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South Coast Has Talent
Updated: Saturday, August 29, 2009
Performers compete in reality TV-inspired talent show in Bandon
BANDON — Seventeen amateur performers, ranging in age from 10 to 78, will compete this weekend for a $500 top prize in the first South Coast Has Talent contest.
Last week, 28 contestants sang, played instruments, acted and danced in the contest’s first round Friday and Saturday at the Sprague Community Theater in Bandon.
Ten of them advanced on their scores from a panel of five judges, and the others were chosen by audience votes.
Many found the selection process confusing.
• Judges can award up to 20 points for overall performance and 10 each for costume, stage presence and originality.
• While contestants compete in three age groups — 17 and under, 18 to 50, and over 50 — all are in the same pool as far as judges are concerned.
• Crowds of 76 on Friday and 97 on Saturday were able to vote for anyone, but only votes for contestants who didn’t advance on scores counted.
• Excluding votes for top scorers, the top vote-getter in each age group from each night also advanced.
• Ties were honored.
The process has a few quirks. Because only three people older than 50 entered and one of them got a top-10 score, all three of them advanced — the other two needed only one vote each to win their nights.
The bulk of both entries and high scores came in the 17-and-under age group. But when the audience doesn’t know who advanced on scores, the fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-place performers may be competing for the handful of audience votes that didn’t go to the top scorers. One or two votes could tip the results.
But that means each vote counts more, producer Paul Hay said.
“The audience had a strong voice,” he said.
Tonight, the contest will whittle down the contestants to eight or 10, depending on how well the older folks do with a new a panel of judges. The judges will advance the top five scorers, plus the top scorer in each age group if that person is not already in the top five. (Last week, the youngest group claimed four of the top five spots.)
Again, the audience will choose one from each age group, and a tie could mean even more contestants make it to Saturday’s final.
On Saturday, judges will decide the overall winner, who will receive a $500 prize. Audience votes will decide the winners of each age group, who receive $100.
Among the top contenders are a few veterans of Bay Area Teen Idol: Alyssa Birrer, Thaddeus Miller and Star Moralez, who have the benefit of experience from performing once a week for the past two months.
Also advancing are four of Hay’s children: Russel, Hope, Zeta and Josiah Hay. Due to their success, Paul Hay said he had the results independently audited. He also noted that his family’s extensive involvement in the contest left fewer family members available to vote.
Other young contestants who advanced are 11-year-olds Lucy Merriam of Bandon and Alexius Harris of Coos Bay.
In the 18 to 50 group, five of nine competitors advanced: Vicki Affatati, Heather Bouher, Tanya DePoalo, Hoyt Richardson and Christi VanLeemput. Affatati, 50, said she would have preferred to compete in the smaller 50-plus group. Richardson, 47, told Saturday’s audience he was over 50 and managed to get votes in both categories.
The real 50-plus contestants — Bill Binnewies, John Kight and Jay Straley — all advanced. Kight, 78, a veteran of the Colgate Country Showdown and Karaoke Idol contests, has the most extensive recent performance experience.
BANDON — Seventeen amateur performers, ranging in age from 10 to 78, will compete this weekend for a $500 top prize in the first South Coast Has Talent contest.
Last week, 28 contestants sang, played instruments, acted and danced in the contest’s first round Friday and Saturday at the Sprague Community Theater in Bandon.
Ten of them advanced on their scores from a panel of five judges, and the others were chosen by audience votes.
Many found the selection process confusing.
• Judges can award up to 20 points for overall performance and 10 each for costume, stage presence and originality.
• While contestants compete in three age groups — 17 and under, 18 to 50, and over 50 — all are in the same pool as far as judges are concerned.
• Crowds of 76 on Friday and 97 on Saturday were able to vote for anyone, but only votes for contestants who didn’t advance on scores counted.
• Excluding votes for top scorers, the top vote-getter in each age group from each night also advanced.
• Ties were honored.
The process has a few quirks. Because only three people older than 50 entered and one of them got a top-10 score, all three of them advanced — the other two needed only one vote each to win their nights.
The bulk of both entries and high scores came in the 17-and-under age group. But when the audience doesn’t know who advanced on scores, the fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-place performers may be competing for the handful of audience votes that didn’t go to the top scorers. One or two votes could tip the results.
But that means each vote counts more, producer Paul Hay said.
“The audience had a strong voice,” he said.
Tonight, the contest will whittle down the contestants to eight or 10, depending on how well the older folks do with a new a panel of judges. The judges will advance the top five scorers, plus the top scorer in each age group if that person is not already in the top five. (Last week, the youngest group claimed four of the top five spots.)
Again, the audience will choose one from each age group, and a tie could mean even more contestants make it to Saturday’s final.
