FRIENDSWOOD — As a high school performer with the local theater group United Players, Katie Rose Clarke never envisioned she would make it on Broadway.
Clarke, who has performed in the national tour of “Wicked” and in “The Light in the Piazza” on Broadway, will perform a benefit concert for the United Players tonight at First United Methodist Church.
A month before graduating from Sam Houston State University in 2005, she was contacted by a casting director for “The Light in the Piazza.”
Clarke auditioned for the lead female role and landed the part a week after arriving in New York.
Rehearsals began the following week, and Clarke had to complete her finals online.
Clarke said her breakout is attributable to her work with United Players and its director, Laney Carlin.
As a freshman at Friendswood High School, Clarke began taking voice lessons from Carlin, who teaches students across Galveston County.
“That’s where I got my start,” Clarke said. “I’m grateful for that organization because it has given me so much.”
Carlin introduced Clarke, then 18, to the director of “The Light in the Piazza,” providing Clarke a foot in the door when it came time for casting the show years later.
A 30-person ensemble from United Players will sing backup for Clarke on songs she performed when she was a member of the theater group.
Proceeds from the concert will go toward the United Players, a nonprofit theater separate from the church.
“It’s such a good cause, and I hope people are intrigued, even if they have no idea who I am,” Clarke said. “The most important thing to me is that I support this group because there are so few arts-related organizations that are also Christian-based.”
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At A Glance
WHAT: Katie Rose Clarke in concert
WHEN: 8 p.m. today
WHERE: Friendswood United Methodist Church, 110 N. Friendswood Drive.
ON THE WEB: Visit unitedplayers.org for information and tickets.
