In The Spotlight

On Sunday, April 25, 2010, The Grand hosted the second annual IN The Spotlight talent competition. The audience was filled with friends and family of the 16 finalists – 1 poet, 2 bands, 4 comedians, 8 singers, and 1 singing/dance troupe. They each got the rare chance to perform on The Grand's legendary main stage as they competed for valuable prize packages.

Some of the most notable performers were Caitlin Jones, a singer/songwriter who sang an original piece and accompanied herself on keyboard; NicKayla Tucker, one of the younger contestants who placed in the semifinals for singing and comedy; The Imagination Players, a 50-member group who performed “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray; and two-time Spotlight finalist, comedian Sydney Gantt. After the final performance of the evening by 9-year-old Harrison Arakawa – who sang “Piano Man” while accompanying himself on piano and harmonica – it seemed almost impossible to choose the top three performers of the evening.

Thankfully, a panel of guest judges was asked to do the hard part! The panel included key members of Wilmington’s artistic community: Tina Betz, Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Wilmington; Joy Smoker, Art Director for TSN Publishing; Gordon Holmes, Television Editor for Comcast.net; Penny Saridakis, member of The Grand’s Board of Directors; and Mark Fields, Managing Director at The Grand. As the final scores were tallied, all of the evening’s contestants made their way onstage for the award ceremony.

Congratulations to Scott F. Mason as "Dame Edna" who won the grand prize after charming the audience and judges with his locally focused, off-beat humor. Scott was rewarded with $300 cash, a feature article in Out & About magazine, and a night to perform live at the baby grand. Click here for more details.

Runner-up was comedian Matt Lacy, whose unique observations of everyday life gave everyone a reason to laugh; and coming in third place was the talented Cole Younger Band, with their pleasing blend of folk, rock and country music.

Our 2009 IN The Spotlight finalists have all been quite successful since last year’s competition. Third place winner Kendra Tate, a singer and dancer, toured with the original cast of 101 Dalmations the Musical and made her Broadway debut in Billy Elliot. Runner-up Chris Millison completed his senior year at Cab Calloway Performing Arts High School and will be attending Elon University’s musical theatre program in the fall. Last year’s winner, M Dickson, has brought her comedy to venues all over the country, including live @ the baby grand!

Special thanks to our Spotlight sponsors: Aztec Printing, City of Wilmington’s "IN" Campaign, and Out & About Magazine.

Stay tuned for updates on our 2011 IN The Spotlight competitions!