Clear Space Theatre in Rehoboth Beach brings a special group of performers to the stage for a presentation of Anastasia next month.
The cast comes from Clear Space’s “Spotlight on Young Performers” program, an audition-only group for youth in grades 4-12. Sydney Gray, who is directing the performance of Anastasia, says the program gives the cast real life experience in preparing and performing professional theatre.
“They are going through the full production,” she says. “So it is lights, it's costumes, it's full music direction, full production value, really giving them a crash course in putting on a full main stage production.”
To get into the Spotlight program, performers have to go through a rigorous audition process that involves not only acting, but singing and learning choreography as well. They also have experience in Clear Space’s “Broadway Bound” program, open to the public.
“That really sets a foundation for the kids to be able to learn what it's like to be up on stage, to project your voice to the back of the house, to learn dance numbers very quickly and where you fit on stage in an ensemble,” Gray says.
Clear Space’s Managing Director, Joe Gfaller, says that in addition to stagecraft, youth in Clear Space’s programs are learning valuable life skills.
“There's a really critical piece of that teamwork life skill that comes through that - being able to find your voice and understand your own source of creative thinking as a human being and as a performer and an artist,” he explains.
Gray says that while many shows for young actors are fairly simple, Anastasia is a complex story with a lot of layers. The musical tells the story of a young woman who has lost her memory and may - or may not - be a member of Russia’s lost royal family. Gray says the performers bring not just talent but dedication and maturity to the performance.
“This is a very serious, very grounded show for young performers to be tackling, and they're so excited about it,” she says. “They come every day with really thoughtful questions that honestly, I haven't even thought about, [about] the inner lives of their characters. They bring a whole fresh perspective to very serious topics.”
Anastasia runs April 10-12 at Clear Space Theatre in Rehoboth Beach. The theatre is currently presenting its professional cast in a performance of 42nd Street.
Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
