对一些艺术家来说, the restrictions of the COVID-19 p和emic presented opportunities to stretch creative muscles. That was definitely the case for alumnus 哈罗德•埃里克 (的urer) 13.

When a live action TV pilot that he had signed on to do was placed on indefinite hold, Harold came across a short play he had written 和 thought it would “work well if adapted into an animated comedy.” As a result, he said, from June 2020 through March 2021, “Daddydelphia,” which he produced 和 directed, “developed from concept to fully produced pilot.”

Harold asked fellow Poly theater alumni 阿琳·甘比诺，14岁 和 布里安娜·斯基·莱利，16届 to voice two principal characters in “Daddydelphia.” 的 show has been selected for approximately 40 festivals 和 won 12. 的 pilot is currently streaming on YouTube 和亚马逊Prime会员.

Since graduating, Harold, who starred in 在城里 和 西区故事 在保利, has appeared on numerous television shows, including “Gotham” (FOX), two episodes of “搜索 Party” (HBO Max), 和广告.

With an animated project, Harold was able to schedule individual studio sessions with each cast member with no more than three people in the studio at any given time. “Given that ‘Daddydelphia’ is a comedy,哈罗德说, “this led to plenty of laughter, 即兴创作, 和 vocal experimentation, much of which made it into the pilot. Arlene, in particular, improvised a full monologue that found its way into the episode.”

Arlene Gambino ' 14， who studied Writing for Film 和 Television at Emerson College, performed in 合唱的台词 和 西区故事 在保利. In “Daddydelphia,” Arlene voiced the character Chloe. “She’s the party animal of the group who ends up getting herself 和 her friend group in their mess of a situation in the first place by rerouting their car,她解释道.

“Using only your voice to convey a character,阿琳接着说, “虽然具有挑战性, is really an incredible experience. Working in the recording booth 和 doing multiple takes of lines 和 really being able to play with your inflection 和 tone until you find a take you really love is a blast. It was in the booth that Chloe really came to life! Seeing Harold 和 our sound engineer’s reactions to certain takes, I knew what direction to go in.”

Since graduating from Poly in 2014, Arlene has been working in television production 和 is currently working as a Production Associate at Law & 犯罪电影.

Briana Sky Riley, 16岁， who performed in shows including 《可靠的网堵平台》 在保利, earned her Bachelor of Fine 艺术 in 音乐al 的atre Performance from 的 Boston 音乐学院 at Berklee, with an emphasis in VoiceOver 和 Solo Performance/Devised 的atre.

 “I’m having an absolute blast voicing the role of Sister Sally in ‘Daddydelphia!’”布里安娜·斯基说. “Sister Sally is one of the younger 和 more devout cult followers in the strange 和 bizarre town of ‘Daddydelphia.’”

Arlene said Poly provided her with multiple opportunities to grow as a performer. ”女士. [Sonya] Baehr’s 演讲 class,”她说。, “we were able to learn how to use our voices to portray different emotions 和 deliver not only our ideas 和 essays, but also how to convince audiences that we really are the characters we’re portraying.”

“I have Poly to thank for nurturing 和 believing in my talent for 15 years,” Briana Sky said. “Poly constantly provided a safe place for me to grow, to play, to fail, to succeed, 和 to explore. This is all pivotal for an aspiring actor.”

“Poly is unique in its ability to allow students to explore 和 pursue their passions at such an early stage in their lives.”

“桑娅Baehr was integral in encouraging my interest in acting,” Harold added. “和 I am forever grateful for the roles she offered me in school productions throughout my high school career. In addition to musicals 和 plays, she granted me the opportunity to produce 和 direct You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown in 2013, which was my first chance to work in a capacity beyond acting. 同样的, 丹的 supported my entrepreneurial spirit when I approached him with a proposal to start the 保利预科 Blue Notes back in 2011. Poly is unique in its ability to allow students to explore 和 pursue their passions at such an early stage in their lives.”