Torrey Highlands Tutors Come To You

So much acting talent at one San Diego, California, high school! Westview High School, located in the neighborhood of Torrey Highlands, seems to churn out more than its fair share. Perhaps it has something to do with one of its clubs, the Westview Theatre Company. Maybe it’s the wealth of opportunities for theater in Greater San Diego. And yes, it could be some private drama coaching and tutoring in Torrey Highlands. But nonetheless, Westview has produced a lot of good actors and a couple of stars, too, including Arianna Afsar and Kellie Marie Tran. Afsar is a cast member in Chicago’s Hamilton: An American Musical, the eleven-time Tony-Award-winning musical. And Kelly Marie Tran plays the part of Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

On Broadway
Arianna Afsar started singing at the age of seven and never stopped. In 2009, she competed on American Idol, season 8. Auditioning in Phoenix, the sixteen-year-old sang Corinne Bailey Rae’s Put Your Records On, and was given the go-ahead by all four judges. She made it all the way to semifinals, placing in the top thirty-six.

Afsar also was successful with pageantry. She won Miss America’s Outstanding Teen in 2005 and went on to place first runner-up and earn a talent award at the national pageant. In 2010, she won Miss San Diego and Miss California, and went on to compete in the Miss America pageant, where she placed in the top ten.

Locally, Afsar starred in many productions put on by J*Company, Old Globe, Starlight, and JCC. She attended UCLA, majoring in jazz vocals in the ethnomusicology department and participating in the a cappella group the ScatterTones. After graduation in 2013, she continued auditioning for music as well as TV. Being selected to play Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway show is a culmination of years of hard work and study—and a whole lot of talent.

Another Galaxy
Kelly Marie Tran also attended Westview High School and UCLA. She is known mostly for a series of digital comedy shorts, CollegeHumor Originals, and trained at improv groups iO West, Second City, and Upright Citizens Brigade. She’s also been featured in several web productions and network series, including NBC’s About a Boy and Lifetime’s Fall into Me, and has made guest spots on shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! Like Afsar, Tran honed her skills by participating in local productions through Young Actors’ Theatre, Rancho Bernardo Youth Theater, and Westview Theater Company. In Star Wars, Episode 8, Tran plays a Resistance mechanic who gets pulled into a huge adventure.

Star Wars: Episode VIII is expected to be released in December 2017. When it does, Tran’s talent will be out there for the whole world to see.