Jackson Eleven Year Old: Interlochen Selection

Looking forward to things to come... This picture of Jenny at the 2008 Jackson Homecomers appeared as the header of the July 25, 2008 Southeast Missourian.

Eleven-year-old Jackson Middle School student, Jenny Mae Duncan is thrilled to have been selected and awarded a merit scholarship to attend the historic Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan. Jenny is one of 18 young performers to make it through the tryout phase and be cast in the Interlochen summer 2013 musical, Dear Edwina.

The 18 member cast will participate in professionally orchestrated tryouts for principal roles during the first few days of this 6 week musical theater intensive. These Junior Musical Theater students will study and perform 6 days a week, several hours each day under the guidance of professional directors and choreographers. All of this builds to two end-of-summer performances of the musical.

Interlochen Center for the Arts was founded in 1922, and attracts top performing and visual arts students from around the world each summer. The summer of 2013 marks the first time in the program's rich history for a full length, 6 week Junior Musical Theater production. The experience is designed to greatly enhance students' knowledge, expertise, and skill-set in musical theatre.

Players were selected through a tryout process that included song, dance and monologue videos; letters of recommendation from former directors; and a performance resume. Jenny's performance experience includes the following: 2006 Jenny began singing in church, and excelling in talent shows and music festivals; 2009 she was crowned "Little Miss Missouri, Miss America"; 2010 she was cast in the Wizard of Oz and Carousel at the Southeast River Campus, and Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the St. Louis Muny; 2011 Jenny was selected as a St. Louis "Muny Kid" to perform dozens of shows throughout the St. Louis area as well as Disney's Little Mermaid on the Muny main-stage; 2012 Jenny was cast as an orphan in Annie at the Touhill in St. Louis with the St. Louis Variety Theater, and in 2013 she was cast as "Sadie" in Annie at the Southeast University River Campus.

Jenny takes vocal instruction from Judith Farris (Artist in Residence at Southeast University), dance lessons at the Academy of Dance Arts in Cape Girardeau, and theater technique from Lara Teeter (Webster University Conservatory).