Gwen Craw, a Junior at Skyline High School has acted for 7 years. In her 7 years of acting, she has been in 8 plays and musicals and is now working on Mamma Mia. Her favorite parts of being in a musical include, well everything. She enjoys singing, dancing, lights, costumes, and everything in between. 

“If I had to choose just one thing, though, it would be the people. All of the incredible friendships I make while in a show. They are my favorite people ever.”

Gwen has a specific audition technique to ensure she does an amazing job and feels confident during her audition.

“Preparation. I always feel better if I have had time to learn and perfect my audition song.”

Preparation is an essential part of anything and auditions are a big thing if you want a chance to get a lead role. 

Mrs. Parrett, the director of Mamma Mia and the theater teacher at Skyline, gave her insight into Gwen’s acting ability and why she was picked for the role of Donna.

“I’ve worked with Gwen for a year now. Last year I was very impressed when she auditioned for The Addams Family, as she didn’t get a lead role despite her strong voice. Her character just wasn’t right for one of the leads. She was in the ensemble. She worked just as hard as anyone. She never complained and was so positive. This year when we had audition number 1: I knew her work ethic and her voice was perfect for Donna. She has a maturity about her that works for Donna as well. So right away the three of us who were at auditions all agreed immediately on who Donna was. She created the character, she had the voice for her to carry the vocals, and we knew about her hard work and work ethic.” 

Mrs. Parrett had nothing but great things to say about Gwen and why she was chosen for the role of Donna. Gwen was in disbelief when she saw the cast list.

“I couldn’t believe it was really my name up there. I also felt extremely grateful to be given such a big opportunity.”

Gwen will do great things within this show. Some things she hopes to accomplish in this play include putting on a good performance and truly telling the story in the best way to the audience. 

With all of the shows Gwen has been in there are a few she hopes to someday be a part of. These include, 

“Tuck Everlasting, Anastasia, and Little Women.”

Gwen will put on an amazing show and continue to create magical experiences for the audience. Hopefully, in future years we will see her in bigger shows and achieving whatever she puts her heart and mind to do.