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On the Thursday before Christmas, kids all across the East End were winding down their busy lives and eagerly counting the minutes until the start of their holiday break. All, that is, except for 16 dedicated teenagers who were hard at work that evening belting out songs and finessing their blocking on the stage of the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. This was the last rehearsal of the year for “Legally Blonde Jr.,” the full-fledged musical production that these young thespians, ages 12 to 17, will present this weekend at WHBPAC. The fall Teen Theatre Project is just one of many offerings in an ambitious multi-faceted educational program at the theater.
Recently renamed the Nancy and Frederick DeMatteis Arts Academy, the program is headed by director Julienne Penza-Boone and is rounded out by a team of 12 teaching artists. Together, they offer a range of year-round performance opportunities.
The teen group has been meeting twice weekly since mid-October, and during this final rehearsal of 2016, Ms. Penza-Boone and musical director Jenna Mate watched closely as 15-year-old Ava Bianchi of Hampton Bays belted out “So Much Better,” a song that speaks to the career aspirations of Elle Woods, the Harvard law student Ms. Bianchi portrays in “Legally Blonde Jr.” At the end of her number, the young actress met quietly with Ms. Mate at the edge of the stage to discuss the piece, while several other young actors prepared to take the stage in the exhausting aerobic jump rope number that follows, appropriately titled “Whipped Into Shape.”
Whether it’s acting, singing, dancing or jumping rope with a vengeance, it’s evident that these young actors are serious about their craft and aren’t about to do it halfway.
“They are extremely dedicated and passionate about it. That makes our job easy,” Ms. Penza-Boone said. “They come in so enthusiastic to learn.”
Since opening its doors in the late 1990s, WHBPAC has always offered live performances for young people and families as part of its educational initiative. But the goal of the academy goes far beyond that: It seeks to get kids involved at a deeper level by getting them on stage, where they will learn skills and build confidence that will serve them well in the future, whether or not they decide to pursue a career in acting.
“We obviously have a wide range of experience here,” Ms. Penza-Boone said. “A lot of the kids have been with us a long time and they know what to expect. We tailor the experience for every kid. Ava needs something different from a first-timer. It’s an academy, so it has to be about instruction.
“I like to set the bar high and challenge them. If someone needs extra time, they know I’m willing to give them that,” she added. “They know they’re supported and nurtured. The theater is a safe space where they’re able to play.”
Performance opportunities for local youth began not long after WHBPAC’s founding with weeklong summer camps, which are run by outside companies. When Ms. Penza-Boone joined WHBPAC in 2008, she began building the faculty and now supplements those weeklong camps with additional in-house instruction. By 2010, she was able to expand the acting program to include a separate school-year curriculum for students as well.
“Once we knew we had the talented staff, we decided to branch out to offer year-round classes,” she explained.
At this point, the academy serves more than 600 students per year. In addition to the teens in “Legally Blonde Jr.,” the theater also offers a tween acting program for ages 7 to 11 that runs concurrently. That group of 34 students is currently rehearsing a junior version of “The Sound of Music,” which will grace the WHBPAC stage in late January. Then it will be time to gear up for the spring sessions for both groups, which will result in a production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” for the older students and “Seussical Jr.” for the younger crew.
“We now do four full-scale musicals a year—two for tweens and two for teens,” Ms. Penza-Boone noted. “We experimented with merging the groups, but they deserve their own real moment to shine.”
For students who prefer movement, the academy also offers a dance component through Christiana Bitonti’s Peconic Ballet Theater, which presented “The Nutcracker” at WHBPAC in December. The dance component is a prime example of how the academy has expanded in recent years, thanks to the talents of its local teaching artists
“We used to bring in ballet ambassadors from outside but shortly after I came onboard, Christiana said ‘I could do this,’ so we partnered with her,” Ms. Penza-Boone recalled. “She’s a dancer and she put together a phenomenal ballet program with us, and we’re proud that she’s with us.”