On Saturday, judges will decide the overall winner, who will receive a $500 prize. Audience votes will decide the winners of each age group, who receive $100.
Among the top contenders are a few veterans of Bay Area Teen Idol: Alyssa Birrer, Thaddeus Miller and Star Moralez, who have the benefit of experience from performing once a week for the past two months.
Also advancing are four of Hay’s children: Russel, Hope, Zeta and Josiah Hay. Due to their success, Paul Hay said he had the results independently audited. He also noted that his family’s extensive involvement in the contest left fewer family members available to vote.
Other young contestants who advanced are 11-year-olds Lucy Merriam of Bandon and Alexius Harris of Coos Bay.
In the 18 to 50 group, five of nine competitors advanced: Vicki Affatati, Heather Bouher, Tanya DePoalo, Hoyt Richardson and Christi VanLeemput. Affatati, 50, said she would have preferred to compete in the smaller 50-plus group. Richardson, 47, told Saturday’s audience he was over 50 and managed to get votes in both categories.
The real 50-plus contestants — Bill Binnewies, John Kight and Jay Straley — all advanced. Kight, 78, a veteran of the Colgate Country Showdown and Karaoke Idol contests, has the most extensive recent performance experience.
South Coast Has Talent
Bandon Playhouse
Sprague Community Theater, Bandon
Dates: Aug. 28-29
Times: 7 p.m.
Tickets: $5.
Advancing
Seventeen of 28 performers advanced to the second weekend of South Coast Has Talent.
From Friday
Vicki Affatati, “I Cover the Waterfront,” Billie Holiday, a cappella
Bill Binnewies, original song
Alyssa Birrer, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Katherine McPhee version
Hope Hay, “Somewhere” from “West Side Story”
Josiah Hay, “One Voice,” Billy Gilman
John Kight, “If You Want to Find Love,” Kenny Rogers
Lucy Merriam, “Personality Exchange Shop” skit
Star Moralez, “Respect,” Aretha Franklin
From Saturday
Heather Bouher, “A Force to Be Reckoned With,” original
Tanya DePoalo, “Walk On By,” original, with guitar
Alexius Harris, “I’m Yours,” Jason Mraz, with guitar
Russel Hay, “Sesame on the Street Life” skit
Zeta Hay, “Adelaide’s Lament,” from “Guys and Dolls”
Thaddeus Miller, “Pretty Woman,” Roy Orbison
Hoyt Richardson, “Three Wooden Crosses,” Randy Travis
Jay Straley, “A Boy Named Sue,” Johnny Cash, a cappella
Christi VanLeemput, “Memory,” from “Cats”
Judges
A panel of five judges from a pool of nine works each night of the contest. Only one, Paul Comfort, formerly of the Southwestern Oregon Community College theater department, scores all four nights. Also judging:
This week
Ed Backholm, Peter Braun, Janice Kendall and Ruthanne McSurdy-Wong
Last week
Donna Crouch, Ken Gregg, Cathy Underdown and Marilyn Williams.
Bandon Playhouse
Sprague Community Theater, Bandon
Dates: Aug. 28-29
Times: 7 p.m.
Tickets: $5.
Advancing
Seventeen of 28 performers advanced to the second weekend of South Coast Has Talent.
From Friday
Vicki Affatati, “I Cover the Waterfront,” Billie Holiday, a cappella
Bill Binnewies, original song
Alyssa Birrer, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Katherine McPhee version
Hope Hay, “Somewhere” from “West Side Story”
Josiah Hay, “One Voice,” Billy Gilman
John Kight, “If You Want to Find Love,” Kenny Rogers
Lucy Merriam, “Personality Exchange Shop” skit
Star Moralez, “Respect,” Aretha Franklin
From Saturday
Heather Bouher, “A Force to Be Reckoned With,” original
Tanya DePoalo, “Walk On By,” original, with guitar
Alexius Harris, “I’m Yours,” Jason Mraz, with guitar
Russel Hay, “Sesame on the Street Life” skit
Zeta Hay, “Adelaide’s Lament,” from “Guys and Dolls”
Thaddeus Miller, “Pretty Woman,” Roy Orbison
Hoyt Richardson, “Three Wooden Crosses,” Randy Travis
Jay Straley, “A Boy Named Sue,” Johnny Cash, a cappella
Christi VanLeemput, “Memory,” from “Cats”
Judges
A panel of five judges from a pool of nine works each night of the contest. Only one, Paul Comfort, formerly of the Southwestern Oregon Community College theater department, scores all four nights. Also judging:
This week
Ed Backholm, Peter Braun, Janice Kendall and Ruthanne McSurdy-Wong
Last week
Donna Crouch, Ken Gregg, Cathy Underdown and Marilyn Williams.
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