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cello to pursue a steadier paycheck, when fate stepped in. Huertas, who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from PLU, had worked fairly steadily immediately after graduation. His first credits included roles in the Seattle Repertory Theatre’s Speech and Debate and the Seattle premiere production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, but when work started to become scarce, he decided to take a break from acting at least, he said, “until I was financially secure enough to be a starving artist

October 2, 2012 After applying as a cellist for the Broadway musical Spring Awakening, just for fun, Justin Huertas ’09 found himself on a national tour and is working on turning the experience into his own show. (Photo by Kristina R. Corbitt) Pursuing the Dream By Leah Traxel ’14 Justin Huertas ’09 was ready to “break up” with acting and playing the cello to pursue a steadier paycheck, when fate stepped in. Huertas, who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from PLU, had worked fairly steadily

classmates who expected to land the leading roles. “They were looking at a couple students who were older than us,” deLohr says. “And then we came in and just kind of stole those roles.”I Dreamed A DreamKiki deLohr sings “Terrible Ride” from Lizard Boy. Though both had starred in high school musicals, neither Huertas nor deLohr enrolled at PLU intending to major in theater. DeLohr planned to study psychology and Huertas was a music performance major specializing in the cello. After meeting in Acting 101

the camp. They played on decrepit instruments to an audience of fellow prisoners and guards.   PLU Music faculty – Cameron Bennett, piano, Svend Ronning, violin, Craig Rine, clarinet, and Richard Treat, cello – will perform the entire monumental work and Bennett will offer some opening comments. This event is the second event in the 2013 School of Arts + Communication (SOAC) annual Focus Series, under this year’s theme: “Empowerment” and is held in conjunction with the Powell-Heller Holocaust

into account for your scholarship application. Keep in mind these important considerations: Music scholarships are awarded in a single specific area (e.g., voice, or cello). Submitting audition recordings in multiple areas will not increase the amount of your award. All music scholarships require successful participation—each semester—in private lessons and, by audition and placement, in a scholarship ensemble in the area of your award. You may certainly take lessons in a secondary area, or

cello on stage. Another champion of Lizard Boy was the Seattle Rep’s late Director of Education Andrea Allen. She, along with Manning, edited Huertas’ diary entries and helped him craft them into what became Lizard Boy. These two champions of Huertas — and Lizard Boy — weren’t around to see the show when it opened in a real Seattle Rep season. “[Manning] and [Allen] both helped me out a lot and we lost them along the way, so it was sort of like this moment of full-circle at opening night,” Huertas

connections made at PLU to cast his show. His former classmate, Kirsten deLohr Helland ’09, is starring alongside him in Lizard Boy.  Lizard Boy opened Wednesday, April 1, in what Huertas characterized as a full-circle moment. Huertas wrote the show after being encouraged by the Seattle Rep’s late Artistic Director Jerry Manning in January 2012 to keep a journal and start writing a play in which he would play the cello on stage. Another champion of Lizard Boy was the Seattle Rep’s late Director of

Boy.  Lizard Boy opened Wednesday, April 1, in what Huertas characterized as a full-circle moment. Huertas wrote the show after being encouraged by the Seattle Rep’s late Artistic Director Jerry Manning in January 2012 to keep a journal and start writing a play in which he would play the cello on stage. Another champion of Lizard Boy was the Seattle Rep’s late Director of Education Andrea Allen. She, along with Manning, edited Huertas’ diary entries and helped him craft them into what became

the plot and the music is the combination of harp and cello,  working together to evoke the ancient Chinese zither called Guqin, which was played by the historical Cai Yan. The stage design by Art Giddings includes projections of luminous abstract paintings by Tacoma painter Becky Frehse, the makeup in Chinese theater style is by Portland makeup artist Ashley Bryant, who has studied in Beijing, and the costumes by Kathleen Anderson evoke China of the Han dynasty but also read as universal and

" presented by Seattle-based Showtunes Theatre Company. In 2015, he was commissioned to write his own musical for Seattle Rep, called “Lizard Boy,” after the artistic director saw him play the cello in a musical theater concert. “It was the most of me I’ve ever put on stage,” Huertas said. “This was very much my words, coming out of my own mouth, playing my own music.” Huertas added that if audiences didn’t like the show, it would feel like they didn’t like him. Well, they liked him very much. “Lizard Boy