As a kid, senior Lily Temkin constantly lined up her stuffed animals and performed multi-act shows and concerts for her adoring (and adorable) audience. Now, Lily’s stuffies have turned into live audiences, and her shows have turned into award-winning musicals, in which she stars as a lead.
Lily first fell in love with the arts when she started taking dance classes at age three. She adored learning what she calls the dance classics: ballet, tap, and jazz. But dance wasn’t enough for the aspiring artist. She soon started taking voice lessons in order to prepare for her first-ever musical, “Honk!”
This Musician of the Month knew that she wanted to be on stage after watching her older sister, Alyssa Temkin ’23, perform. She joined the youth theater program at the Mandell Jewish Community Center (JCC) and performed in “Honk!” with a special role as a featured dancer.
From then, Lily remained committed to theater, performing in every JCC production since. Eventually, she earned her first-ever lead in “Once Upon a Mattress,” where she starred as the comical character, Princess Winnifred the Woebegone. “It was thrilling that other people were confident in my abilities,” Lily reflected. “I was just really selling [my character] and having my friends cheering me on while I was doing what I love was just such a great feeling.”
Since her dazzling performance in “Once Upon a Mattress,” Lily has played many other leads at the JCC, such as Mrs. Darbus in “High School Musical” and Karen Smith in “Mean Girls.” Lily finds herself gravitating to more comical characters, which she feels fit her best. “It’s really important when you’re doing theater to be uncomfortable with making a little bit of yourself,” Lily said, while laughing. “At the end of the day, you’re portraying someone different, and you need to see yourself in the character, learn about them, and find similarities between them and you.”
With her love for theater, Lily came to KO ready to experience the amazing community that she saw her sister be a part of. Lily’s first musical at KO was “9 to 5,” where she was given the role of dance captain, the first ever freshman to have that responsibility. “You are motivating others and you’re not afraid to step up,” Lily said, repeating the words that Director of Theater Kyle Reynolds told her after announcing she was dance captain. “You’re looking to improve and you’re looking to find others who will help you, and that’s such a great thing to have.”
During Lily’s sophomore year, she performed fosse in “Sweet Charity,” opening up a new world and unique style of dance. That year, Mr. Reynolds brought in Stephanie Pope, a fosse dancer who worked with Lily and the cast on iconic numbers such as “Rich Man’s Frug” and “(Hey) Big Spender.” However, Lily was quick to note that the fosse technique wasn’t the only thing she loved that year; the unbreakable bonds made by the cast truly shined through in that production. “I feel like we built such a sisterhood through that show,” Lily smiled. “It really got us in touch with letting loose and freeing ourselves.”
With new bonds and irreplaceable experiences, Lily carried on into her junior year, in which she played the quirky yet complicated character of Bebe in “A Chorus Line.” On the surface, Bebe seemed a nervous, funny, young girl, excited for her future career. But on the inside, Bebe struggled to cope with a harmful relationship with her mother and grappled with the guilt of never feeling good enough. This multi-dimensional character allowed Lily to fully express herself in ways she had never before. “I feel like it was the first year I saw myself as my character,” Lily commented.
While working on “A Chorus Line,” Lily had the privilege of working with two Broadway stars: Jessica Lee Goldyn, who played Val in the Broadway revival, and Mara Davi, who played Maggie in the Broadway revival. Lily treasured her experience with Mara because she got to work with her on the iconic song that Bebe starred in, “At the Ballet.” Lily, along with Audrey Karasik ’24 and Diya Mistri ’24, worked with Mara to uncover the intricate details and the emotions that drove the song. With a newfound perspective on the song, the trio went on to win best group ensemble at the Halo Awards for their outstanding performance in the number. “It was just so emotional,” Lily remembered. “We were crying and so happy. The number really made us love each other.”
Lily will be featured as the bubbly Minnie Fay in “Hello Dolly!,” her final musical at KO. Even though the cast just started rehearsing, Lily has already found herself connecting with the easily loveable character. “I love Minnie, and I feel like the more I learn the music and dances and scenes, the more I love her,” Lily said.
On Saturday, Jan. 11, Lily got to work with Broadway star Kate Baldwin and Broadway choreographer Sarah Edwards. Through that experience, she was able to understand more of Minnie and work through Minnie’s complex relationships with other characters in the show. “Minnie is really just the personality-hire,” Lily joked.
Along with being a force to be reckoned with in musical theater, Lily also participates in a variety of chorus and select chorus classes, as well as participating in Oxfordians, KO’s girls a capella group. Lily sings anywhere from an alto to soprano but prefers to sing soprano parts. Once in college, Lily plans to continue a cappella.
“I am able to not just express myself through words, but through other characters,” Lily said as she defined what being a musician meant to her. “I’m able to deepen my connection with who I am as a person through different roles and shows that I’m in.”
