“Wow, that girl’s voice was amazing,” say audience members following the MHS musical. That girl is Luna Haskins, a senior at MHS. Luna participates in Muscatine High School’s Marching Band, River City Rhythm Show Choir, Jazz Choir, Chamber Choir, Wind Ensemble, and Theater Department.
“These programs have opened up a lot of opportunities for me, the most recent one being the Music Kid New York Trip. If I hadn’t been involved in either the band or choir department, I never would have had that opportunity. That would have been awful as that was one of my greatest experiences,” said Luna.
Music has surrounded Luna since she was young and influenced her to be involved in activities having to do with music as she got older.
“Music has always been a consistent being in my life. My dad was a really big music guy and loved to play guitar and play MTV music videos as background noise in our house. But by being musically involved at MHS, I believe the biggest area of my life that has been impacted by music is my social life,” said Luna.
When she isn’t busy, she spends time with family, friends, or her boyfriend. Many of her friends come from her activities that she is involved in.
“Within all my activities I have formed many friendships that I am always going to be grateful for. I have met at least 95% of my friends in some type of music organization. From 5th grade band to my senior year of high school, I have created new friendships throughout all of the musically charged programs,” said Luna.
Some of her friendships served as inspiration and admiration for her work in performing.
“I believe the people who I take a lot of inspiration from are the upperclassmen that came before me. Specifically in the choir and theater department. Ex-muskies like Lex Taylor, Parker Ellsworth, Evan Maynard, and Izzy Sand really inspired me and helped me develop my performing skills. They are all just so talented and really good performers and people. I hope that they are all thriving and living their dream lives in their respective professions,” said Luna.
Like her peers, Luna also takes inspiration from accomplished performers such as Heidi Blickenstaff, Jeremy Jordan, Sutton Foster, Idina Menzel, and even Justin Bieber.
“I really got into the theatrical world when I watched The Greatest Showman for the first time. I actually believe that movie changed my life. I adore that movie to my core. It spoke to me in so many ways, and I still cry every time the bearded lady sings This Is Me. It is just such a beautiful movie with such a beautiful message and amazing songs,” said Luna. “I also watched a lot of Victorious growing up, which had an impact on me. I was also fascinated by a lot of pop stars at a young age. I even had a Justin Beiber-themed birthday party at 5 years old.”
Luna channels these people while performing as well as using personal experiences and moments with friends and family to help influence or spark ideas. Her ability to perform is often admired by many, and as she performs, the audience watches in awe.
“I also love audience interactions. I really love it when I do a scene or have a moment in show choir that allows me to interact with the audience. Whenever I point at an audience member, ask them a question, or do any kind of break of the fourth wall, I always like seeing the look on their face thats like, “Oh crap, shes talking to me!” said Luna.
Despite her love for her audience, Luna still struggles with stage fright, as anyone would. 
“I’m not going to lie, [stage fright] is still something I struggle with. I tend to be a very nervous person and performer. However, whenever I am particularly nervous, I tend to move around a lot. I especially pace around. This is something I have been playfully teased about by theater, band, and choir members. But it always helps me get my nerves out. Whether it be before an audition, callback, or performance, I just find a place to pace, and it helps!” said Luna.
Her fears are worth it, as she loves every part of performing and the joy she feels as she does so.
“I really like hearing and seeing audiences’ reactions. Especially in theater, it’s just so interesting to see how a certain audience reacts to a certain scene each night. Live theater and live performances are so fascinating to me because anything could go wrong, but even if it does you have to keep going. It’s so much more real than anything produced on TV because you don’t really get a second chance. It’s just so amazing,” said Luna.
Luna hopes to continue her love of theatre and performing a the University of Iowa, where she plans to Major in Performing Arts on the Musical Theater Track with a Minor in Advertising.
