Vegas local, Narée Asherian in the running for "Broadway's Next On Stage"

Recently, Broadwayworld.com announced BROADWAY'S NEXT ON STAGE, a new, online musical theatre singing competition for student performers sponsored by Broadway Records and Las Vegas theatre's own Narée Asherian is in the running, but she needs your vote!

Inspired by your favorite network TV singing contests, the site is inviting high school and college-aged students to submit videos of themselves performing a song from the musical theatre canon to enter the competition. Those moving on to the next round each week will have Friday through Monday to record and submit a new song for the next round of the competition. As they move down to the top 10, Broadway World will feature weekly live shows on Facebook with Broadway judges who will provide feedback and may move one of the contestants on to the next round by unanimous decision.

Both the college and high school winner will receive a Broadway prizepack with merch from the BroadwayWorld Theatre Shop, CDs from Broadway Records, and $1000 to a charity of their choosing, and both first-place winners will also have the opportunity to record a single, to be released by Broadway Records, with the profits donated to The Actors Fund.

Since kindergarten, Narée always believed her true calling was orthodontics. However, her upbringing in the entertainment capital of the world quickly made her change her tune! Before she turned 18, Narée began performing in cabarets and theaters in and around the Las Vegas Strip. She received nominations for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her work in NEWSIES (Katherine) and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (Hodel) in the Las Vegas Valley Theatre Awards, as well as Broadway World (Las Vegas) for Best Leading (and/or Supporting) Actress in a Musical for SPELLING BEE (Olive Ostrovsky) and NEWSIES (Katherine). 

We asked Narée to tell us a bit more about the "Next On Stage" competition and her journey as an emerging artist:

What is this competition about? It’s an opportunity for students across the nation to showcase their vocal skills. I’m set to graduate from UNLV in 2021 next May with my bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing, so I’m competing in the college division. I’m incredibly proud to represent my university, home state, and Signature Productions with this entry! The public can vote on their favorite singers, and I’m hoping to bring Nevada to the top 10 finalists!

When can we vote? Friday, May 8th at broadwayworld.com! I’ll be posting those links on my social media pages so you can access them more easily (Instagram: @naree_asherian or Facebook: @nareeasherian), and on my website naree-asherian.com .

How long have you been performing?

Almost all my life! I started out dancing on stage for years since I was 2, but I caught the acting bug in 7th grade and decided to pursue musical theatre from that point on.

Who helped you train over the years? 

I’ve been lucky enough to work with artists through Positively Arts. My regular teachers are Lisa Marie Smith,  Pilita Simpson, and Angela Chan, but I also love working with Ron Remke, Bill Fayne, Tony Coppola, Bill Evans, and Marc Antonelli. And of course, Glenn Heath!

What other productions have you auditioned for around the country?

Over the past year and a half, the most memorable ones that come to mind are Wicked, Dear Evan Hansen, Moulin Rouge (Broadway); Sweeney Todd (Off-Broadway); Tuacahn’s 2019 & 2020 seasons, Moonlight Amphitheater’s 2020 season, Newsies in California NYC, and Sunday in the Park with George (Regional).

Where can we find you when we are able to go out again? 

Probably at Monta eating my weight in ramen. Kidding, I actually don’t have anything lined up for after quarantine, but I’m still creating and uploading things for you to enjoy in the comfort of your own home on my website and social media!

How have you found ways to work on your art from home? 

What’s great about being stuck at home in this day and age is our access to the internet — there are so many free and affordable workshops happening right now that I’ve been using to keep myself sharp. I’ve done a grand total of 5 online masterclasses in the past month (I actually got selected to perform for Stewart/Whitley Casting today and Betsy Wolfe a few weeks ago!), and a bunch of Instagram Live dance classes hosted by dance companies and friends (massive shout out to Eric Bean’s jazz classes at @ebjdance on IG and my dear friend Ellie Karris for tap!). In addition to that, I’m keeping up with my self-tape game by recording songs that I now have time to record, and by creating my own work as well (namely, my quarantine spin on “Seventeen” from HEATHERS). 

