James A. Cawood Elementary School sixth grader Eli Daniels is participating in The Spotlight Playhouse in Berea, having already starred in two productions and additional performance forthcoming and now in production.

“Spotlight is a place that makes me feel welcome, where I can express myself through acting and make friends that are so nice and have very nice teachers and a great director,” he said.

Letha Hembree, director of Spotlight, said, "We have seen Eli come out of his shell a bit over the past few months and is really beginning to find his way at Spotlight, gain friends, confidence and a real voice.  We are so proud of him and can't wait to see how much more he grows and what all he will accomplish on the stage."

Spotlight Playhouse is a 13,000-square-foot theater, event center, and performing arts school hosting over 125 live performances each year. It is home to are home to Spotlight Acting School and The Bluegrass Players community theater company.

“Every Saturday, my mom or dad takes me to Berea to have practice.  We do this once a week for around two to three months till we have our play,” explained Eli. “When the play is one week away we have dress rehearsal every day till the day of the play. Usually, the play is on Friday at 6 p.m., same for Saturday and on Sunday around 2 p.m.”

Eli added that “At Spotlight I can have a great time. We are currently working on two other plays.”

“Overall, I’m really glad we found this amazing acting school and that I get to have so much fun,” he said.

So far, he has performed as Pap Ogre in Shrek the Musical and just recently as Kristoff in Frozen Kids. 

He is currently rehearsing for his role as Napoleon in Aristocats, which will be performed in January and just this past weekend he auditioned for the Aladdin. 

And as Hembree noted, " Come see him in Aristocats - i think you'll be impressed!"

His mom, Kelly Boggs Daniels said each play practices for two to three months and then has a weekend of performances. 

“They learn all their lines, music, and dance to each play.  The week leading up to each performance they have dress rehearsal which is two-hours each evening.  His castmates range from ages 4-13.  He has met a lot of great friends who enjoy performing in plays from all over the Berea/ Richmond/ Lexington area. The playhouse offers older plays for teens and adults and even dinner shows.”

Spotlight has an acting school where you can take classes.  The website to learn more is spotlightactingschool.com.

John Carter, Eli’s principal at JACES, said, “Eli is a top-notch student in everything he does from academics to extracurriculars. He is a bright spot in our school and I just know he will do great things in the arts.”

He is also the son of the Rev. Sean Daniels.