Sierra Young and Lila Holley are two of the Orange County Register’s Varsity Artist finalists. Young has made it to the finals for set design, while Holley has for her theatrical skills.

For Young, receiving the news that she had been chosen as one of the 15 finalists was a welcomed surprise “It was really exciting. The news came out at midnight, but I woke up at 2 a.m. to read the letter. It’s also cool because we haven’t had any Varsity Artists at school in a couple of years.” Ironically, the first person she texted the morning after finding out the news, was the other chosen candidate from SJHHS, Holley.

“Sierra was actually the one who told me I was chosen. I woke up to her text before I even saw the email. We’re pretty much side by side constantly; we just co-assistant directed and co-set designed You Can’t Take It With You, so I’m very excited that I get to go through this process with her as well,” said Holley.

Set design was not Young’s initial passion. At first, she auditioned to be in shows at school, but she soon found herself drawn to set designing. “I started doing a lot of crews – Lighting, set, etc. I then got to do a lot of work on the Cinderella musical theatre show. I liked that experience so much, I signed up for stagecraft the following year. At that point, I decided set design was my favorite, so I kept doing it.”

The chance to construct an entire universe where actors can reside and perform their stories was what made Young so interested and passionate about set design. “The environment has a huge affect on how the actors perform. What is really interesting to me, is the concept of putting together a tangible space for the actors to work in that allows their characters to be drawn out.”

Holley on the other hand, has always known acting was for her. She has been singing and performing at home her whole life, and started acting in an actual theatre in third grade. “Theatre is my passion and my lifestyle. I’m majoring in theatre performance because if I did anything else I know I would end up feeling empty. Theatre has given me a way to discover who I am and meet the most amazing people I know,” said Holley.

While waiting for the upcoming callback process, Holley explains that  even though she is nervous, she is “honored just to be chosen as a semifinalist!”