of my favorite actors and actress include Annaleigh Ashford, John Gallagher, Jr., Derek Klena, Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

What show that you've never seen would you most like to see? A show I have yet to see but really want to is Dogfight. Due to its limited run off-Broadway and the fact few colleges and professional theaters have done it has made it more challenging to see live.

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