Jennifer Lamont, plays leading lady Mabel. Watching her on stage, you wouldn't guess that she is a high school senior. Jennifer is a classical voice major at Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School.
Pirates of Penzance is both her first show at SPCT and her first show ever. "I have always adored theatre, but I was intimidated by auditions and never felt like my voice type was needed." Jennifer shared with us. Her voice teacher and our musical director, Dawn Eubanks, made the difference. Dawne's encouragement helped Jennifer get the courage she needed to audition.
It’s a funny bit of continuity as Dawne also sung Mabel at SPCT in 1985, and other students of Dawne's have subsequently sung the role in other SPCT productions. Lo and behold, Jennifer got cast as Mabel.
In Jennifer's own words, "Mabel is such a fun role, especially for the coloratura passages. She is a bucket list role for any soprano and her Act 1 solo Poor Wand’ring One is a staple piece for aspiring coloratura sopranos. She has, in my opinion, the most iconic entrance of any Gilbert & Sullivan character. I really appreciate the opportunity to do my first show with SPCT, and as a principal no less. The show has taught me so much about acting, comedic timing, and stretched the limits of my voice in many new ways. I’m so glad to be a part of this production alongside such a talented and exhuberant team."