As a side note, I also get to help my sister (Araz Asherian) with her art while her bakery (https://www.paintedsugarbakery.com) is on hold due to quarantine. As if sugar cookies and cakes weren’t cool enough, she’s mastered the art of breadmaking at 14 years old. My tummy has never been happier.

Check Narée and Eat More Art Vegas on social media for VOTING INFO TOMORROW! 

#EatMoreArt #VegasBornArts #OnlyInVegasTheatre

EMAV Film Review: Brandon Christensen’s 'Z' Offers Suburban Suspense

Las Vegas-based filmmaker Brandon Christensen’s first feature, 2017’s “Still/Born,” was about a mother dealing with a malevolent entity out to get her newborn child. At first glance, it seems like Christensen has just moved on to the next creepy-kid age bracket with his new feature, “Z,” but “Z” effectively shifts focus from its familiar initial set-up to a deeper examination of generational guilt. The theme from “Still/Born” that “Z” most strongly picks up on is the challenge and strain of motherhood, and Christensen dedicates the movie to his wife Alissa, the mother of his children.

Keegan Connor Tracy is excellent as Elizabeth Parsons, the mother whose life is thrown into chaos when her eight-year-old son Josh (Jett Klyne) starts playing with an imaginary friend he calls Z. As the movie begins, Josh is a happy, energetic kid who carpools to school with his best friend and loves his parents. But once Z shows up, Josh becomes sullen, withdrawn and prone to angry outbursts. He attributes all of his bad behavior to Z, and soon escalates from name-calling to shocking acts of violence. Elizabeth becomes convinced that Z is an actual sinister presence in their home, and not just a product of Josh’s overactive imagination.

Keegan Connor Tracy is 'Elizabeth Parsons' in "Z".

That’s all pretty standard horror-movie stuff, although Christensen (who co-wrote the screenplay with frequent collaborator Colin Minihan) executes it effectively, and Klyne gives Josh the right amount of unsettling emotional distance. The movie really belongs to Tracy, a veteran TV actor who rarely gets to play leading roles. Even in the more predictable early part of the movie, Tracy makes Elizabeth’s parental distress feel urgent and real, especially as she’s largely dismissed and patronized by her husband Kevin (Sean Rogerson), in another echo of “Still/Born.”

Tracy really gets to shine in the film’s final third, when the focus of the danger shifts from Josh to Elizabeth, and Christensen deviates from the creepy-kid horror formula. Another veteran character actor, Stephen McHattie, makes the most of his handful of scenes as a therapist who treats Josh but also knows more about Elizabeth’s past than he lets on. Some of the twists and turns of the plot don’t make a ton of sense, but they all have a strong thematic resonance.

Jett Klyne in "Z".

Shooting, as he did with “Still/Born,” in his native Canada, Christensen captures the bland menace of seemingly placid suburbia, where the wholesome nuclear family hides dark secrets. Christensen mostly makes impressive use of his limited resources, although there are a few unconvincing special-effects sequences, and Z himself is scarier as an unseen presence than in the few brief glimpses of him onscreen. As he did on “Still/Born,” Christensen proves that he can generate suspense and dread in a handful of locations (mostly deceptively cozy family houses).

Between “Still/Born” and “Z” (which made the rounds of horror film festivals, including Sin City Horror Fest, last year), Christensen has established himself as a rising indie-horror star, and specific moments in “Z” recall the early work of new horror auteurs like Ari Aster (“Hereditary”) and Mike Flanagan (“Oculus”). “Z” is a step up from “Still/Born,” technically and artistically, and there’s every reason to think that Christensen will continue to develop as a filmmaker with future work. He’s kept Vegas as his home base even as his career has taken off; maybe next time he’ll get to direct a feature film here, too.

Z is available May 7 on Shudder.

#EatMoreArt #vegasfilm #OnlyInVegasFilm