At 13, performer Valeria Velasco already has some spectacular credit.
She spent a yr crisscrossing the nation in a touring manufacturing of “Annie” and has appeared in a number of youth exhibits on the Marvel Theatre. Earlier this yr, she was one among simply 15 artists from everywhere in the state to obtain Texas Younger Masters scholarship grants by a program run by the Texas Cultural Belief and the Texas Fee on the Arts.
She’s hoping that every one these experiences create a strong basis for a life within the arts.
“I need to carry out, whether or not it’s on the massive display, whether or not it’s on a TV collection, whether or not it’s on Broadway, on tour or simply singing, interval,” mentioned Valeria, who will probably be a freshman on the North East Faculty of the Arts this fall. “Any and all of these could be wonderful.”
Good cookie that she is, she’s already obtained her eye on the Joci Awards, the annual performing arts scholarship competitors produced every spring by the Majestic Empire Basis (previously the Las Casas Basis). It’s open to highschool college students throughout South Texas beginning their freshman yr. The Jocis additionally ship two finalists every year to the Nationwide Excessive Faculty Musical Theatre Awards, also referred to as the Jimmy Awards, in New York Metropolis. Those that are chosen to compete there add to their scholarship winnings, and might achieve publicity and make connections within the nation’s theater capital.
Valeria is hoping to make the finals all 4 years of highschool.
“Since I’m a freshman, it’s a little bit bit tougher to get an award, however, hopefully, it’ll work out,” she mentioned.
It’s a good suggestion for center schoolers bitten by the theater bug to get critical about performing, which can give them a greater shot at making the finals for the Jocis, in addition to scoring roles onstage.
However what’s the easiest way to do this?
It’s a query that Paul Fillingim, inventive director of Reagan Excessive Faculty’s theater program, will get requested loads.
“My greatest recommendation is to go and discover efficiency alternatives,” mentioned Fillingim, who had 5 college students compete as finalists on this yr’s Jocis. “Wherever you may get on a stage, discover that chance, go audition and stretch these muscle tissue. There’s no higher technique to be taught than by doing.”
Kids attending center faculties with theater applications would possibly need to begin there. There are also alternatives off-campus, too. Theaters round city have education schemes that embody productions. Budding thespians ought to control the web sites and social media accounts for Marvel Theatre and Magik Theatre, amongst others, to maintain observe of what’s out there and ensure they meet software and registration dates.
That’s additionally a great way to search out lessons and workshops, which may help college students develop and sharpen wanted abilities.
“Even seasoned Broadway performers frequently take lessons to work on their method,” mentioned Jaselyn Blanchard-Tempo, govt director of the Majestic Empire Basis. “The perfect performers all the time say they’re lifetime college students. It’s by no means too early and by no means too late to be studying, as a result of lessons are a possibility so that you can work in your craft, your method, your abilities that you simply take into any state of affairs.”
The muse is one other group for younger performers to look at. Along with overseeing the Jocis, it has a spread of training choices year-round.
“Our aim as a basis is to have grasp lessons and workshops and instructional alternatives which might be fully freed from cost in order that there isn’t a barrier to coaching,” mentioned Blanchard-Tempo, who is also a producer and performer.
One of many abilities that younger performers ought to domesticate is singing. Fillingim urges his college students to become involved with choir.
“I feel an important a part of studying how you can inform a narrative is how you can combine music,” mentioned Fillingim, who was a choir child himself. “In order that’s one among my huge solutions. Simply get that publicity to music, as a result of it’s going to return up sooner or later. Even if you wish to go into movie performing, realizing how you can learn music is rarely a foul factor.”
One former scholar who grudgingly agreed to vocal coaching with out becoming a member of choir thanked him later, he mentioned, when she realized that her school required college students to audition for a musical.
Dance abilities are also useful. As with singing, with the ability to transfer properly can provide a performer a leg up over somebody who can’t.
“Not all people must be a ballet dancer or dancer extraordinaire, however not less than having the talents to have the ability to transfer your physique to music, to tempo, realizing some primary steps which might be typically utilized in musical theater goes to learn you in the long term,” mentioned Lizel Sandoval, academy director for Marvel Theatre.
Younger performers additionally have to learn to audition.
