In Good Company : 17-Year-Old Actress Is on 6-Month Tour With Professional Troupe in ‘Heart Strings’

“It may sound stupid to say, but I love life,” Kamilah Martin says. “I may be walking by myself, but I’ll have this huge smile on my face.”

Martin, 17, has a lot to smile about these days. After graduating from Los Alamitos High School and the Orange County High School of the Arts on Jan. 10, the veteran entertainer embarked on the next phase of her career: a six-month tour of the United States with a professional theater company in “Heart Strings,” a program that promotes AIDS awareness.

The director of “Heart Strings” is David Bell, with whom Martin worked when she was in “Hello, Dolly!” with Nell Carter at the Long Beach Civic Light Opera.

“When she came in to audition for me, she just really lit up the audition room,” Bell said of Martin, the youngest member of the touring group. “Kamilah is really head and shoulders above anyone else I’ve ever worked with her age, just because she’s so mature.”

“Heart Strings” hopes to raise $5 million for AIDS care/service organizations.

“It’s a rigorous tour,” Bell admitted, “but I’m fully expecting Kamilah to be one of the strong points of the entire time.”

The show opened Feb. 8 at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego. From there it travels to Palm Springs, Los Angeles (Shrine Auditorium, Feb. 22, 8 p.m.), San Francisco and Sacramento before beginning its cross-country tour that ends June 28 in Atlanta.

“This has been in the plan for a long time,” Martin said of performing professionally. “But to be doing this at 17 is just . . . I don’t believe it. The next youngest person on the tour is 25 years old. I’m going to be out there and I’m not even 18 yet.”

This advancement in her career has not come without sacrifices. Martin had planned to graduate in January even before landing the role, but early rehearsals forced her to finish school three weeks early.

“I’m going to (perform professionally), there’s no way I could stop,” Martin said. “But just in case, my counselor said that I have all my credits for college . . . if I ever want to go. And I have my high school diploma, which is important. College will be there, but I’m so determined to do this. I just want to be a professional entertainer. I just know that I can’t do anything else.”

Since she was 9, Martin has been preparing for her career. Beginning with dance lessons, she progressed to studying voice, mime and acting. She has performed in many shows through the Orange County High School of the Arts and outside the school.

Martin said her involvement with OCHSA through her high school years has been a positive influence on her life, as well as on her career. “Being in classes, having a place where I can be who I am. They understand here . . . and plus, it’s free! If they didn’t have OCHSA, I’d be at a regular high school and I don’t know what I’d be doing. I’ve gotten movie extra jobs and a lot of great opportunities because of it.”

“This is just the beginning of a long and successful career for K.K.,” said OCHSA director Ralph Opacic, using Kamilah’s nickname. “If she wants it, she’s got the talent to certainly be doing this for the rest of her life. She’s a real dynamic performer and I think she’ll just win the hearts of anyone who sees her perform.”

Martin’s teacher, mother and motivating force, Stevi Meredith, agreed.

“I think you get what you give,” said Meredith, who has toured with singing groups and performed in various clubs. Meredith, now a musical theater teacher at OCHSA, is rightfully proud of her daughter.

“Kamilah has been very, very blessed. This is a chance for her to do what she wants to do, but to do it where she’s giving something back. This is a good way for her to be a part of bringing the AIDS situation to the attention of young people. She can speak to teen-agers. She’s concerned that teens aren’t as aware about AIDS as they should be.”

Said Martin: “It’s going to be a really emotional tour. For the audition, we had to write an essay, a few words on AIDS. I put how teens are into safe sex. It’s really important. I’m really glad that I’m going to do this tour. I know that AIDS is out there and it’s going to be out there. You just have to stay aware.”

Martin’s director said there are lots of messages that are generally AIDS-related in the show.

“We travel with the AIDS Memorial Quilt, so part of the show deals with mourning,” Bell said. “But the overwhelming message is that this show is a celebration of life, and although there are people with AIDS and people with the HIV infection who are facing the prospect of death, it is about how we address living our lives to the fullest until that moment comes.”

Support from her friends and fans has helped Martin put the tour in a positive light. Naysayers, however, have been more than generous in giving her warnings.

“All these adults are telling me that the tour is going to be this and you’re not going to like that, etc. They give me all this negative stuff and I’m like, ‘Don’t tell me. I want to find out for myself,’ ” Martin said.

Some adults, however, have proven inspirational and helpful.

“My mom believes in me more than anybody in the world,” Martin said.

Actress Charnelle Brown of “A Different World” gave Martin advice after meeting her at a cast party.

“She said to keep it up and that it’s great that I’m a young black actress wanting to do this,” Martin said. “She said to go for it. When a working, young, black actress says that, it’s really helpful. And it makes me know that I can do this.”

Trisha Ginsburg is a junior at Los Alamitos High School, where she is editor-in-chief of the Crusader, the student newspaper, and an active member of many campus clubs.