Mainstage to Host American Idol Watch Party with Payton Taylor

Mainstage Center for the Arts alumna Payton Taylor received a golden ticket to American Idol’s Hollywood Week. The non-profit regional performing arts organization will celebrate by hosting a FREE Hometown Watch Party with Taylor on Sunday, March 24, 7 pm. The event takes place at the Dennis Flyer Theater, Camden County College in Blackwood. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Taylor, 22, will greet fans and perform a few numbers before joining the hometown crowd to watch American Idol on the big screen. Sunday and Monday night’s episodes feature Hollywood Week, during which singers battling it out in solo and group performances in hopes of making it through to the showcase round.

Taylor, originally from Washington Township, moved with her family to Hendersonville, Tennessee six years ago to be closer to Nashville to follow her dream of becoming a Country music artist. She grew up attending Mainstage Center for the Arts’ Summer Stage performing arts camp; and taking voice, acting, and dance lessons at the Mainstage studio.

"My mom took me to see the Mainstage and Summer Stage shows at Camden County College when I was a little girl. At every show, I would always bounce around in my seat, hoping that someday I could be like the “big kids” and be onstage," said Taylor. "When I grew up and finally was one the “big kids”, Mainstage became a home for me where I met some of my best friends and made some of my greatest memories. "

It was on a trip with Mainstage’s Harmony Show Choir to Nashville that Taylor felt the pull to become a Country music artist.

“We went to the Grand Ole Opry, and I found myself with that same familiar feeling of wanting to be “one of the big kids” onstage,” said Taylor. “I never could have imagined on that trip, I would have had the opportunity to stand and perform on that stage eight years later. That dream would have never been made a reality if it wasn’t for my friends and mentors I made with Mainstage.”

Ed Fiscella, Mainstage Center for the Arts founder and producing artistic director, looks forward to sharing this special moment with Taylor, her family and the Mainstage community. He said, "At Mainstage, all of our students and campers become like one big extended family. We can’t wait to welcome Payton and her family home and celebrate her success. She was always talented and had such a drive and maturity. I’m so proud of her for taking chances and following her dreams.”

To learn more about the Payton Taylor American Idol Watch Party hosted by Mainstage Center for the Arts, visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/653606228408955

For more information about Mainstage Center for the arts, visit mainstage.org. And, learn more about Payton Taylor at www.paytontaylor.com.