10 | March/April 2012 | SHOW BUSINESS

heater could very well be one ofthe most difficult industries tobreak into. Yet, if you talk tomany talented kids who arehoping to get into the business,

it’s impossible to ignore how their youth-ful souls still have access to the deeppockets of imagination and human truththat seem to slip away as adulthoodtakes hold. They will tell you that theycan succeed, if you help them. But ittakes a very special group of people,maybe teams of them, to equip these kidsand teens with the tools they need todevelop and survive as theater artists.

Meet the TeachersTim Crouse, an acting teacher at the

Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Insti-tute, has been teaching since 1989. Hislongish hair, pulled neatly back into aponytail, adds a finishing touch to hisrelaxed and observant demeanor. I

caught him at the institute’s studio,near Manhattan’s Union Square, justafter his class had finished. Althoughhe was short on time, he pulled me intoa side office so we could really sit andchat. I had the feeling he could bringout the best in someone and put him orher at ease.

Crouse has seen a number of his stu-dents go on to fill the big screen andbig arenas: Claire Danes, RosarioDawson, Eddie Kay Thomas, LadyGaga (who was known as Stefani at thetime), and others. When he beganteaching, he had no idea that he wouldone day help influence the trajectory ofso many actors’ lives. He began as aStrasberg student, taking classes,learning his craft, like any other youngaspirant. One day he had an idea thatmaybe he could “help out” at theschool. He had been a coach before,and thought he could draw from thoseskills. We continued talking about a

number of things and then landed onthe Lee Strasberg Method, the famoustechnique in which actors use theirown experiences to create the emo-tional life of their character.

“Lee was the first person to train theactor’s instrument,” Crouse said. “Histechniques really help the studentsconnect to their bodies, and theirinstrument, at a time when they arephysically awkward and feeling thatawkwardness in their bodies.”

At the Strasberg Institute, Crousesays students can explore techniqueswithout worrying about what peoplethink about what they’re doing. Highschool students live in a world of

insular cliques and harsh judgments,which, Crouse adds, is exactly whykids have a hard time being them-selves. It is a scientific fact that teensmake choices out of the emotional partof their brain until the age of 19 whentheir frontal lobe — which managesreason — is fully developed. Take thatfact and add awkwardness to a creativesensibility such as acting, and the ideaof a safe place to explore your actingtalent makes sense. “When they comehere, they are outside of school and ina safe zone,” Crouse added. “So nomatter what they do here, they are ableto be present in their work without dis-tractions.”

Nina Trevins, executive and artisticdirector at TADA! Youth Theater,echoes Crouse’s belief that kids need asafe zone in which too learn their craft.Moreover, she adds that the sooneryoung performers are given opportu-nity and support, the better theirchances at success. “Kids should beable to do the things they are passion-ate about now,” she said. “They shouldnot have to wait until they grow up.When you give them that opportunity,you notice that some kids really thriveon stage.”

Trevins gives students more than justa stage on which to perform. “Perform-ing should be a part of a kid’s life,” shesays adamantly. “It should go alongwith education and friendships. All ofour teens who are part of the ensemblegroup have a manager who assiststhem in finding and applying to acollege. Attending college is an impor-tant part of growing up.”

Meet the ParentsWe’ve all heard the tales of rabid

showbiz parents pushing their kids intothe spotlight at the expense of theiremotional growth. While it’s true thatparents can sometimes be even moredriven about their kids’ careers thanthe kids themselves, the vast majorityof parents simply want their children tohave the best opportunities for creativeand professional success.

I

Why starting early is the best way to get young performers to the next stage toward a career in theater

BY ELISE McMULLEN-CIOTTI

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LauraM

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Broadway Artists Alliance students per-form the song “Children of Eden” aftergetting feedback from composerStephen Schwartz (Wicked, Children ofEden, Godspell) himself.

TEENAGEDRAMA

SHOW BUSINESS | March/April 2012 | 11

However, Trevins is quick to warnthat the best thing parents can do fortheir hopeful children is view theirchances objectively. “Parents need tobe really honest about their child’stalent,” Trevins says. “This is a verycompetitive industry, and their kids aregoing to be judged a lot. They will bejudged on their talent as well as theirlooks. Their kids will experience a lotof rejection, and they’re going to haveask themselves how they will handle it— how they will deal with their childbeing rejected.”

Meet the AdministratorsThe possibility that a child performer

could find work on a professional stage— however remote that possibility is —adds an element of significance to theirtraining, requiring administrators tokeep students focused on their presentneeds and not just training for later.

Sas Goldberg, a manager at the NewYork training center Applause, is one ofthose administrators. Goldberg startedas a student with Applause — whichoffers drama classes for kids age 7 - 18— while attending the High School of

Performing Arts before going on to earnher B.A. in Theater Performance atMichigan State University. When shegraduated, she came back to New YorkCity and returned to Applause as anemployee, even though she also beganwork as a professional actress. She’sbeen featured in national commercialsand several voiceover campaigns suchas Lady Speed Stick, Orbitz and OliveGarden.

