YORKTOWN, N.Y. —If you called Kelly Griffiths a “triple threat,” you’d be shortchanging the Yorktown High School senior. From singing and dancing in musical theater to performing in band and choir, to a passion for dramatic writing, Griffiths’ creative energy never seems to stop. We caught up with the student in January, who shared about goals and inspirations.
When did you start performing and engaging with the performing arts?
I grew up in a very musical household and have been singing and learning about theater for as long as I can remember. My siblings and I had established parts that we’d sing in “One Day More” from Les Mis probably before I even knew how to read. I started out in school playing the drums in fifth grade, and by high school I got super involved in band, choir, and theater.
Do you plan to continue performing after high school?
I would love to stay involved in theater in college. My biggest passion in the arts right now is probably playwriting, and while I’ve written several short plays for our school’s One Act Festival, I’ve always wanted to write a full-length play, and maybe even direct it in a college setting.
Who inspires/inspired you?
First and foremost, I am incredibly inspired by my teachers, Ms. [Emily] Kluga and Ms. [Andrea] Stock. They put so much effort into making our music program what it is, and they have truly built families out of their classrooms. As a playwright and performer, my biggest inspiration right now is the insanely talented Shaina Taub, who wrote the book and music for the [Tony Award-winning] musical Suffs and originated the lead role on Broadway. I hope to write something someday that is as poignant, emotional, and capable of changemaking as Taub’s work is.
What is it about the performing arts that you love?
Band and choir are experiences that I would not have passed up for the world. As a percussionist in band and a tenor in choir, I truly have grown to love the experience of supporting a collective effort to make music and adding to the texture of a sound that I could never have made on my own. Band and choir are a way of participating in something far greater than myself, and this also goes such a long way in strengthening the communities and close bonds these ensembles form.
What do you do in your free time?
I do devote a lot of my free time to theater; you’ll often find me crafting a prop for my next one-act production (I recently devoted a good chunk of time to learning how to sew puppets for this exact purpose), singing Broadway songs with my friends, planning Drama Club meetings, or discovering a new musical via cast recording. Other than that, I am very active in Scouting (I am almost finished with my Eagle Scout project), and I love my job as a daycare worker at the Pied Piper preschool. I often have some other project going on, from painting to crocheting to embroidery, although I do admit that I’m not very good at actually finishing any of these things.
Pick the top five songs you would put on your playlist or a mix tape.
“Power of Two” by the Indigo Girls
“Would That I” by Hozier
“Where Does the Good Go” by Tegan and Sara
“Cool About It” by boygenius
“The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac
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