ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
A Star Is Born
PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRGINIA SAMFORD THEATRE
Educating youth takes center stage at VST
BY JEANA DURST
Shakespeare said it best: “All the world’s a
stage.” With that in mind, can you think of any
other activity that can prepare a student for what
it’s like to be in the working world as well as
theatre? Jennifer Spiegelman, education director
at the Virginia Samford Theatre and director
of their STARS program (Students take a role
at the Samford), points out that stepping onto
a stage helps to facilitate all those other skills
that go with being a functional adult, like being
able to communicate, expressing how you feel,
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
“Witnessing this is one of my favorite parts of the
job,” says Spiegelman.
She oversees all the programs that are offered
at the theatre for children ages 7 to 18, which
include after school classes and summer camps
as well as three productions throughout the
year in which only kids perform. The STARS
program started in 2006, and in 2015 they started
expanding programming because of growth. “We
have a lot of returning families,” Spiegelman says.
Academy classes, which are offered in
the spring and the fall, end in a showcase
performance where students get to demonstrate
the skills they’ve acquired. There are two tiers of
two-hour classes available: regular and advanced.
The regular classes cover voice and dance, and
acting and improvisation, while the advanced
ones (which require auditions for admission)
8 Bham Family March 2020
The STARS program at
the VST offers something
for every child.
feature more focused instruction in acting and a
musical theatre intensive. “We recommend our
academy classes for kids who want to get a taste
of live theatre,” Spiegelman says. As a bonus, the
children who have performed in STARS shows
can volunteer to work backstage during mainstage
productions and be part of the run crew. “We
emphasize working as a team and building each
other up as much as we can,” Spiegelman says.
Another entry point for students who are
looking for more of an overview of theatre arts
is Camp VST, which offers three sessions in the
summer. Their main classes, open to ages 7 to 18,
are acting, improvisation, voice, and dance. “And
we have a rotating elective class such as costume
design, playwriting, stage combat, and special
effects and makeup,” Spiegelman adds.
All STARS productions are entirely run by
students, and the auditions are open to anyone.
The upcoming audition for Frozen Junior will be
held on April 4 for ages 12 and up and April 11
for ages 7 to 11. “We usually have more than 100
kids come to auditions,” Spiegelman says. That’s
another reason the academy classes are so nice to
have; there kids can work with the teachers to get
their audition pieces ready so that they feel more
comfortable. Though all of the programs require
fees, Spiegelman says they never turn children away.
In fact, during the 2018-2019 season, of the 356
students who participated in the Stars program, 54
received scholarships. In short, with the program,
every child is given an opportunity to shine.