Messenger - Vol. 4, No. 4, Page 12 1995 Alumni Profile - Sailing after a dream In February 1995, Stephen Popovich, Delaware '49, and his wife, Helen, were cruising aboard the Royal Cruise Line's ship, the Royal Odyssey. They spied a young man wearing a University of Delaware shirt. When they asked if he had attended UD, his face lit up, and Steven Shane Wolhar, Delaware '85, introduced himself as the lead singer in the ship's entertainment shows. "Steven has a great talent," says Popovich, of San Jose, Calif. "During the cruise, my wife and I developed a warm relationship with him. As my wife says, 'Steven's the type of young man you want to take home with you.'" For much of the last five years, Wolhar, 32, who goes by the stage name of Steven Shane, has traveled the world on luxury cruise liners working as a professional entertainer. His most recent tours have taken him to the South Pacific islands, Australia, Africa, India, Thailand, China, Japan and Hawaii. Previously on the Royal Viking Queen, Wolhar and his troupe went through the Panama Canal and on to Spain, Portugal, Italy and across the Mediterranean to Russia, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, England and Ireland. "I've always loved to travel," Wolhar says, "and the cruise lines gave me that opportunity, along with the chance to perform professionally and get paid for it all." Wolhar's degree from Delaware is in business marketing, with a minor in theatre/music. On campus, he participated in numerous workshops and performed in productions of Better and Better and The Magic Flute. Wolhar's first job out of school was as a marketing representative for a Delaware wine distributor. While he enjoyed the business atmosphere, he moonlighted in various local theatre productions. "The company was priming me for a management spot," recalls Wolhar. "I did very well-doubled the sales in my territory-but I kept hearing this little voice about pursuing my dream. "Finally, the company gave me an ultimatum about cutting out the theatre work. I think they were pretty surprised when I quit. I started working at Wilmington's Three Little Bakers for $18 a performance, so I had to scrimp and save. It was pretty difficult financially, making that change, but I knew that this is what I really wanted." While in New York City for a Broadway audition, Wolhar was contacted about a tryout for the Bermuda Star Cruise Line as a singer/dancer. Wolhar was one of four entertainers selected from 150 men and women who auditioned. After a successful eight-month cruise, Wolhar was hired as a singer/dancer on the five-star Royal Viking. He says the ship's entertainers are on duty virtually all the time. "As soon as you step out of your stateroom, you are supposed to socialize with the passengers," he says. "That's why the auditions look for personality as well as talent. In return, the entertainers are treated very well. For example, the captain would send us champagne and caviar after performances." On his last cruise, Wolhar was the ship's entertainment director as well as the lead performer. His duties included organizing and overseeing each show, managing a group of eight entertainers and putting together his own cabaret show. "That was a great experience," he says. "I worked on the arrangement of show tunes and put together a classical cabaret with a six- and eight-piece orchestra. I was able to work up the songs I wanted to sing as well as my comments to the audience. "In the cruise business, entertainment is one of the key elements they use to attract customers," he says. "You need to have talented performers and good shows or the customers won't come back. The audience is very sophisticated. They have traveled all over the world, and they have high expectations. I think all of our shows were very well received." In July, Wolhar headed back to New York City with two main goals, to hire an agent and to pursue work on a Broadway show. He's living on money he earned on his last cruise and picking up a survival job. He's also taking voice lessons and acting classes that may help him win jobs in commercials and soap operas. "It's kind of scary," he admits. "I got together with a friend from the University, and he has a wife, a new baby and a house. I don't even own a couch. "But, right now, I'm feeling very confident from my experience on the cruise lines. My heart and soul are in theatre, and I'm hopeful I can make a living from it. "The competition is stiff, so you have to be one step ahead of others in marketing yourself. "I think most successful people do what they love. Talent is really the love of what you do." -Terry Conway