This year, Pittsford Sutherland High School Senior Ela Dugan got to do one of her favorite things, playing one of her favorite characters: Blanche Dubois, in the play, "A Streetcar Named Desire." "She's fantastic," says Ela. "I love that character! She just had such a wide range of emotion and was such a dynamic character that it was really cool to actually play her." Ela loves theater and she loves opera---a passion that she says fits perfectly with drama. "In opera you have all these emotions you can express in one song and the vowel shapes are beautiful in different languages and so it just comes across so well. I love it." And her audiences love her. Her teachers say that's what sets Ela apart. "Every time she performs her audience is captivated," says Director of Vocal Ensembles Karie Templeton. "I think that's a talent and a skill that is rare among students and will carry her very far in the professional world." Ela's taken vocal lessons for four years and participates in every choir she can. She was even invited to sing in the Conference All State Women's Choir. All told, she's been in 12 musicals and 5 dramas. Although she's undecided about a career in music and theater, she isn't ruling it out either. "My dream career would be a professional actress, but also singing opera," she says. "If I can mix the two, like a side job singing opera, those would be my perfect jobs!"
