On Friday, May 30 Ethan Savage received the award for Outstanding Musical Performance by an Actor at the Kelli O’Hara Awards in Oklahoma City.
The Kellis are hosted by OKC Broadway and recognize the state’s best performers in high school musical theatre. Savage, who will be going into his senior year this fall, received his nomination for his performance in Plainview’s musical “Anastasia.” His win allows him to travel to New York City to perform on Broadway and compete in the Jimmy Awards against other best actor winners from across the country.
Savage said being named the winner at the Kellis involves much more than the performance in one role. Competitors arrived four days prior to the event to rehearse for the awards ceremony show, and the true competition began as soon as they arrived.
“They gave us our music to the three numbers ahead of time so we could practice,” he said. “Once you’re there, it’s solid work from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, with a 30-minute lunch break.
“The whole time you’re there, you’re showing your skill and your dedication to the art. After all, if you win, you’ll be representing the entire state, and even if you’re extremely talented, you may not get picked if you aren’t professional.”
He said the entire experience of rehearsals was amazing, and he learned a lot.
“You’re surrounded by so many other talented performers, and there were so many gifted teachers,” Savage said. “Michael Childs was our music director, and he’s also the director for OU’s Musical Theatre Program. He was an amazing resource to have there, and I learned so many things from him that I’d never learned in my 11 years of experience.”
Being named winner was surreal.
“Obviously you hope and you dream, but I was trying to stay grounded and realistic,” Savage said. “There was me, but there were also nine other talented guys, and they were some of the most talented people I’ve ever worked with.
“There’s literally a video of me backstage when they called my name, and I just fell to the floor. Bella Gutierrez, who I was there with, had to pick me up. I was in shock for a couple of days, but it was an amazing experience.”
Savage will be travelling to New York tomorrow, June 13, with Reese Hollingsworth, the Best Actress winner who attends Edmond Santa Fe, along with a chaperone from OKC Broadway to begin rehearsals for the Jimmy Awards. The duo will be representing Oklahoma and competing against some of the most talented young theatre performers from across the United States.
He said the process in New York will basically be the same as in Oklahoma City – only with a higher degree of difficulty and a longer rehearsal time. The Jimmy Awards will take place on June 23.
“It’s going to be very challenging and harder than anything I’ve ever done before in this art, but that’s what makes me so excited about it,” he said.
History with musical theatre
Savage said he began performing after hearing about how much fun it was from his sister, Harper. It was the summer after his first grade year, and his family had just moved to Ardmore.
“That summer I didn’t really have anything to do,” he said. “My sister actually joined the Brass Ring, and she kept coming home talking about how much fun she was having. None of us had ever done musical theatre before but she took the jump and loved it. I decided I wanted to do it too.”
His mother contacted Brass Ring Founder and Artistic Director Vicki Gelona and asked if he could join rehearsals late. Gelona agreed, but said since they were already so deep into rehearsals, he could only be in one number.
“So I got my start in the back of ‘Friend Like Me’ from ‘Aladdin,’ and I’ve loved it ever since,” he said.
Over the years, Savage has continued to perform with Brass Ring and has had many roles in numerous musicals. He said his favorite role was that of The Baker in “Into the Woods.”
“It’s a much deeper character than it might appear,” he said. “When you think of fairy tales you don’t necessarily think of depth; the characters are kind of one dimensional. In the show, there are a lot characters with depth and characters that you wouldn’t think of interacting with each other.
“The journey The Baker goes on in that show makes him a very compelling character to play.”
“Into the Woods” also included his favorite moment ever on stage.
“I got to sing a duet with my good friend David Riddle who played his father,” Savage said. “The song is called ‘No More’ and it starts out as a duet but then the father disappears because he was never really there. The Baker has to go forward from that moment after having lost someone close to him. It was a very emotional song, and it was great getting to experience that with my friend.”
Looking to the Future
Savage said he plans to continue pursing musical theatre into college and as a professional.
“I’ve been working with my vocal coach Nick Gelona since I was seven years old,” Savage said. “He’s eager to help me work on auditioning for various colleges. Being at the Jimmy’s is also an amazing opportunity for me because there are no better connections you can make than at the heart of Broadway.”
The Jimmy Awards will be live streamed on YouTube at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 23.