“We started with 25 kids in ‘The Nutcracker.’ In six years, we’ve grown to 100 kids. As she grew it, she realized it was her passion,” she added. “That’s what’s so great. It’s not just the lives of ours students—it’s a 360-degree impact. We give our artistic staff a lot of opportunities to flex their artistic muscles.”
Another staff member doing just that is Marissa Russo, who heads up WHBPAC’s introductory theater program for children age 5 and 6. Ms. Russo, a recent Marist College graduate with a degree in education, explained that the program meets an hour each week for two months and focuses on song and movement to get the youngest kids comfortable on stage.
“We tie our class into whatever the older kids are doing,” Ms. Russo explained. “Right now, I’m calling them the Little Von Trapps. We parade around on stage and sing ‘Do, Re, Mi’ and ‘My Favorite Things.’ When the tweens do ‘The Sound of Music,’ we’ll work them into the big show.
“We also try to make it educational,” she added. “I was showing them clips from the movie to offer a historical context of where ‘The Sound of Music’ is set and explained how you can use your gift in the arts to talk about historical things.”
Ms. Russo grew up in Mattituck and from the ages of 8 to 14 took part in acting programs at WHBPAC. For that reason, she said she understands firsthand the need for theatrical offerings like this in the community.
“I think with theater, there can be a void,” Ms. Russo said. “If you’re a hardcore theater kid, you always want more. Having this theater here year-round means there’s always something going on.”
Among those seated in the audience during the “Legally Blonde Jr.” rehearsal were two alumnae of the WHBPAC academy program and a testament to its success: Christie Moyle, 20, and Stephanie Fitt, 19. Back home in Westhampton Beach for Christmas break, both young women are now acting majors at the University of Michigan, and they credit Ms. Penza-Boone and the academy for helping them define their goals.
“I’m a freshman, she’s a sophomore,” said Ms. Moyle, pointing to Ms. Fitt. “When I was 12, I didn’t really know anything about acting. My mom threw me in the program because I had too much energy.”
“Julienne is my mentor and guide, and one of my best friends now,” she said. “She told me I could do this as a career and helped me along the way. I wouldn’t have gotten into Michigan otherwise.”
“I feel the program helped solidify my choice,” added Ms. Fitt. “I think going into a program like this is great. You’re with kids who love what you love, and you get to meet people who are interested in the same thing you are.”
While Ms. Moyle and Ms. Fitt were happy to catch up with Ms. Penza-Boone, they had an ulterior motive for sitting in on the rehearsal—to watch the next generation of academy students on stage, including both their younger siblings, Alie Fitt, 12, and Spencer Moyle, 15.
“Spencer has been doing this since he was 8. He has a beautiful voice,” Ms. Moyle said. In a few years Spencer just might follow in his big sister’s footsteps by pursuing a theater degree as well.
In the meantime, Ms. Penza-Boone admits she isn’t yet done with her vision for the WHBPAC arts academy.
“I would love to do a theater/music program that would target young and middle-aged adults,” she said. “I want to find more ways to use the programs we already have.
Going forward, she’s also planning to create a daytime arts program for senior citizens, possibly a senior summer camp incorporating various aspects of performance from which seniors can pick and choose. Activities might include basic acting, choral singing, movement or dance and culminate with a radio play or some other live theatrical performance.
“Everything we do ends with a moment on our stage—this beautiful jewel box of a theater. They will be up there, in front of family and friends.”
“Legally Blonde Jr.” will be presented by the fall Teen Theatre Project on Friday and Saturday, January 6 and 7, at 7 p.m. The theater is located at 76 Main Street in Westhampton Beach. Tickets are $17. To purchase or learn more about the Nancy and Frederick DeMatteis Arts Academy, visit whbpac.org or call the box office at 631-288-1500. The Young Ensemble will present “The Sound of Music” on Saturday, January 28, at 2 and 7 p.m. and again on Sunday, January 29, at 2 p.m.
on Jan 3, 2017