Wake on Stage! - A Showcase of Talent in Wake County

In this episode, I interview Jenn McEwen, the director of Wake on Stage. We discuss how the program brings together talented students and community groups from across Wake County to showcase their creativity and passion for the arts. Jenn shares the story behind how Wake on Stage began, what inspired her to create a platform for young performers, and how the event has grown into a celebration of artistic talent in the community.

Throughout the conversation, we talk about the wide range of performances featured at Wake on Stage, from music and dance to theater and other artistic expressions. Jenn also explains the importance of giving students opportunities to perform, collaborate, and gain confidence while sharing their talents with a larger audience.

If you’d like to watch the live stream and see these incredible performances for yourself, be sure to follow the link below to tune in and support the amazing artists of Wake County. - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1430775461690738&vanity=UnitedArtsWake 

★ Support this podcast ★

Creators and Guests

Host

Sophs Magnanini

Public Affairs Director (2025-2026)

What is Oak City Move?

A radio program and podcast from WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2 celebrating those who enact positive changes in the Raleigh community.

00:00
Sophs Magnanini
Oak city move is a podcast on WKNC 88.1 FM HD raleigh, where we highlight people and organizations. And more information. Hello and see if you're going to just go to Sweaty Women by Surf Ninja 3. I'm Sophia Magnanini, your host, and you're listening to Oak City Move. Today we're joined by a very special guest, Jen McEwan, who is part of the incredible Wake on Stage. So first off, I just wanted to say thank you so much for joining us. And if you wanted to start off, for listeners who may not be familiar, talk a little bit about what Wake on Stage is.

01:00
Jenn McEwan
Yeah, thank you so much for having me. So Wake on Stage is a new fundraising event that we have launched to support United Arts, Wake County. United Arts is the designated local arts agency serving all 12 municipalities in Wake County. We do that through grant making to nonprofit organizations, local artists, and the smaller municipalities in the county, as well as supporting arts education programs in Wake County Public Schools. So our Artists in Schools program is a partnership with each individual PTA at the schools, where we support professional artists coming into the schools for performances, workshops, residencies, creative writing, visual arts, performing arts, the whole gauntlet. And we are raising money to support these education programs.

01:57
Jenn McEwan
In addition to our arts education Artists in Schools program, we also run a spoken word competition for high school students and an internship program for college students who are interested in pursuing leadership roles in arts administration. So all three of those arts education pieces is what this event is raising money for. At Wake On Stage, we've invited local leaders, elected officials, media personalities, business leaders to all take the stage in a talent show type event, showing off their artistic talents and mediums and really demonstrating how the arts impact every single sector across our community. So whether you are a lawyer or a teacher or, you know, a business owner, you most likely had an arts experience growing up. And we really believe that creativity is the root of all problem solving.

02:57
Sophs Magnanini
That's awesome. Yeah, I completely agree with creativity because you guys are just doing such an amazing job at helping kind of make the creativity in these kids flourish as well as try and, like, prolong it. Because like you were saying, like, a lot of times kids are really, like, into the arts and stuff, but then it's like they can't really continue on throughout that. But it's something that, like, if you're really passionate about it's something that you should choose to do and want to be able to do. And so it's so fun that you guys are kind of Making. Giving them this chance to highlight all of their. Their progress and everything that they've been doing.

03:41
Jenn McEwan
Yeah, you know, we like, we really love creating arts experiences for young people. And, you know, there's all sorts of studies out there that kids who are involved in the arts have better test scores. Kids that are involved in the arts have lower rates of absenteeism at school and lower dropout rates. You know, so really, we know that the arts are a community anchor. We know that they are an economic catalyst. I mean, the economic impact of the nonprofit arts sector in wake county is $546 million annually. I mean, that's a really. That's a really big return on investment given what it takes to go into running an arts organization and, you know, the contributed revenue in addition to the earned revenue that it takes to grow the art sector.

04:31
Sophs Magnanini
That's awesome. How long ago did a wake on stage start? Like, what was the original vision behind it and how have you kind of seen it evolve throughout the years?

04:43
Jenn McEwan
This is actually the first year that we're doing this. So United Arts had some other fundraisers in the past. We had one event called Guess who's Coming to Dinner, where you would go to someone's house for a fancy catered dinner and there would be an artist as a surprise guest that you would get to spend time with. During the pandemic, we partnered with WRAL and Capital Broadcasting to do a televised fundraiser for the arts that supported Wake, Chatham, Orange and Durham counties. So now that we're trying out this new thing where, like I said, we're inviting local leaders, local influencers to show off their hidden, or maybe not so hidden talent. So we've got singers, we've got jazz musicians, we have dancers, we have a magician taking the stage. We've got all sorts of.

