By Dani Ricker Posted June 4, 2014
Every year The Brand team chooses one student as Performer of the Year. This student is someone who stood out throughout the year while performing in something, whether it’s art, music, or theater.
This year, the title is going to a drama student who won’t easily be forgotten. Chosen as the 2014 Performer of the Year is senior, Wyatt Lester.
Lester has been in drama for two years, his junior and his senior year. He’s been involved with Lowry swimming for three years now, and he was involved in other classes such as Art I, Crafts, the Brand, and Basic Guitar.
Lester started playing the guitar about four years ago. Even though he has only been swimming at Lowry for three years, he says he’s been able to professionally do the doggy paddle since day one.
Lester began his theater career the summer of his fifth-grade year.
“My mom forced me. She said I had nothing better to do that summer,” said Lester.
He has been involved in theater ever since.
“I think [Missoula Children’s Theater] is the reason why I love acting so much.”
It seems that after every play, Wyatt was one of everybody’s favorite characters.
Lester possesses the quality to easily make anyone and everyone laugh.
Even his fellow drama members agree that Wyatt was the best pick for Performer of the Year.
“I don’t know anyone else who would deserve it,” said Alec Mayo. “I definitely think he’s the best out of all of us.”
Wyatt improved with every part, every character, and every play.
“His depth of character has widened,” said drama director Corrine James. “He can take on an accent, he can be serious, he can be funny. He can have the whole gamma of emotion portrayed on the stage,” she added.
James said her favorite performance by Lester was, “of course, ‘Dracula’.”
“I feel great. Being chosen as Performer of the Year is a real honor, it’s a big title. It has to be someone who can not only entertain, but please the people, and that can be hard to do,” said Lester.
“He is the most inspirational out of all of us,” said Mayo. “I think I can speak for everyone when I say we fed off his energy.”
Wyatt was always able to make a bad situation better, especially on the stage.
“He carried everyone in drama on his back sometimes, when there wasn’t a stage presence to be had, he made one,” said Robert Stepper.
“He picked us up and made us all really good actors. You couldn’t be a bad actor when Wyatt was on stage,” added Stepper. “He was a big influence on us all. Without Wyatt, the class wouldn’t have been the same.”
Wyatt was far from ‘all work no play’. He was able to get any job done, while making it fun.
“He was always ready to go. We had fun, but Wyatt brought the business side to class,” said Mayo.
It became obvious that all that hard work paid off when Wyatt hit the stage.
He could move a crowd to tears. Whether it was because he created such a sad scene, or because he made the audience laugh so hard they couldn’t help but tear up.
Braxton Paulsen, a member of the Stagecraft’s team, said “I couldn’t watch the plays, because I was backstage, but I could hear the laughs that he would create.”
To say that Lester is a memorable character is an understatement.
Lester is definitely a special person. Someone who will not only be greatly missed, but someone who every future drama student will be compared to. He is leaving behind him a legacy that will never be forgotten.
