SHE HITS MORE THAN A FEW HIGH NOTES.Byline: - Evan Henerson When she attended a B.J. Thomas concert in her native Illinois, a then-4-year-old Sara Niemietz recalls being plucked from the audience to join the singer on stage. Starstruck star·struck or star-struck adj. Fascinated by or exhibiting a fascination with fame or famous people: "The star-struck tone of the text suggests that the author is giving us an exclusive peek into the secret lives of ? Intimidated? Not this young lady. ``After that, when we'd go to concerts, I'd be like, `Do I get to go up on stage and sing?''' says Niemietz. ``My parents would say, `No. That was kind of a special thing.''' A decade later, a Niemietz stage appearance is by no means a specialized occurrence. The 14-year-old Niemietz, who lives in the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. , has a leading role in the new musical ``13,'' opening this weekend at the Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a small thrust stage with 745 seats at the Los Angeles Music Center built by Welton Beckett and Associates. It has presented innovative plays since 1967. The world premiere of Angels In America was produced here. . Her five-song CD, ``Without a Net,'' is for sale on myspace.com, and she is a a vocalist on the soundtrack for ``The Exorcism exorcism (ĕk`sôrsĭz'əm), ritual act of driving out evil demons or spirits from places, persons, or things in which they are thought to dwell. It occurs both in primitive societies and in the religions of sophisticated cultures. of Emily Rose,'' and on the ``Barbie Sings: The Princess Movie Songs'' album. Niemietz has also appeared on Broadway in Carol Burnett's play ``Hollywood Arms,'' and in the film ``Akeelah and the Bee,'' and is as apt to take a non-singing role as a musical one. ``I never really knew much about acting,'' Niemietz says, ``Then I started taking some acting classes, and I realized that was a fun thing to do, too.'' Her ``13'' character, Patrice, is something of an outsider who befriends leading kid and New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of transplant Evan (played by Ricky Ashley) but, alas, doesn't score an invite to Evan's bar mitzvah Bar Mitzvah (bärmĭts`və) [Aramaic,=son of the Commandment], Jewish ceremony in which the young male is initiated into the religious community, according to tradition at the age of 13 years and a day. . Niemietz sees a lot of herself in Patrice: a girl who is studious stu·di·ous adj. 1. a. Given to diligent study: a quiet, studious child. b. Conducive to study. 2. and on the quiet side, yes, but also able to speak up when the need arises. One of only four current cast members who participated in the musical's workshop last February, Niemietz has become something of the cast ``rock,'' according to director Todd Graff. ``She's a total pro without sacrificing her kid-like qualities,'' Graff says. ``You never look at her and think, `Eew, she's this little creepy actress automaton automaton: see robot; robotics .' She's kind of goofy, and kind of lovably awkward. She's also the first one there and the last one to leave.'' She'll get to work on a follow-up to ``Without a Net'' following ``13,'' and in school has discovered a new interest: languages. ``I just started learning Mandarin Chinese,'' she says. ``Next year my school is probably going to take 10 kids to China. I'm hoping to go.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Sara Niemietz of the Santa Clarita Valley is in the limelight with ``13.'' John McCoy/Staff Photographer |
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