05:37
Jenn McEwan
Oh, we've spoken word, all sorts of monologues, all sorts of performing arts.

05:43
Sophs Magnanini
That's awesome. And it kind of sounds like what you were saying earlier. You're kind of putting all the things together for the wake on stage of all the different events that you guys do, which is really cool. And I only can imagine how fun that's going to be to see live and in person, all the different people, all the different acts. It's just gonna be so cool.

06:04
Jenn McEwan
Yeah. You know, and it's like a really fun twist, right? You see people that you're used to seeing at a city council meeting or, you know, on your television broadcasting the weather, and then all of a sudden we see that, you know, the arts had a really big role in getting them where they are today. Even if it's not as a big professional artist. You know, there's still some joy that's sparked. There's still skills that are created. So getting to show them off and show how. How really the arts influence absolutely everything we do in our lives is fun and exciting. We had our dress rehearsal last night and every single person who showed up really was bringing such an incredibly positive and heightened level of energy. I'm really excited for the. For the final show.

06:57
Sophs Magnanini
That's so awesome to hear. And yeah, it's so important for people to see that, like, even though you may not choose a career that is, like, focused in the arts, but you can still be a part of the arts and that passion doesn't have to go away. So that's really cool. How does wake on stage support local talent here in Raleigh? I know you guys talk a lot about the students. Are there a lot of other kind of organizations that kind of help you guys or add a little something to it?

07:25
Jenn McEwan
Yeah, you know, we've got some great partners. You know, one of our performances is featuring the Broughton High School Jazz Ensemble with one of our state representatives from the legislature, Representative Mike Scheetzelt. We've got all sorts of community partners, corporate sponsors that are coming to the table to really support getting this initiative off the ground. You know, as far as in the community goes, you know, we do grant making to local nonprofit arts organizations across Wake County. We also help support public art initiatives at the municipalities outside Raleigh and Cary, where they might need a little more expertise and support getting some programs off the ground. And we do grant making to local artists in Wake County, Harnett, Chatham, Johnston and Lee counties.

08:19
Sophs Magnanini
That kind of leads into my next question. Since you guys have so many different artists and so many different talents on stage, what role do you think performing arts plays in strengthening the local community?

08:33
Jenn McEwan
That's a great question. We know that the arts are a spark for community connection and combating isolation and creating heightened levels of well being. We also know that people who have experienced and participate in the arts tend to be more engaged civically, they tend to vote more, and then again, we have a huge economic impact. So every time you see a concert going on at a public park, those folks that are there are spending money, usually at local restaurants and local businesses on gas and parking, you know, so it really has a ripple effect throughout all layers of our community.

09:20
Sophs Magnanini
That's really important. That's so true because, yeah, once you bring just get any group of People together the nearing areas will also benefit from is not just a singular thing. So that's going to be really cool. Since this is the first wake on stage, is there any type of themes or like, productions that you showcase? Like, how do you choose when things will go? Or, like, what orders? Is there any kind of, like, theme or feeling you want the, like, setup to bring to the audience?

09:58
Jenn McEwan
Yeah, that's an interesting question. You know, we tried when I was recruiting talent, the My goal was to really have a diverse demonstration of all the performing arts, so not just all musicians, although we do have a lot of music. You know, we have dance, we have theater, we have, like I said, spoken word with Raleigh city council person Christina Jones performing an original piece of poetry that she wrote. So really trying to run the gauntlet and showcase as much as possible. You know, we do have this go around. There seems to be a larger percentage of elected officials who are being are part of the show that really wasn't by design. It just kind of worked out that way based on people's schedules and talents and availability. But I think that's also really cool.

10:57
Jenn McEwan
Like I said, I mean, we know that people who experience and participate in the arts vote at a higher percentage. So of course it makes sense that people with an arts background would also run for office. But, you know, we have our. We have the Wake county public school superintendent taking the stage, performing a monologue from Shakespeare. WRAL weatherman Chris Michaels is going to be drumming. And, you know, we've got Wake county commissioners, Raleigh city council. The mayor of Fuqua Varina is an incredible jazz trumpeter. I mean, again, were in dress rehearsal yesterday and like, I knew he could play trumpet, right? He said he was willing to step on this stage. All of us in the audience were just like, minds blown at how incredibly gifted he is.

