As little boys Rogan Jackson and Joshua Sanchez sat in the audience dreaming that one day they’d be on stage themselves. Proving that sometimes those dreams come true quicker than you could ever hope, last month they found themselves part of a 150 strong ensemble performing concert performances of Stephen Schwartz’s Children of Eden at the Cadillac Palace Theater, Chicago.

The show is a 1991 two-act musical based on the Book of Genesis. Although it never gave Schwartz the accolades he received from his more popular works (Godspell, Pippin and Wicked), it is still regularly produced in regional theaters across the country.

Schwartz attended rehearsals and even gave notes to Rogan, a student at Still Middle School, Naperville.

“He was super nice,” said Rogan, who played Young Abel. “Being picked to be in the show was a little intimidating at first but everyone was nice and supportive. After a day I felt really comfortable. I could see the audience a little bit during the performance. I could see their heads and could feel they were enjoying it. The sound of the applause was amazing.”

Both boys were required to sing solos, speak a few lines and dance, as well as appearing with the ensemble. The show starred former Destiny’s Child singer, Michelle Williams.

“I’ve wanted to be an actor for many years,” said 12-year-old Rogan. “I’ve been swimming since I was three but stopped last year because I wanted to focus more on my acting and I really feel it’s coming together. The Academy is great, I’ve had some absolutely amazing experiences. I feel so lucky.”

Joshua, 13, a student at Kennedy Junior High, Naperville said initially he was shocked because he hadn’t realized the two-performance production would be part of Broadway in Chicago. He not only played the part of Young Seth but was also a standby for Young Cain and Young Abel.

“I was a little nervous but we rehearsed a lot, so I felt prepared,” Joshua said. “During rehearsals we could see into the auditorium and it was really amazing.

“I learned that I’d never been a swing before; I don’t normally have to practice different parts so this was different. It was a great learning experience. It was like a dream come true and I would definitely like to do this again. It was just amazing.”

Rogan’s mom Tracey said seeing her son become so passionate about musical theater has been a wonderful journey.

“We are so proud to see his efforts come to life on stage.  But more important than any performance is that he has found a path he wants to pursue that makes him happy and fulfilled,” she said.

Christina Sanchez says the classes Joshua has taken with the Academy have helped build his confidence, along with giving him the right tools to succeed.

“I’m at a loss for words after seeing the stellar performance Joshua was in at the Cadillac Palace Theater,” she said. “Watching him do what he was born to do is truly remarkable. His passion is truly seen and felt when he is performing. You can see and feel his raw emotions in everything that he says or does.”

Tricky Performance a Treat for Halloween

A magical experience became positively spell binding this Halloween when Academy of the Arts students participated in a unique dramatic performance. A jar of screams, a poison apple and weeks of thorough preparation helped them to pull off some challenging performances at Naper Settlement’s All Hallows Eve.

The annual two-night family friendly Halloween scare attracted over 5,000 people. Instead of doing one performance per night like most shows, our young cast had to replay a five-minute vignette up to 30 times a night!

In a play written especially for them, they presented Hansel and Gretel: A Twisted Fairytale. Audience members were certainly surprised when Little Red Riding Hood entered with the Big Bad Wolf, and the wicked queen from Snow White helped the witch cast a dastardly spell.

Instead of the regular theater spaces they’re used to, the actors were only inches away from the ever-changing audience in an historic carriage house.

The performance was the culmination of our first after school program, The Studio, which in addition to acting and improv classes, offers music and dance. Our acting and improvisation teachers worked together to prepare the students.

Professional actress and teacher Jocelyn Adamski said: “It’s challenging anytime you are in a space in which the audience is so close, it can be very distracting. The students learned that audiences can vary.  They learned that no matter the reaction, whether an audience is loud or unresponsive, to keep going and to take pride in the good work they are doing.  The students learned to focus on their performance, and not to judge their work based on audience reaction.  I’m immensely proud of the students and the great work they did at this event.”

Improv isn’t just about playing games. Teacher Richard Oberbruner prepared the young cast for just about anything.

“From an improv perspective, performing inside a dimly lit old barn, with a small audience right in front of you is as spontaneous a setting as there is,” he said. “Every move, every sound an actor makes is seen and heard. Our actors had to be-in-the-moment throughout the vignette however many times they performed it that evening. Our improv rehearsals reinforced a loose focus – stick to the script but have fun with it. Also, our rehearsal space was similar in size to the show space. Blocking all of our movements ahead of time added to the actor’s comfort level within the old barn setting.”

He added that the additional element of experimentation helped to create livelier more believable characters, not easy when you’re telling a fairy story!

Twelve-year-old Maya Meschi felt she learned a lot playing Gretel, the nervous little girl who starts out terrified but ultimately saves the day by trying to use the wicked queen’s wand against her.