Goldberg is young and sharp. Realsharp. When she speaks about theprogram, there is zero doubt in her faceor voice that she believes Applause’sprogram will do exactly what theyclaim to do: train the students to beprofessionals and prepare them for acareer in theater.

“All of our programs enable kids atany age to walk on to a professional setand work as a performer now,” Gold-berg said. “All of the plays and scriptswe use are created for the appropriateage group. The kids are not pretendingto be adults like in a lot of schoolplays. We cast them in a role theycould actually perform professionally.”

So how do young actors go about>> Continued on Next Page

TEENS IN THEATER TRAINING!

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12 | March/April 2012 | SHOW BUSINESS

getting involved with Applause? “Theymust really impress us,” Goldberg said.“They must first audition. Then, theyhave to spend their weekends orevenings here. Some commute a gooddistance. They have a full schedule attheir own school, but they keep us apriority as well. They also sign up foradditional coaching to help themprepare for performing arts collegeauditions.”

David Shane, an Applause teacher,also spoke highly of the students’ abili-ties. “I am continually amazed at whatthe kids can do,” he said. Shane’s baby-face and boy-next-door-innocence couldcause you to mistake him for one of theteens in the program. But he’s a profes-sional working director and actor with agreat deal of experience in plays andmusicals.

If you ever meet Victoria Krane, thepresident of the Lee Strasberg Theatreand Film Institute, you will never forgether energy and her passion for theschool she runs — not to mention itsteachers and students. When I askedher to talk a little bit about YoungActors at Strasberg, a program designedjust for kids, she began with her insis-tence that proper training for youngstudents begins with not insulting theirintelligence. “We don’t dumb downLee’s program, and our teachers don’ttreat kids like idiots — because they’renot,” Krane said. “Being an actor is acareer, and we believe kids shouldapproach it in a serious way.”

As president of the school, Kranecould have gone on about anythingregarding the program, but what shechose to speak about most was herteachers. She spends a great deal ofenergy supporting and monitoring

them. In fact, a stack of evaluationswas even sitting on her desk, waitingfor her attention, while we spoke.“These young actors need teacherswho get what they’re trying to do,”Krane said. “We are very particularabout the teachers we choose. Our stu-dents can feel that. They know ourteachers understand them.”

Meet the StudentsAfter listening to the administrators,

educators and parents, it’s hard not tothink that the support they offer canserve as lifelong inspiration for theyoung artists in their charge. Withoutsuch support, aspiring theater profes-sionals could languish in uneasinessand fear, but instead the theater train-ing builds their confidence. Not in aboastful and pretentious way, but in away where students gain the confi-

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Students perform Frankenstein at Theatre Arts Center

<< Continued from previous page

“Our teachersdon’t treat kidslike idiots. Beingan actor is a ca-reer, and we be-lieve kids shouldapproach it in aserious way.”

>>

dence to overcome their fears. Some ofthe students I spoke with recognizedthe type of courage they would need intheir journey, and how they wouldhave to accept that there would contin-ually be criticism and critique in theirlives.

Angela Ortiz, whose bubbly 10-year-old daughter, Maya Brecher, is astudent at the Strasberg Institute, saidthat the Young Actors at Strasbergprogram was good for Maya’s self-esteem, regardless if she eventuallypursues it as a profession. Standingnearby, Maya interjected her own ideaabout her future prospects, sayingassertively, “I will pursue it.”

I asked Maya if she had any adviceshe’d like to pass on to other kids likeher. “Don’t take correction as criti-cism,” she said. “A correction meansthat the person cares for you. You haveto be committed, like you’re nevergoing to give up.”

So which actor does Maya most lookup to? If you’re expecting a modern-day celebrity like Selena Gomez, thinkagain. “It’s Shirley Temple,” said Maya.

“Because she always kept making dif-ferent choices. If you watch her in onemovie, you see her making thesechoices, and then you watch her inanother, and she’s making a whole dif-ferent kind of choice. She’s reallygood.” All of this from the mouth of a10-year-old.

It’s easy to be a little envious ofthese kids, particularly if one’s youthdid not include the support andencouragement that these studentsreceive. However, students like Mayaonly reinforce how teachers andadministrators need to really love whatthey do and be committed to it aboveall things. And when creative kids haveto risk all, placing themselves asinstruments in front of audiences to bejudged, it takes a very special teacheror administrator to understand that.

Tim Crouse, the first teacher I hadinterviewed, seemed to sum it up best.“When you teach, you must get yourego out of the way,” he said. “You haveto realize that the work you do withkids is something that goes on into thefuture. They carry it on.” "

SHOW BUSINESS | March/April 2012 | 13

TEENS IN THEATER TRAINING!

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Committed to the Next Generation of Theater Arts Professionals

OUR MISSIONTheater Arts Education Alliance (TAEA) providesreal-world information, guidance, and education toNew York City public high school students whowish to embark on a career in the theater industry.

“Our students are intrigued and excited, and we areso thankful for this fantastic resource.

—Kelly Gilles, Theater Director,High School of Leadership and Public Service

Support Our Future@ TheaterArts.org

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Students perform a scene in theYoung Actors at Strasberg program