TRIPLE THREAT

Just 23 boys and 26 girls were selected as nominees for the 2017 Iowa Triple Threat Award.

Tyler Peters, 2017 Creston Community High School (CCHS) graduate and son of CCHS Band Director Mike Peters and Lisa Peters, was one of them.

The award selected for the best of the best — the state’s elite in acting, singing and dancing at the high school level. Less than 2 percent of the judged students (more than 4,500) from more than 60 participating high schools were deemed talented enough to compete for the award.

Peters, who has been involved in the performing arts since appearing as Aladdin in a sixth-grade production of “Aladdin Jr.,” was surprised at being named a nominee.

“I was not expecting it at all,” said Peters. “I was working in a speech group, and Mrs. (Jane) Warner called me into her office, and she just got an email and I was very surprised. This was our school’s first year doing it, and so nobody really knew what was going to happen. And so I was kind of the lucky person to test out the waters.”

Judges travelled to participating high schools on unnamed performance dates, seeking individuals in leading roles demonstrating “excellent acting, dancing and vocal talents.”

After being named a nominee, Peters traveled to Des Moines for a three-day theatre experience. The Triple Threat Award nominees auditioned, worked with Broadway veterans and received private coaching from local university faculty at the Des Moines Civic Center.

"We really hope," said Eric B. Olmscheid, Des Moines Performing Arts director of programming and education, "that the students throughout this process — for many of them this is the first opportunity they're working with a visiting Broadway music director — so it puts them in a different place in their responsiveness and focus in the rehearsal room.

"What we value so much," said Olmscheid, "about the teaching artists we bring in, is that they treat them as if they were working with any professional theatre artist. So they have the same level of expecations for rehearsal, what kind of work you do outside of rehearsal and your attitude and demeanor during the rehearsal. So they are treating them at the same level as any other professional.

"And we believe," continued Olmscheid, "that if we raise the bar to a higher place, they (the students), will meet that bar."

“It was a lot different than what I thought it was going to be,” said Peters. “I thought it was going to be some really intense work 24/7, but it was actually a lot of fun and just hanging out. We got to get to know everybody that was there.”

While in Des Moines, Peters participated in a variety of group performances in front of a capacity crowd at the Civic Center, and performed a part of a solo he’d performed while at CCHS: “Put on a Happy Face” out of the stage musical “Bye Bye Birdie.” Peters also solo-auditioned as part of the competition.

“The coolest part was that we have our two audition pieces,” said Peters. “One from our high school musical (‘Put on a Happy Face’), and then an opposite-type song. Since that was a happy song, I had to pick a more emotional, slower ballad. I picked ‘Being Alive’ from ‘Company.’”

The audition was held in a private room in front of six or seven judges and an accompanist, according to Peters.

“It was kind of intimidating, actually,” said Peters. “(It) was kind of nerve wracking. Usually, when I go to any other honor-type event, I’ll have people I know and I’m not all by myself. So I was a little bit out of my comfort zone.”

The two students named Triple Threat Award recipients were revealed during the Iowa High School Musical Theatre Award Showcase held June 5 at the Civic Center. Marisa Spahn of Waukee High School and Seamus Foley of Dubuque Senior High School were the two winners. Both travelled to New York City June 19-27 to represent Iowa at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards.

Although Peters did not win, he is glad to have had the opportunity to compete, and happy for those that got to go to New York to compete at the national level.

“I took a lot from it,” said Peters. “I got to meet some great friends, and it was just a huge learning opportunity for me, and I’m happy I did it. Because beforehand, I was kind of on the fence and not sure if I was going to enjoy it. But I’m super happy I got to do it. It was a lot of fun.

“I just want to thank Mrs. (Jane) Warner for the chances she has given me throughout the musicals,” said Peters, “and Jerry Huffman as well. And thanks to my parents, and Karlyn McCutchan who was really great working with my vocals throughout the summer.”

Peters will attend the University of South Dakota this fall, where he will study musical theatre. He received the university’s highest scholarship awarded to a freshman in the music theatre department.