Peace, joy and persistence to ignite the holiday spirit
Red Mountain Theatre Company Conservatory student and Mountain Brook High School junior Tess Patton has been involved with RMTC since she was 7 years old. “I had just moved from Montgomery and Mom wanted me to be engaged in an activity. Broadway Bootcamp was my first involvement with RMTC and I had the most fun in those two weeks,” Patton said.
This year, Patton will be part of an RMTC extravaganza for the whole family, Holiday Spectacular 2018, running Nov. 30–Dec. 16 at the RMTC Cabaret Theatre. It’s an unbelievable event of all your holiday favorites performed by Birmingham’s best local artists and the RMTC Conservatory.
If there was one word to describe this young talent, it would be perseverance having auditioned and not making it her first time for the RMTC Conservatory. She remained positive, took voice lessons, and the next year would earn her spot with the phenomenal group. She was working her way up the ranks of the Conservatory ladder and had the opportunity to perform in her first professional show in seventh grade in the production of “Band Geeks.”
“The experience really pushed me and matured me as a performer. I was working with adult actors and I really strived to be on their level,” said Patton.
She would hit another roadblock the following year with voice struggles, but once again her ambition would not allow her to take a major hit. Attending a vocal therapist, she restructured how she would perform overall. Her journey continued this past summer as she attended a program at UCLA for musical theatre.
“Going into it, I thought it would be a fun opportunity, but over time I realized that musical theatre would be something I would want to pursue as a career,” she said. “I really enjoyed that community feel of a university environment.”
As it is customary for Conservatory students to perform in the Holiday Spectacular, Tess looks forward to the month of November and performances in December. It has become a holiday tradition for her, no different than decorating a tree, wrapping presents or looking at the lights around town. Patton said, “It is consistent and people really look forward to the event as a means of escape during the stressful times of the holiday season. It leaves us with a sense of peace and joy that we all need in our lives.”
What is the one moment she looks forward to every year? Well, there is always the crowd-pleasing tribute to the Rockettes, but the finale will always have a special place in her heart. Come on down to the RMTC Cabaret and witness the finale for yourself.
Tickets for Holiday Spectacular 2018 start at $19 and are available by calling 324-2424 or by visiting redmountaintheatre.org/holiday-spectacular.
Submitted by Jamie Schor, RMTC