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interlochen ellysa ellysa rose updates iaa Interlochen Arts Academy

Dec 20
Well, I made it all the way to Christmas Break at Interlochen! Before we went on break, I had been rehearsing with Gulsh for our production of Servant of Two Masters that is the first weekend in February. Servant is a Comedia dell’Arte play from the 1700s, popular in Italy. It features several architypes that are masked, as well as the unmasked lovers. It is a completely different art form that I am having a great time learning from one of the most amazing directors ever!Soon after Servant is over, we will start rehearsals for West Side Story! I am the understudy for the role of Anybodys, a young girl who wants to be a Jet. There is an understudy performance, but I’m also excited to see Ema, who has the role, perform! I cannot wait to start rehearsals; I get to be in the rumble and the fight that opens the show, so I can’t wait to do all that fight choreo!  Then there’s all the other fun, non-theatre related stuff! Above is a picture of me and my friends at the Holiday Dinner put on by the school right before we left for break. Soon after we come back, finals begin and so does the insanity! However, we will be justly rewarded with a weekend at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City for Semester Fiesta! For now, I’m enjoying relaxation and rejuvenation during Christmas break, and will send more updates when we get back! Merry Christmas, Ellysa Rose

Well, I made it all the way to Christmas Break at Interlochen!

Before we went on break, I had been rehearsing with Gulsh for our production of Servant of Two Masters that is the first weekend in February. Servant is a Comedia dell’Arte play from the 1700s, popular in Italy. It features several architypes that are masked, as well as the unmasked lovers. It is a completely different art form that I am having a great time learning from one of the most amazing directors ever!

Soon after Servant is over, we will start rehearsals for West Side Story! I am the understudy for the role of Anybodys, a young girl who wants to be a Jet. There is an understudy performance, but I’m also excited to see Ema, who has the role, perform! I cannot wait to start rehearsals; I get to be in the rumble and the fight that opens the show, so I can’t wait to do all that fight choreo! 

Then there’s all the other fun, non-theatre related stuff! Above is a picture of me and my friends at the Holiday Dinner put on by the school right before we left for break. Soon after we come back, finals begin and so does the insanity! However, we will be justly rewarded with a weekend at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City for Semester Fiesta! For now, I’m enjoying relaxation and rejuvenation during Christmas break, and will send more updates when we get back!

Merry Christmas,

Ellysa Rose


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shakespeare improv interlochen iaa ica interlochen arts academy inty 2011 traverse city improv shakespeare company

Nov 05
Me (Ellysa), and my friends Evie (Ehh-vee) and Risa (Ree-suhh) before seeing the Improv Shakespeare Company Things have been really crazy here at school, but most recently we got to take a trip to Traverse City to see the Improv Shakespeare Company perform. They are an improv group that creates a new show every night based off a title they receive from an audience member that uses the language and themes of Shakespeare’s plays. It was amazing! They even spoke in iambic pentameter (what Shakespeare used as the framework for verse) at times. It was very impressive and just a fun night out with all of the theatre majors. Hopefully more field trips like this are to come, I know I had a great time!

Me (Ellysa), and my friends Evie (Ehh-vee) and Risa (Ree-suhh) before seeing the Improv Shakespeare Company

Things have been really crazy here at school, but most recently we got to take a trip to Traverse City to see the Improv Shakespeare Company perform. They are an improv group that creates a new show every night based off a title they receive from an audience member that uses the language and themes of Shakespeare’s plays. It was amazing! They even spoke in iambic pentameter (what Shakespeare used as the framework for verse) at times. It was very impressive and just a fun night out with all of the theatre majors. Hopefully more field trips like this are to come, I know I had a great time!


Sep 18
My friend Leysan (Lay’s-anne) and me at the most recent coffee house. It’s so insane to think that it has only been two weeks that I’ve been at Interlochen. After about four days, it felt as if I had been going here for years! That said, there is still so much and so many things I have never experienced here, that I can’t wait to figure out.  While most kids during high school spend their fall weekends going to football games and partying, at Interlochen we have already had four dances and a coffee house. There’ve only been two weekends! During the days, we do laundry, homework, go to the mall, just like other teenagers. Some are like me in the sense that I spend my weekends in practice rooms mainly. Being here has really sparked some of what I think are my best songs yet.  This brings me to my favorite event we’ve had so far; the coffee house. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s an event that is like a talent show, but much more casual. I decided early on that I would not perform, seeing as I am a new student and it’s the first coffee house of the year. So, my friend Leysan (in the picture above) and I decided to just go and check it out. It started off with my friend Annie comically singing the national anthem off-key, and then into comedy skits, renditions of classic songs, and some even sang their originals. About halfway through, they announced that if anyone else wanted to perform tonight, there was still a chance to sign up. Well, the day before I had just written a new song called “Love Letter” (that I will probably be posting a video of soon) that I was reserving for a coffee house down the road, but when I heard that announcement, I thought “why not?” and rushed to my dorm to grab my guitar.  Seeing as I just wrote the song the previous day, the performance was far from perfect: I was still using lyric sheets and had to turn pages a couple times, along with messing around the words. However, I think that’s what made it so amazing. The fact that I went up there, sang a song I had just written, and people still liked it. They were singing along, clapping, and have even been singing my song back to me days later! I don’t think I’ve ever been happier with a performance.  That all said, I’m happy. Being at such a competitive arts school, there are always ups and downs, but somehow, someway, the “ups” are always so great, so enthralling, that the “downs” become inconsequential.  Love always, Ellysa Rose