11:49
Sophs Magnanini
That's so fun because it's like you're saying there's so many officials and just the people that seeing them be able to showcase their other talents and just show how far and how, like, impactful art still is on their lives is going to be really cool to see. And also I love that most things like this, like you were saying, it's mostly kind of music or it's like theater. It's like one or the other. So I love that you're meshing all of them together because there is so many different art forms, like, besides just the music. And so that's going to be really awesome and also probably inspire a lot of people watching to be like this is something that I could really like doing.

12:31
Jenn McEwan
We hope so. And we're really lucky because we're also going to have the capability to live broadcast this through our Facebook channel. So if you can't be in the audience on April 17, you can still go find United Arts on Facebook and YouTube and watch the show.

12:51
Sophs Magnanini
No. That's going to be awesome. Kind of leading up into my next question, how can someone in the community get involved, whether as a performer, volunteer or audience member? I know you're saying lots of different people come, but is there a certain way that they get involved or do you guys kind of reach out? Do they reach out to you?

13:12
Jenn McEwan
As far as the folks on stage, I did most of the fishing and digging and asking. As far as folks in the audience, UnitedArts.org is a great way to get involved with us. You know, we do have volunteer opportunities. You can make a donation that goes a long way to create access to the arts across all of our communities. And yeah, like I said, you can also, you know, log in and watch us online.

13:43
Sophs Magnanini
Oh, that's awesome. What has been your favorite moment working with Wake On Stage so far?

13:52
Jenn McEwan
I think just getting to witness all of this talent, you know, getting to. Getting to see the joy and the excitement and the spark that it brings to, you know, take that stage and show off what. What folks are good at, you know, that really is just such a delight, truly.

14:20
Sophs Magnanini
It's probably so amazing for the performers also to be giving a platform where they can showcase their talents and feel truly seen. And so that's really awesome what you guys are doing in that. What excites you the most about the future of Wake On Stage? Do you guys have any kind of big new things planned or. Since this is just the first year.

14:45
Jenn McEwan
Yeah, you know, year one, we'll kind of see how successful it is as a fundraising tactic and then, you know, reevaluate and see what we can do moving forward. You know, I'd love to see it grow and grow excitement and, you know, again, raise more money for the art sector, you know, and more in future years. And, you know, we will see how successful the first one is and then plan from there.

15:13
Sophs Magnanini
Once again, where can listeners go to learn more or stay updated on events, including a Wake on stage? Yeah.

15:22
Jenn McEwan
UnitedArts.org is our website and our social handle is UnitedArtsWake on all mediums. Those are probably. And signing up for our E News, we send a newsletter every other week to kind of keep people up to date on what we're doing and what else is going on across the creative sector in the whole county.

15:43
Sophs Magnanini
That's awesome. So I know you were saying earlier how before the Wake on Stage, you guys would have kind of different other events. Are you guys still doing any of those this year, or is it kind of, since you're putting it all into one? For Wake on Stage, we also have a.

15:59
Jenn McEwan
In the fall, we do a breakfast event, a networking breakfast to kind of kick off the cultural season in the community. We where we bring together all the arts organizations, different sponsors, individuals, other local leaders to be in the room and kind of celebrate the arts and kind of figure out what all everyone is doing all year. We also present an award, one to an individual and one to a business organization that has made a huge impact on the arts and cultural sector across our county. So we do that award presentation at that breakfast. It's called Coffee and Culture. And this year, It'll be on September 17th at Dick's Park.

16:43
Sophs Magnanini
And what do you think the best way to support Wake on Stage, as well as just the local art scenes in your community? What do you think is kind of the best way for listeners to do that?

16:54
Jenn McEwan
Yeah, I mean, if you can make a donation, if you have that capability that, I do not know a sector that can stretch a dollar further than the art sector. So you can definitely donate through United Arts or if there is a arts organization that you're particularly passionate about, straight to them, you know, and buy a ticket, go out and see events, be in the audience, or go check out an exhibit or take a class. You know, those are really great ways to support the arts community and make sure that we are stable and sturdy and sustainable and really getting the word out there that Wake county is. Is an arts community, that the arts live here.

17:36
Sophs Magnanini
That's amazing. Before we end our chat, is there anything else that you'd like to say or just for listeners to hear?

17:45
Jenn McEwan
I just encourage people to get involved. The more we have folks involved, the more our art sector grows and the more art beauty we have. Joy, excitement, learning opportunities. You know, I think the arts, like I said, really cross all sectors and impact all people. So I just encourage everyone to. To get involved because, yeah, art is.

18:10
Sophs Magnanini
Such an important part of our lives. It brings so many people together. It's like you're saying it's connected to so many different things. And so that's really awesome what you guys are doing to help showcase this as well as support these artists themselves. Well, I just want to say thank you again for coming on and talking about wig on stage and United Arts. So awesome.