High School Drama: Ravenwood High School's KELLY WHITLOW

Theater people love to talk - especially about other theater people. So it should come as no surprise that it was during a recent conversation with Nashville theater choreographer extraordinaire Tosha Pendergrast that the name of Ravenwood High School's Kelly Whitlow came up.

Tosha, who choreographs for the school's theater department, suggested some students who might be ideal candidates for the High School Drama spotlight - and Kelly Whitlow was the very first name on her list. "You see," she explained. "She's crazy talented, she works hard and..."

And that was enough for me, and with her next onstage assignment coming up within the next fortnight - she'll play Olive Ostrovsky in Ravenwood's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, running at the school November 7-12 - she's the perfect choice for this week's edition of High School Drama. Get to know Kelly Whitlow better, so you can say you knew her "when..."

What is your theatrical goal in life? Obviously, I would love to be on Broadway, or a national tour or something big like that, but I would just love to perform anywhere. It's my favorite thing to do, so as long as I'm doing it, I don't care what the circumstances are.

If you could play any role in any show, what would you choose? I would choose Rose from Dogfight just because she interests me a lot and she sings amazing, thought provoking songs.

What's been your best theatrical experience to date? I had the honor of playing both Patrice in 13: the musical and Martha Dunstock in Heathers. Both of these characters got to show so many strengths and weaknesses, which gave me a lot of challenges as an actor and performer. The casts of both these shows were so incredibly talented and amazing to work with.

Who are your favorite actors? I love Lindsey Mendez, because she's so talented and has played so many roles I would love to play. I also love Ben Platt because who doesn't?

What show that you've never seen would you most like to see live, onstage? I would love to see The Bridges of Madison County live, because the music is absolutely beautiful, and I have heard incredible things about how great it is!

What's next in store for you, theatrically speaking? I am currently in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Ravenwood high school playing Olive Ostrovsky. The show runs November 7-12!! This show has been one of my very favorite shows I've been in so far.

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