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| Bonnie (Bareilles) Halverson |
"Ye shall know them by their fruits"
-Matthew 7:16 KJV
MOLLOY: Could you tell me when you first became interested in drama?
HALVERSON: As a Junior High School girl I was greatly inspired by having been taken to a production of "Oliver" featuring Davy Jones of the Monkees. This took place at the Circle Star Theatre and I was in love with Davy Jones. I was so drawn into the musical I forgot who he was.
A great life lesson about really getting into character.
MOLLOY: And your first performance?
HALVERSON: Always being a "ham", my first play was in 8th grade. I had a part in "Our Hearts Were Young And Gay". I will always remember Miss Valla, a local community theater actress who insisted we always behave professionally.
MOLLOY: At this point, can you estimate how many plays you have participated in?
HALVERSON: I would say between 40-50 stage shows overall in my lifetime.
MOLLOY: Did you receive formal dramatic training?
HALVERSON: I studied for a Drama Major at Cal. State University at Hayward.
MOLLOY: Do you have a favorite style of performance?
HALVERSON: Drama.
MOLLOY: Your daughter Sara Bareilles is known as a musician. Did you study music as a child?
HALVERSON: I did not study Music but when the girls were growing up we always had a piano.
We had many happy hours with performances upon the coffee table, from comedy to music shows.
Stacey is an actress/ singer/ mom who was very strong on stage. Jennifer is working in Improv in NYC.
MOLLOY: What are your plans for working your talent?
HALVERSON: At this time I am "on hold" with family to care for. Long-term I will share the joys of Stacey's children and joyful singing, Jennifer's Improv shows, and Sara's concerts.
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| lasvegascritics.com |
Tickets: 844-316-8220
3 comments:
I attended John Muir Junior High School and then Pacific High School, both in San Leandro, CA. Now and then, I exchange remarks with other graduates from Pacific High School on our website, pacifichighvikings dot com. For example, earlier this week all members of our class (class of 1969) were asked about our favorite memory from our days at Pacific High School, and we were also asked about our favorite teacher from Pacific. I contributed answers to each of these questions. Sometimes, I look at graduates from the class of 1968 or and the class of 1970, to see what my other friends are doing. That's what reminded me of BONNIE CAPELLAS. I remember that she gave a 1-person performance in the library at John Muir. In her performance, she was having a telephone conversation, using a pretend telephone. It was a great performance. During my days at John Muir and also while at Pacific High, I was a member of a rock'n'roll band that was led by Drew Johnese and Randy Johnese. (It is my guess that Bonnie remembers these boys.) While at Pacific, I drew a weekly cartoon for the school newspaper, and also for the San Leandro Morning News. Earlier this year, I had another exhibit of California landscape photography, and this was at a gallery at Berkeley. What was a big surprise to me, is that one of my friends from Pacific (Lynn Duncan) attended the reception for my exhibition. She said to me, "Do you remember that school dance at Pacific, where we were sitting on a bench and you had your arm around me, and were playing with my hair?" I answered, "Yes."
I just noticed, that the above interview mentions Nona Valla. Nona Valla was an English teacher at John Muir Jr. High, but one summer she taught drama at a school on the other side of town, namely, San Leandro High School. Our play was OUR TOWN. In OUR TOWN, I had two small parts. After the performance, Nona Valla remarked that my skills in drama had improved as compared to my earlier performance of NIGHT MUST FALL at John Muir. After OUR TOWN, she said that, "it was a difference between night and day." (Well, I'm not sure about that, I never had much of a speaking voice and not much of a singing voice either.) Nona Valla was one of the most dedicated and smart teachers that I ever encountered.
What can you find on page 20 of the December 20, 1968 edition of the SAN LEANDRO MORNING NEWS? We find a one-column story with the title, "PACIFIC'S TOP TEENAGERS." For that year (1968), Pacific's top teenagers were Armando Acuna, Sherry Caraballo, and Sheila Greathead. And then, and then, AND THEN, ALONG CAME JONES. No, oops, I am confused. Regarding the newspaper article, and then, and then, AND THEN, we read that, "Last Years winners were Tim Musch and Bonnie Capellas."
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