1. 10 | March/April 2012 | SHOW BUSINESS
heater could very well be one of
the most difficult industries to
break into. Yet, if you talk to
many talented kids who are
hoping to get into the business,
it’s impossible to ignore how their youth-
ful souls still have access to the deep
pockets of imagination and human truth
that seem to slip away as adulthood
takes hold. They will tell you that they
can succeed, if you help them. But it
takes a very special group of people,
maybe teams of them, to equip these kids
and teens with the tools they need to
develop and survive as theater artists.
Meet the Teachers
Tim Crouse, an acting teacher at the
Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Insti-
tute, has been teaching since 1989. His
longish hair, pulled neatly back into a
ponytail, adds a finishing touch to his
relaxed and observant demeanor. I
caught him at the institute’s studio,
near Manhattan’s Union Square, just
after his class had finished. Although
he was short on time, he pulled me into
a side office so we could really sit and
chat. I had the feeling he could bring
out the best in someone and put him or
her at ease.
Crouse has seen a number of his stu-
dents go on to fill the big screen and
big arenas: Claire Danes, Rosario
Dawson, Eddie Kay Thomas, Lady
Gaga (who was known as Stefani at the
time), and others. When he began
teaching, he had no idea that he would
one day help influence the trajectory of
so many actors’ lives. He began as a
Strasberg student, taking classes,
learning his craft, like any other young
aspirant. One day he had an idea that
maybe he could “help out” at the
school. He had been a coach before,
and thought he could draw from those
skills. We continued talking about a
number of things and then landed on
the Lee Strasberg Method, the famous
technique in which actors use their
own experiences to create the emo-
tional life of their character.
“Lee was the first person to train the
actor’s instrument,” Crouse said. “His
techniques really help the students
connect to their bodies, and their
instrument, at a time when they are
physically awkward and feeling that
awkwardness in their bodies.”
At the Strasberg Institute, Crouse
says students can explore techniques
without worrying about what people
think about what they’re doing. High
school students live in a world of
insular cliques and harsh judgments,
which, Crouse adds, is exactly why
kids have a hard time being them-
selves. It is a scientific fact that teens
make choices out of the emotional part
of their brain until the age of 19 when
their frontal lobe — which manages
reason — is fully developed. Take that
fact and add awkwardness to a creative
sensibility such as acting, and the idea
of a safe place to explore your acting
talent makes sense. “When they come
here, they are outside of school and in
a safe zone,” Crouse added. “So no
matter what they do here, they are able
to be present in their work without dis-
tractions.”
Nina Trevins, executive and artistic
director at TADA! Youth Theater,
echoes Crouse’s belief that kids need a
safe zone in which too learn their craft.
Moreover, she adds that the sooner
young performers are given opportu-
nity and support, the better their
chances at success. “Kids should be
able to do the things they are passion-
ate about now,” she said. “They should
not have to wait until they grow up.
When you give them that opportunity,
you notice that some kids really thrive
on stage.”
Trevins gives students more than just
a stage on which to perform. “Perform-
ing should be a part of a kid’s life,” she
says adamantly. “It should go along
with education and friendships. All of
our teens who are part of the ensemble
group have a manager who assists
them in finding and applying to a
college. Attending college is an impor-
tant part of growing up.”
Meet the Parents
We’ve all heard the tales of rabid
showbiz parents pushing their kids into
the spotlight at the expense of their
emotional growth. While it’s true that
parents can sometimes be even more
driven about their kids’ careers than
the kids themselves, the vast majority
of parents simply want their children to
have the best opportunities for creative
and 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
>>
T
LauraMcBride
Broadway Artists Alliance students per-
form the song “Children of Eden” after
getting feedback from composer
Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Children of
Eden, Godspell) himself.
TEENAGEDRAMA

2. SHOW BUSINESS | March/April 2012 | 11
However, Trevins is quick to warn
that the best thing parents can do for
their hopeful children is view their
chances objectively. “Parents need to
be really honest about their child’s
talent,” Trevins says. “This is a very
competitive industry, and their kids are
going to be judged a lot. They will be
judged on their talent as well as their
looks. Their kids will experience a lot
of rejection, and they’re going to have
ask themselves how they will handle it
— how they will deal with their child
being rejected.”
Meet the Administrators
The possibility that a child performer
could find work on a professional stage
— however remote that possibility is —
adds an element of significance to their
training, requiring administrators to
keep students focused on their present
needs and not just training for later.
Sas Goldberg, a manager at the New
York training center Applause, is one of
those administrators. Goldberg started
as a student with Applause — which
offers drama classes for kids age 7 - 18
— while attending the High School of
Performing Arts before going on to earn
her B.A. in Theater Performance at
Michigan State University. When she
graduated, she came back to New York
City and returned to Applause as an
employee, even though she also began
work as a professional actress. She’s
been featured in national commercials
and several voiceover campaigns such
as Lady Speed Stick, Orbitz and Olive
Garden.
Goldberg is young and sharp. Real
sharp. When she speaks about the
program, there is zero doubt in her face
or voice that she believes Applause’s
program will do exactly what they
claim to do: train the students to be
professionals and prepare them for a
career in theater.