“Auditioning is a realized ability, a bit like a job interview,” mentioned Blanchard-Tempo, who famous that the muse presents workshops on auditioning now and again. “And so the extra you do it, the extra comfy you might be, the higher you get. What we all the time attempt to encourage college students to do is follow auditioning and make the most of these free alternatives, as a result of they’re there for you.”
Auditioning for highschool typically is totally different from auditioning for center faculty productions, and that may be disorienting, Fillingim mentioned.
“I can let you know it’s a really intimidating factor to go from the cafetorium to a 600- to 1,000-seat theater at the highschool,” he mentioned. “However if you happen to’ve had the chance to be onstage at one other theater on the town, that turns into much less scary and fewer intimidating.”
There’s worth in each audition, even people who don’t lead to a task.
“The actual fact of the matter is that if you happen to pursue this previous highschool, you’re going to get instructed ‘no’ greater than you’re going to get instructed ‘sure,’” he mentioned. “So I feel even having the expertise of not having success and having to learn to take care of that disappointment can also be actually vital.”
It’s additionally vital to determine the easiest way to current your self. That features selecting materials that highlights your strengths.
“Oftentimes, when we’ve auditions for our productions right here, there’s so many children that usher in songs which might be both not proper for his or her voice or not proper for what they’re auditioning for,” mentioned Sandoval. “I feel that’s actually key, simply ensuring you already know what songs are going to essentially showcase your voice, first off, and what songs are actually going to showcase you as a personality. You need to have the ability to present characterization and emotion inside the tune. That’s actually vital.”
It’s additionally vital to learn to sing utilizing correct method when auditioning, rehearsing and performing.
“There are these troublesome songs with vocal elements that shoot for the moon, but when your voice just isn’t properly rehearsed in that, it’s going to be hit and miss for you,” Sandoval mentioned. “Additionally, you would possibly injury your voice. We wish them singing accurately.”
One closing bit of recommendation is to see as a lot theater as doable. That will sound like a dear proposition — and if you happen to restrict theater-going to touring productions, it’s — however there are some rather more inexpensive choices.
Tickets to highschool and school productions are considerably cheaper. As well as, some native theaters provide scholar reductions and have “pay what you would like” performances.
“Each alternative that you may get to go and see one thing, that’s such an vital factor in your progress as a performer, as a result of it lets you begin studying what works and what doesn’t: ‘I actually appreciated that efficiency however not that efficiency. Why?’” Fillingim mentioned. “All of these issues as a center schooler, once they get to the highschool degree, these dots begin connecting.”
Assets for aspiring theater college students
Center schoolers who’ve been bitten by the theater bug ought to observe down each alternative that may get them onstage, even when it’s simply to audition. Right here’s a information to some organizations that supply theater coaching and efficiency alternatives.
Carver Group Cultural Middle: The Carver presents workshops and grasp lessons all year long, in addition to spring and summer season camps. thecarver.org, 210-207-7211
Guadalupe Cultural Arts Middle: Grupo Animo, the Guadalupe’s resident youth theater firm, presents a four-week program each summer season. guadalupeculturalarts.org/lessons/theater, 210-271-3151
Magik Theatre: Magik presents lessons and camps for all ages. It’s engaged on increasing its training program in the course of the 2024-25 season. magiktheatre.org, 210-227-2751
Majestic Empire Basis: The muse (previously the Las Casas Basis) presents free instructional alternatives all year long, together with workshops and grasp lessons with professionals who come to the Majestic Theatre with touring productions. The muse additionally produces the Joci Awards, the annual performing arts scholarships. themajesticempirefdn.org, 210-223-4343
San Antonio Broadway Theatre: The corporate’s choices embody youth productions of musicals. sabroadwaytheatre.com, 210-999-0870
SAY Sí: The humanities program contains ALAS Youth Theatre Firm. Individuals create authentic work drawn from their very own experiences and coping with broader points. saysi.org/applications/alas-theater, 210-201-4950
Marvel Theatre Academy: The training arm of the Marvel Theatre levels scholar productions year-round. It additionally has quite a lot of lessons and a youth efficiency troupe that performs throughout the town. wondertheatreacademy.org, 210-267-8388
