REYNA IWAMOTO
CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF
Senior Sydney Miyao is not like many others. A hard-working student, talented actress, gifted singer and songwriter, and an aspiring playwright, the name Sydney Miyao is soon to become a household name.
Miyao has been a part of the drama program at Moanalua High School since she was a freshman and is now a Directed Studies student. Miyao has also done theatre outside of school and has been a part of the Ohana Arts Youth Theatre Company for about nine years.
Mark Ikenaga is the Drama teacher at MoHS and he shared his thoughts on Miyao’s presence on stage and in his class.
“She is a very motivated and committed student....confident and knows what she wants. And as an actress she is very focused and seasoned. She has lots of experience from doing community productions which definitely helps,” Ikenaga said.
Sydney has taken part in many performances at school, including the most recent Mene Stars Talent Show in November 2018.
“With her commitment and dedication to her craft, the sky's the limit,” Ikenaga said.
Carolyn Chung (formerly known Carolyn Taira) the Co-Founder, Co-Artistic Director, and resident stage director of Ohana Arts had nothing but admiration and praise for Miyao.
“Sydney has always had a very good work ethic. I would say that she is a perfectionist in many ways. She always wants to do her best and always takes her craft of performing very seriously. She’s been a great role model to her peers over the years,” Chung said.
Miyao has performed in various productions with Ohana Arts such as Hairspray, Footloose, Oliver!, The Wizard of Oz, Mulan JR, Annie, and the original musical by the Ohana Arts program, Peace on Your Wings.
Chung also explained that Sydney is a very creative and flexible actress, performing in roles like being a “tiny young ancestor in Mulan, to the crazy Miss Hannigan in Annie, to originating the role of Keiko in the production Peace On Your Wings.”
Through the Ohana Arts program and on her own, Miyao has had many incredible opportunities to perform in front of crowds across the world.
“In my freshman year, Ohana Arts took Peace on Your Wings, an original musical, on tour to Los Angeles. In my sophomore year, we took the show to New York and in my junior year, I spent two weeks in the UK and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. And just this past summer, I auditioned and attended Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan for their Songwriting program!” Miyao said.
Miyao enjoys performing on stage at school and with her peers in the Ohana Arts program, but also loves writing original music and has been doing so since she was in middle school.
“I started writing original music in 8th grade. I always liked music and it kinda came second nature- it made a lot of sense to me...I love entertaining an audience and connecting with them, making them feel something,” Miyao said.
She also explained that she is currently writing an original musical called, “Petrichor,” and that she is trying to keep up her writing of original music both for her play and otherwise.
“I really want to produce an original musical professionally, and maybe perform in one? I really want to learn all I can about the craft, see the different ways to apply myself,” Miyao said.
While composing her own music and musicals, Miyao somehow finds the time in her schedule to apply to colleges, take three Advanced Placement classes, and be a member of the National Honor Society.
Miyao shared some of her plans for her future after high school.
“I’m applying for mostly music schools and some liberal arts. I’ve applied to a few music schools already, and have six more due next year and I plan to study either composition, songwriting, liberal arts or something else in the arts and sciences,” Miyao said.
With all that she has been doing in school and outside of school, Miyao has become very efficient in managing her time to still be able to compose music and plays, as she plans out her week in advance and simply takes things a day at a time with a positive attitude.
“I usually set aside a few hours on weekends to work on my material. Otherwise, I try to practice writing with different exercises like stream of consciousnesses or playing off of some ideas in my free time. I like to think that every second I work on a project I get better at writing,” Miyao said.
And she is not wrong. Ikenaga explained that he has witnessed Miyao’s voice become much more defined throughout her years in the drama program at school. And regarding her writing skills, Ikenaga believes that her being involved in theater, reading scripts, and doing shows have helped her gain a lot of confidence.
“She has lots of experience from doing community productions which definitely helps...she has a light voice that is soothing to listen to...and she's only going to get better,” Ikenaga said.
Chung shared her thoughts on Miyao’s future in music and theatre.
“Sydney has the work ethic and mindset to truly succeed in anything that she puts her mind and heart in to. I believe she will be writing music and performing in front on thousands of people one day. I am very proud of Sydney for finding her love in composing music and writing her own stories...I truly can’t wait to buy her music on ITunes one day!” Chung said.
In the future, Miyao hopes to find her niche within the music industry.
“I know a lot is in the air right now, especially with this field, but I’m excited to see what’s in store” Miyao said.
A star student, a musical genius, and a playwright in the making, Sydney Miyao is sure to shine bright on the big stages one day.