Page 38 - The Peorian Vol 3 Issue 1 Winter

38 thePeorian.com
W atch Ellie Urish on
stage in one show
or another in local
community theatre and her talent
is obvious. It’s not surprising,
either, given her pedigree.
Ellie’s father Eddie is acting
professionally now, her sister
Whitney has acted professionally
and her mother Carol is a veteran
of many community theatre
shows and singing performances.
Still, Ellie believes it is the
experience she gets each time she
performs in a children’s theatre
show, working with other talent-
ed youth and different directors,
that makes her better. She knows
it will take more than good genes
to move her along regardless of
what she does in the future.
“I used to cry every time a
director would tell me something
I didn’t like. I mean, some things
are difficult to hear when you
are a kid and thinking you’re
doing ok. Finally my mom sat
me down and said, ‘if you want
to keep doing theatre you have
to learn. And if you want to learn
and get better you have to listen
to your director. I know now she
was right,” said Ellie, now 17 and
usually cast as one of the leads
in whatever youth theatre show
she is in. (She currently is in
“Seussical Jr.,” the Corn Stock for
Kids production at Corn Stock’s
Winter Playhouse scheduled to
run Dec. 6, 7, 8, 13 and 14.)
“What’s interesting now is that
when I was younger I felt I was
definitely learning from the older
kids and from the teachers and
directors. Now that I’m older,
when I thought I would be the
one they were looking up to, I
find I am learning a lot from the
younger kids,” she said. “They
are so eager and so excited to be
doing theatre. They take what
they get and run with it. I’d for-
gotten that. It’s always important
to remember.”
MORE THAN JUST PERFORMING
Youth theatre teaches skills that will help in adulthood
By Paul Gordon
The Future
Ellie Urish, left, and Trevon Cooper at a rehearsal under the bright stage lights of Eastlight Theatre earlier in the fall.
They were rehearsal Youthlight’s production of “Tarzan.”