Bright lights, local stars, young talent and holiday magic
Red Mountain Theatre Company Conservatory student and Vestavia Hills High School Senior Rachel Bates is no stranger to the annual Holiday Spectacular event, having been involved with RMTC for 8 years.
“My friends were attending camps with RMTC and they encouraged to sign up for Broadway Bootcamp. At orientation, they introduced the RMTC Conservatory and I knew then that I wanted to be a part of it,” Bates stated. The journey for her was not an easy one as she did not make the Conservatory on her first two attempts, but through determination and hard work she would eventually join the Conservatory. Bates said, “I jumped into it feet first and never looked back. I realized there was so much music to learn and the first major event was the Holiday Spectacular.”
RMTC is offering Holiday Spectacular 2018 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 16 at the RMTC Cabaret Theatre. It’s an unbelievable event of all your holiday favorites performed by Birmingham’s best local artists and the RMTC Conservatory.
Holiday Spectacular is a special event for many people and has a lot of history with Rachel. “When I was young in the Conservatory, I wanted to be in the Rockettes number. I wanted to do it, I wanted to wear the red sparkly outfit and most of all I wanted to do the kicks,” Bates said, laughing. “When you’re on stage, you’re at times focusing on how hard you’re working and you forget how special this is for so many people in the audience. That’s the greatest takeaway from all of this.”
As graduation approaches in May, Rachel reflects on the many lessons she has learned over the years with RMTC.
“Time management has to be number one especially when you’re involved with this production. This time of year, you are working on your exams and school work, but at the same time you must have balance with what you do on stage. Ultimately, you have to make sure you’re having fun,” she said. When asked about her long-time loyalty with RMTC, Bates said, “There may be other opportunities in the area to perform, but everybody here is serious about their craft. I enjoy and embrace that it always hasn’t come easy for me. I’ve learned the valuable lesson of how to deal with tough situations.”
Rachel’s next step is to attend college with a major in biology. She hopes to become a geneticist, but the arts will always be with her.
Bates said, “I still want to be involved in the arts in one capacity or another. The amazing experiences and wonderful people I have encountered will make a huge impact one way or another in my future pursuits in life.”
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for RMTC. Please join us for a night you’ll never forget. Tickets for Holiday Spectacular 2018 start at $19 and are available by calling (205) 324-2424 or by visiting redmountaintheatre.org/holiday-spectacular.
Submitted by Jamie Schor, RMTC