PHOTOS: NEPA Scene’s Got Talent, Week 12, 11/17/15
A young wild card entered the final week of the NEPA Scene’s Got Talent open mic and talent competition on Nov. 17 and won the audience vote with a stunning first-time performance at Thirst T’s Bar & Grill in Olyphant.
Clarks Summit singer/songwriter Alyssa Lazar sang her own music as well as a cover of Dolly Parton classic “I Will Always Love You” – famously covered by Whitney Houston in 1992 – that silenced the room and earned the 17-year-old the last open spot in the Finals Showcase on Dec. 1. Read an interview with Lazar in this week’s NEPA Scene’s Got Talent spotlight.
It was the busiest night of Season 2, attracting so many performers with so many different types of talent that the sign-up list had to be cut off so the event didn’t run all night. Those who stayed late were treated to one of the best Got Talent lineups yet.
Week 12 performers:
Music: Awnshae Smith, Adam Bailey, James Barrett, Joe Quincy, Austin Sokolowski, Tanner “DrummerBoy” Synder with a full band, PJ Cimino, Robert Stevens, Joe Craig, Hoppy Slot Mess, Lisa Mansour, Rob Palmitessa, Apostolis Kalyvas, Alyssa Lazar, Katie Evans, Glen Hoffman, Eric Hilkert, and Bradley Maurice Kingsley
Comedy: Dan Hoppel, Zack Hammond, Ted Hebert, Nate Sives, Ray Meoni, and Shawn Ravenfire
Poetry: Monica Noelle
Performance art: Kyle Rebar and Kevin Vogrin
Bradley Maurice Kingsley returned to the stage at the end of the night to headline after winning the previous week’s audience vote with his soulful and bluesy original songs and covers. Lazar won $50 in cash, provided by Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, and a slot in the Finals Showcase on Dec. 1, where the 12 winners from 12 consecutive weeks will compete in front of a panel of judges for the grand prize – a winter getaway package with ski passes and more, $250, an interview broadcast on Fuzz 92.1, and a free 10-hour recording session at TwentyFiveEight Studios in Scranton. The second place winner will receive $100.
Sponsored by Samuel Adams; LT Verrastro, Inc.; Fireball Cinnamon Whisky; Fuzz 92.1; TwentyFiveEight Studios; and Thirst T’s, NEPA Scene’s Got Talent takes the format of an open mic night and turns it into a friendly competition, inviting local musicians, comedians, poets, performance artists, magicians, actors, and more to perform on Thirst T’s stage every Tuesday at 7 p.m. through Nov. 17.
At the end of each night, audiences who have enjoyed the free live show will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite act. The winner each week will receive $50 in cash and the headlining slot for the following Tuesday, and all other performers are encouraged to compete again as often as they’d like or simply show off their talents for fun. Everyone participating is featured weekly on nepascene.com.
Photos by Robb Malloy/Moon’s Eye Media/NEPA Scene