“I’ve done some performances before, like with Brightside Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall in January but you aren’t as close to the audience,” she said. “I thought this was very cool because you don’t usually see how the audience reacts. It was challenging but once I got into the hang of doing it, it was cool to see it from the beginning to the end. Rehearsals prepared us well with blocking and learning lines. One useful tip Miss Jocelyn gave us was to go home and practice facial expressions in front of a mirror. That piece of advice stuck with me. It was also fun working in a small group where everyone is so nice in a positive environment.”

For Anna Grigorie, 14, working with the Academy has helped her decide to follow acting as a future career.

“I’ve taken part in other theater programs out of school, but the Academy has enforced that I want to become an actress even stronger,” she said.

Anna says she loved her role as the witch.

“Usually I perform further away from the audience so at first it was a little bit different,” she said. “It became a little more intimidating, but I learned how to carry on staying in character. I did enjoy it though. I felt pretty well prepared by our acting lessons. I’ve played a witch before, so I already had some accents and picked the one I liked best.”

Anna’s excited to use her costume, and her favorite accent, when she goes trick or treating this year.

If you’d like to find out more about The Studio, visit illinoisartsacademy.org/studio.

When 10-year-old Layla Cummings took part in a mock audition with renowned Broadway casting director Merri Sugarman at our Impact Musical Theater Camp in July, the last thing she expected was to be asked to try out in New York. But Merri was so impressed that she invited Layla to audition for the upcoming national tour of Les Misérables. Within days the young performer found herself singing Castle on a Cloud at Pearl Studios in Manhattan.

“The audition was really fast but so exciting, hustling and bustling just like New York,” said Layla, the youngest student at our first camp. “I was so excited because I knew I had done well before with Merri. The camp really made me feel prepared.”

Layla said she was speechless when she heard she’d been called in.

“It’s always been my dream to go to New York,” she said.

Her mom Laura said they had just two days to prepare. As well as booking flights and a hotel, Layla had to take an emergency lesson from her voice coach as she didn’t know young Cosette’s famous song.

“We had to drop everything, book a hotel and get out there,” she said. “It was nice. Layla had never been before. I had promised I would take her, so this was a great excuse.”

Layla and her mom waited anxiously in the packed studio before it was her turn.

“There were lots of shows auditioning at the same time,” said Laura. “There was a lot of very nervous energy from people warming up.”

Although Layla didn’t get the part, her mom made sure it was just a small part of a fabulous trip.

“I was pretty devastated, but mom said it would have been hard to do a tour as I’d have missed fifth grade,” she said.

On the bright side, they caught The Music Man and Wicked on Broadway and cheered themselves up with frozen hot chocolates at Serendipity.

Said Laura: “It’s all good. Since we came back, we’ve been getting a lot of interest from talent agencies so I think Layla will have an agent soon. We anxiously await the Academy’s fall schedule. It’s so next level. I had been looking at similar programs in New York so was blown away when they brought all this talent to Chicago. It was such an amazing experience. We are definitely missing something like this around here; for theater kids looking for that next level. They’ve given us lots of advice.”

Actor and writer Galen Williams has always been a big believer in education.

“I’ve always loved it and being in a position to further educational development is always something I make time for,” he said.

Galen came to work with students at the Academy’s first summer camp directly from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival where he is appearing in Once on this Island. The Broadway alum has also appeared in Slave Play which won 12 nominations at the 74th Tony Awards.

“I enjoy teaching because I think at the end of the day that’s its helping a person become a better actor; more honest and believable,” he said.

Galen guided the class through both dramatic and comedic monologues.

“They can both be pretty challenging if you don’t have a natural ear,” he admitted.

Galen believes anyone can make it in the profession if they’re prepared to put in the work.

“Education is incredibly important to us as artists and creators,” he said. “If we have a solid foundation, we will always have work. It exponentially increases our chances. At least at the base level you know if you don’t pass an audition, you know it is not because you’re not talented. Training supports you. Work begets work and the more you have the more your name gets out there.”

Galen says acting is all about learning how to be an effective communicator, although not everyone learns the same way. He says he learns as much from teaching as his students do from him.

“It teaches me new ways to listen,” he explained. “How can I listen and identify their weakness and strengths? How do you connect in a way that can be effective? They’re teaching me how younger minds perceive material. The biggest thing they’re teaching me is how to be a more effective communicator, one that can push them but not in a way that’s discouraging. I want to build them up as well as push them forward.”

As an actor, Galen says taking on a role isn’t so much as pretending to be someone else but learning how to be yourself.

“We have to tune into who we are in these circumstances we wouldn’t normally find ourselves in,” he said. “A really great actor gives themselves over to a circumstance. Actors like Meryl Streep, Viola Davis and Angela Bassett are never the same. In each role they think “who am I in this character?”