EJHS senior takes on local roles, dreams
of making it big in New York

A senior at East Jessamine High School, Madalyn Gannon dreams of moving to New York and pursuing her theater dreams on Broadway.
Performing on stage since elementary school, when she hit high school Gannon knew she wanted to be a part of the EJHS theatre department.

“I missed the meeting freshman year,” Gannon said. “Lindsey emailed me and I told her I wanted to be in it. She didn’t make me audition, she just gave me roles and that was the end of it. Every show they have done, I have done.”
From acting, makeup, directing and stage crew, Gannon said there is not one aspect of the theater life she does not enjoy.
“After graduation, I want to go to college and I truly want to major in theater. What I want to do with my life is act. I don’t want to give it up,” Gannon said.
In elementary school, Gannon took on roles in “A Christmas Carol.” In middle school, she performed in “The Wizard of Oz,” and “Into the Woods.” In high school, Gannon said she has taken part in productions such as “Pajama Game,” “Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” “Play On,” “Cinderella,” “Adams Family” and “Frankenstein.” Recently, she directed the student-led production of “Ramona Quimby.”
“Theater as a whole literally is everything (to me),” Gannon said. “I love it, no matter what it is. Doing makeup, doing the sound, building set pieces or breaking down set pieces. Being on stage directing, every single piece of (theater) is amazing.”
Gannon recently landed one of her dream roles — the part of Donna Sharon in the EJHS spring production of “Mamma Mia.”
To prepare for a role, Gannon said she takes the time to be familiar with the lines in the script before and after her own.
“You have to get into a conversational mindset,” Gannon said. “You know what is being said and because you know, you need to think about how your character is going to react to that with what they are going to say.”
If it is a show that is popular, Gannon said to prepare she may also watch the movie or read the book synopsis.
“You never want to copy what someone else has done,” Gannon said. “You always want to formulate your own version of the character.”
Outside of school productions, Gannon has also acted with the local KCAL Old Time Radio Troupe. She also auditioned for a role for a theater production in Winchester, but unfortunately did not get the part.
Her favorite performance so far was the EJHS production of “Play On.”
“It was a show sophomore year,” Gannon said. “It was a play about a play and a group of people putting on a show. Two days before opening night, the director came and started making changes to the script. It was really good.”
For now, college is on her mind, but Gannon still has high hopes to pursue her dreams in the big city.
“My family is from New York and live in Long Island,” Gannon said. “I got the ticket, I have got to go. I want to go to Broadway. It is a dream.”