“On Stage,” New Era, Feb. 2011, 43

On Stage

—As told to Janet Thomas, Church Magazines

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? I do think it takes a lot of practice, but it takes studying and developing. I haven’t had a lot of training with acting. I’ve done a few workshops and Camp Broadway. My first time acting, I didn’t have a speaking part. I’ve improved since. I guess it would be practicing that is the main thing. But studying and working hard is a huge part.

When did you know you had the ability to sing and dance? I don’t remember when I started singing. Apparently I’ve been singing since I was little. I didn’t realize I was good at it. Everyone told me that I had a great voice, but I didn’t really know it. Since then I’ve done solos in choir and a bunch of things.

What are the best things about being in Young Women? Some of the best things are learning how to prepare to be a wife and mother. There are cookbooks for learning to cook, but there aren’t recipes for what you need to be like as a parent. But in Young Women we learn about our future. I feel like our rule book is our scriptures.

What has helped your testimony grow stronger? This past school year, we have started reading the scriptures as a family. We read every morning before breakfast. While we are reading, my mom will stop and ask, “How would you feel if you were there in that time?”

I have a favorite scripture. It is in D&C 58:42. I really like it because it’s talking about forgiveness. I think that forgiveness is a really important thing. Without forgiveness, we wouldn’t be able to return to our Heavenly Father.

What made that your favorite scripture? I like it because I am not perfect. I really like knowing that my sins can be forgiven. That is just such a wonderful thing to me.

What does music mean to you? Or is dance more significant? Those are the things I love. You can express yourself in more ways than just words.

What do you do when you are asked to wear an immodest costume. We actually had that problem in my dance class. It didn’t fit properly. We had it fixed so my shoulders were covered. I was so happy that I can represent who I am and people can see that by the way I act and the way I dress.

Halley in her Fiddler on the Roof costume.