“All of our programs enable kids at
any age to walk on to a professional set
and work as a performer now,” Gold-
berg said. “All of the plays and scripts
we use are created for the appropriate
age group. The kids are not pretending
to be adults like in a lot of school
plays. We cast them in a role they
could actually perform professionally.”
So how do young actors go about
>> Continued on Next Page
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3. 12 | March/April 2012 | SHOW BUSINESS
getting involved with Applause? “They
must really impress us,” Goldberg said.
“They must first audition. Then, they
have to spend their weekends or
evenings here. Some commute a good
distance. They have a full schedule at
their own school, but they keep us a
priority as well. They also sign up for
additional coaching to help them
prepare for performing arts college
auditions.”
David Shane, an Applause teacher,
also spoke highly of the students’ abili-
ties. “I am continually amazed at what
the kids can do,” he said. Shane’s baby-
face and boy-next-door-innocence could
cause you to mistake him for one of the
teens in the program. But he’s a profes-
sional working director and actor with a
great deal of experience in plays and
musicals.
If you ever meet Victoria Krane, the
president of the Lee Strasberg Theatre
and Film Institute, you will never forget
her energy and her passion for the
school she runs — not to mention its
teachers and students. When I asked
her to talk a little bit about Young
Actors at Strasberg, a program designed
just for kids, she began with her insis-
tence that proper training for young
students begins with not insulting their
intelligence. “We don’t dumb down
Lee’s program, and our teachers don’t
treat kids like idiots — because they’re
not,” Krane said. “Being an actor is a
career, and we believe kids should
approach it in a serious way.”
As president of the school, Krane
could have gone on about anything
regarding the program, but what she
chose to speak about most was her
teachers. She spends a great deal of
energy supporting and monitoring
them. In fact, a stack of evaluations
was even sitting on her desk, waiting
for her attention, while we spoke.
“These young actors need teachers
who get what they’re trying to do,”
Krane said. “We are very particular
about the teachers we choose. Our stu-
dents can feel that. They know our
teachers understand them.”
Meet the Students
After listening to the administrators,
educators and parents, it’s hard not to
think that the support they offer can
serve as lifelong inspiration for the
young artists in their charge. Without
such support, aspiring theater profes-
sionals could languish in uneasiness
and fear, but instead the theater train-
ing builds their confidence. Not in a
boastful and pretentious way, but in a
way where students gain the confi-
For more information:
212.807.0202 ext.21
vgoodman@cap21.org
CAP21.ORG
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TEENS IN THEATER TRAINING
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Students perform Frankenstein at Theatre Arts Center
<< Continued from previous page
“Our teachers
don’t treat kids
like idiots. Being
an actor is a ca-
reer, and we be-
lieve kids should
approach it in a
serious way.”
>>

4. dence to overcome their fears. Some of
the students I spoke with recognized
the type of courage they would need in
their journey, and how they would
have to accept that there would contin-
ually be criticism and critique in their
lives.
Angela Ortiz, whose bubbly 10-year-
old daughter, Maya Brecher, is a
student at the Strasberg Institute, said
that the Young Actors at Strasberg
program was good for Maya’s self-
esteem, regardless if she eventually
pursues it as a profession. Standing
nearby, Maya interjected her own idea
about her future prospects, saying
assertively, “I will pursue it.”
I asked Maya if she had any advice
she’d like to pass on to other kids like
her. “Don’t take correction as criti-
cism,” she said. “A correction means
that the person cares for you. You have
to be committed, like you’re never
going to give up.”
So which actor does Maya most look
up to? If you’re expecting a modern-
day celebrity like Selena Gomez, think
again. “It’s Shirley Temple,” said Maya.
“Because she always kept making dif-
ferent choices. If you watch her in one
movie, you see her making these
choices, and then you watch her in
another, and she’s making a whole dif-
ferent kind of choice. She’s really
good.” All of this from the mouth of a
10-year-old.
It’s easy to be a little envious of
these kids, particularly if one’s youth
did not include the support and
encouragement that these students
receive. However, students like Maya
only reinforce how teachers and
administrators need to really love what
they do and be committed to it above
all things. And when creative kids have
to risk all, placing themselves as
instruments in front of audiences to be
judged, it takes a very special teacher
or administrator to understand that.
Tim Crouse, the first teacher I had
interviewed, seemed to sum it up best.
“When you teach, you must get your
ego out of the way,” he said. “You have
to realize that the work you do with
kids is something that goes on into the
future. They carry it on.” I
SHOW BUSINESS | March/April 2012 | 13
TEENS IN THEATER TRAINING
M
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Committed to the Next Generation of Theater Arts Professionals
OUR MISSION
Theater Arts Education Alliance (TAEA) provides
real-world information, guidance, and education to
New York City public high school students who
wish to embark on a career in the theater industry.
“Our students are intrigued and excited, and we are
so thankful for this fantastic resource.
—Kelly Gilles, Theater Director,
High School of Leadership and Public Service
Support Our Future
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Students perform a scene in the
Young Actors at Strasberg program