Emma Tendick is the name in the ASU directory.
But that's not the name the 19-year-old music theatre sophomore hopes you'll see on Broadway playbills someday soon.
The young singer/actress goes by Emma Lorraine (her middle name) on stage. And she'll soon be departing ASU's stages for opportunities in New York City.
"I've just decided to go try and make a career of it," she says, adding that she plans to transfer to Circle in the Square Theatre School, a two-year conservatory in the Big Apple.
SPM: Why theatre?
EL: It's what I've always wanted since I was born, I think, to perform — to just be on stage.
SPM: Ever sing opera?
EL: Yes, we have to be trained classically. It's so your voice is healthy and correct and then you can put it into the more free music theatre style.
SPM: What's your favorite show you've done?
EL: The one I've just finished, Meet Me in St. Louis. It's based on a Judy Garland movie, and that part really allowed me to grow. I was Esther, playing Judy Garland's part.
SPM: What's your favorite type of music to sing?
EL: Music theatre, of course. I love Golden Age music theatre, like The Sound of Music, but I really like contemporary stuff, too, like [Stephen] Sondheim's Into the Woods, and [the musical] Rent.
SPM: Do you sing in the car?
EL: I sing everywhere. I'm kind of a nerd like that, if I'm not listening to NPR [National Public Radio], I'm listening to a lot of music theatre CDs to build up my repertoire for auditions.
SPM: What else do you do?
EL: Let's see…do I have a life? I like shopping (laughing.) I teach voice to community youth and take dance lessons. I love public speaking. I was very involved in that in high school, Arizona Girls State. I was president of Girls Nation. I like politics.
SPM: What's next for you?
EL: I'm recovering. [Meet Me in St. Louis] was a big show. I have auditions coming up for ASU Lyric Opera Theatre's A Chorus Line, performances and different community theatre auditions. I'll be going to New York for Summer Stock auditions. I have to. It might sound stupid, but even at 19, I get less and less marketable every day in this business.
SPM: Have family and friends always been supportive of your dreams?
EL: Extremely supportive. They're even supportive of me going to New York. My family's only condition was that I keep up my academics to get scholarships. And I've worked very hard.
SPM: Who do you idolize?
EL: I love Barbra Streisand. And [current Broadway actresses] Kristin Chenoweth and Sutton Foster.
SPM: Ever get stage fright?
EL: God, no. It's just my home, the stage. There's always that tiny twinge, not nervousness to be on stage, but that you somehow won't be able to perform…but singing, acting, dancing, it's what I live for. When I get up there, it's just magic.
Reach the reporter at sara.thorson@asu.edu.