My friend Leysan (Lay’s-anne) and me at the most recent coffee house.

It’s so insane to think that it has only been two weeks that I’ve been at Interlochen. After about four days, it felt as if I had been going here for years! That said, there is still so much and so many things I have never experienced here, that I can’t wait to figure out. 

While most kids during high school spend their fall weekends going to football games and partying, at Interlochen we have already had four dances and a coffee house. There’ve only been two weekends! During the days, we do laundry, homework, go to the mall, just like other teenagers. Some are like me in the sense that I spend my weekends in practice rooms mainly. Being here has really sparked some of what I think are my best songs yet. 

This brings me to my favorite event we’ve had so far; the coffee house. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s an event that is like a talent show, but much more casual. I decided early on that I would not perform, seeing as I am a new student and it’s the first coffee house of the year. So, my friend Leysan (in the picture above) and I decided to just go and check it out. It started off with my friend Annie comically singing the national anthem off-key, and then into comedy skits, renditions of classic songs, and some even sang their originals. About halfway through, they announced that if anyone else wanted to perform tonight, there was still a chance to sign up. Well, the day before I had just written a new song called “Love Letter” (that I will probably be posting a video of soon) that I was reserving for a coffee house down the road, but when I heard that announcement, I thought “why not?” and rushed to my dorm to grab my guitar. 

Seeing as I just wrote the song the previous day, the performance was far from perfect: I was still using lyric sheets and had to turn pages a couple times, along with messing around the words. However, I think that’s what made it so amazing. The fact that I went up there, sang a song I had just written, and people still liked it. They were singing along, clapping, and have even been singing my song back to me days later! I don’t think I’ve ever been happier with a performance. 

That all said, I’m happy. Being at such a competitive arts school, there are always ups and downs, but somehow, someway, the “ups” are always so great, so enthralling, that the “downs” become inconsequential. 

Love always,

Ellysa Rose


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ellysa ellysa rose rose music girl blog interlochen

Aug 23
At the Farmington Founders Festival in July 2011 As my summer fundraising of 2011 concludes… I had a blast going to all the events this summer and raising money to go to the school of my dreams, Interlochen Arts Academy. I sang, played guitar and piano at the Farmington Founders Festival again this year and seeing all the support and hearing the kind words gave me a boost that I really needed in the last leg of the fundraising. No matter how much it gives me strength, however, I still found the greatest joy in the young girls dancing to the music, and the adults smiling and tapping their foot along with it, too. The fact that I can bring joy to other people through what I love, to me, is truly insane. So insane, that it’s really a dream come true.  So I want to than you all so much for supporting me, and please keep checking back as I’ll be updating this blog now on at least once a week with updates about school, our shows, and any other fun stuff! Check back soon. :) Love always, Ellysa Rose

At the Farmington Founders Festival in July 2011

As my summer fundraising of 2011 concludes…

I had a blast going to all the events this summer and raising money to go to the school of my dreams, Interlochen Arts Academy. I sang, played guitar and piano at the Farmington Founders Festival again this year and seeing all the support and hearing the kind words gave me a boost that I really needed in the last leg of the fundraising. No matter how much it gives me strength, however, I still found the greatest joy in the young girls dancing to the music, and the adults smiling and tapping their foot along with it, too. The fact that I can bring joy to other people through what I love, to me, is truly insane. So insane, that it’s really a dream come true. 

So I want to than you all so much for supporting me, and please keep checking back as I’ll be updating this blog now on at least once a week with updates about school, our shows, and any other fun stuff! Check back soon. :)

Love always,

Ellysa Rose


Jul 17

Hey, and welcome!

Hey everybody,

My name is Ellysa Rose, and this is my new official blog! This is where I’ll be posting updates while I’m at Interlochen, about performances, concerts, and fundraisers, as well as new music, monologues, and more. I have a lot in store, so stick around. (:

EllysaRose