Fame High
Everyone dreams of fame.
From the tentative first day of school to the amazing year-end performances, FAME HIGH captures the in-class and at-home drama, competition, heartbreak, and triumph during one school year at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA). Where talented teens reach for their dreams of becoming actors, singers, dancers, and musicians.
LACHSA is one of the most respected and competitive public arts high schools in the country. The arts teachers are working professionals, and some of the famous alumni include singing phenomena Josh Groban and Fergie, as well as actors Corbin Bleu, Jenna Elfman, Anthony Anderson, and current SNL cast member Taran Killam, as well as principal dancer of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Matthew Rushing. To name just a few.
From Academy Award Nominee Scott Hamilton Kennedy (The Garden and OT: our town) FAME HIGH is a unique hybrid film: a Robert Altman-esque, coming-of-age, documentary- musical which follows a group of novice freshman and seasoned seniors struggling to find their voice – not only in their art but in life – with the help of, and sometimes in spite of, their passionate and opinionated families. Each has sacrificed countless hours to become artistically good, but will they become excellent and be satisfied both personally and professionally?
Are the sacrifices we make to chase our dreams worth it? This question is as relevant to these young artists as it is to their parents.
In a time when performance-based entertainment is commonplace, it is safe to call FAME HIGH the facts behind the fiction. Overnight success is a myth, and the true reality is nothing trumps endless hours of hard work.
Shot over the course of sixteen months, we see these young people strive, struggle, grow, and change before our eyes.
And you thought regular high school was tough.