Executive classroom honors area car dealer
July 1, 2008
Robert Edwin Crane Jr.
July 3, 2008
Amateur singers with the voice, the charisma, and the courage to perform in front of a large crowd will get the opportunity at the Centerstage Singing Competition on July 12 at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.
Twenty-six contestants were chosen from the more than 70 who auditioned in May.
“I was actually only supposed to pick 20 singers for the competition,” said Ann Duplantis, producer of Centerstage Singing Competition. “But because of the talent, I could not let some of them go.”
After all the contestants perform, the judges’ scores determine the top five. The remaining contenders sing one more time in the finals, and the winner is decided.
“The talent compared to last year is just awesome,” Duplantis boasted. “Every year keeps getting better. The singers keep getting stronger.”
This is the second year of the Centerstage Singing Competition, but it is a continuation of Hometown Stars, started by Duplantis and Don Becker in Southland Mall in 2003.
She felt Houma needed another place besides a barroom where singers can be seen and heard performing live.
“There is a lot of talent and it’s not just Houma,” Duplantis said. “It’s the areas between Napoleonville, Larose, Cut Off and New Orleans. I have a lot of people who are in those different areas.”
Back in the day at the mall, the courtyard square would be packed with 700 people, she said. To get the 30 to 40 people needed to fill the four-hour show, she accepted walk-ins at auditions.
“We were able to run it like American Idol does with six weeks of eliminations,” Duplantis explained.
This year, auditions were held at the Civic Center in May. Duplantis, along with judges with musical backgrounds as a singer, vocal coach, musician or theatrical actress, made the cuts.
“We critiqued the contestants, letting them know how to handle themselves onstage, what they need to improve on,” she said. “Some of them didn’t need improvement.”
By putting Centerstage in the Civic Center, with a 40-foot stage, professional sound system and lighting, the contestants will find themselves in a concert setting most have never experienced.
Although those who auditioned came from around southeast Louisiana, most of the 26 semifinalists are from the surrounding area, just like last year’s winner, Larose native Brooke Hebert.
Contestants range from an 11-year-old to a 53-year-old. Only one will sing an original composition, and a few will play an instrument while singing.
“They are actually singing any song of their choice,” Duplantis explained. “Most are doing cover songs, Top 40 stuff.”
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center box office. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 2 to 12 (plus tax and service charges).
Doors open at 12:30 p.m. The pre-show begins at 12:45 with The Billy Stark Band. Cajun humorist Ken Gonsoulin takes the stage at 1:30 p.m. Centerstage begins at 2 p.m.
