Wong to perform in ‘Special Edition Concert of the musical MEAN GIRLS’
Senior Camille La’akea Wong will be singing and dancing her way through the summer after getting cast in a New York production of “MEAN GIRLS: Special Edition Concert.”
“When I heard Camille had been cast I was beyond excited for her and this amazing opportunity. Camille is incredibly talented, driven, and professional,” said Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Caroline Price. “This production is lucky to have her.”
The in-person, live performance will take place July 7 at Madison Theatre in Rockville Centre, New York, located on Long Island. Wong will be featured as one of the female ensemble members.
Wong says she couldn’t stop smiling when she received the news that she was cast in the show. Rehearsals are underway, and she’s already learning a lot.
“Part of the rehearsal process includes masterclasses with members of the Broadway cast of ‘Mean Girls,’” Wong said. “I am very excited to get to work with and learn from the individuals who are coming to teach!”
Wong says she submitted recordings of herself for the auditions and callbacks. Then, the final callback took place on Zoom. She did all of this while taking her block 7 and 8 classes. Her experiences at Cornell this year helped this theatre major during the audition process.
“I took Basic Acting in Block 1 of Fall 2020. Because the course was completely online, one of our projects was to film a monologue as a self tape,” Wong said. “Through that assignment, I learned how to frame myself within the shot and how to set up my filming space. That experience was really valuable when I needed to film myself for this audition.”
She’s looking forward to many aspects of this production, but working on her dancing skills is one of her priorities.
“I hope that after this experience I will be a better dancer,” Wong said. “I recently had surgery to fix a bone issue and can now dance for the first time in four years. With an ensemble role, the main focus is on dance and I’ve been having a lot of fun so far. I think that with the rapid pace at which we are learning choreography, I’m sure to be a better, stronger dancer by the end of this production.”
Raffaele Theatrical Productions is behind the “Special Edition Concert of the musical MEAN GIRLS.” The show is derived from the Broadway Musical “Mean Girls” and will be directed by Dominick Raffaele and Gianna Yanelli, an original Broadway cast member of the production.
