Pierson Theater Director Takes on New Challenge

[caption id="attachment_73142" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Bethany Dellapolla, left, and Magnus Tonning Riise have teamed up to launch NexGen Youth Theatre. Troy Iwata photo[/caption]

By Christine Sampson

Running the musical theater program at Pierson Middle-High School is just one of Bethany Dellapolla’s educational endeavors. The East Hampton native has teamed up with a fellow theater professional, Magnus Tonning Riise, to launch a new educational musical theater program they are hoping will take young aspiring professionals to the next level.

Called NexGen Youth Theatre, Ms. Dellapolla said it’s meant to “bridge the gap between it being a hobby and a profession.”

“I love what I do and I love these kids, so I really want to see them succeed,” she said. “I really want to help them see their dreams come true.”

The two co-founders connected when they were paired up to teach a theater program in Harlem last year. “We knew we worked very well together and shared ideas on arts education,” Mr. Tonning Riise said.

NexGen Youth Theater will be based at Ripley Grier Studios in Manhattan starting October 8 through December 17 and will culminate in a performance in front of friends, family and industry professionals. The workshops will be Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. It is open to students throughout Long Island, and car pools from the East End are already forming. Students will be assigned solo and group routines from various shows based not just on their strengths but also where teachers would like to see them grow. A special guest choreographer from a current Broadway show will stage one of the numbers and hold a question-and-answer session. The 10-week course is $450 and is for students ages 10 to 18. The program will be capped at 25 participants.

“I think the fact that we have footing in both the teaching side and performance side makes us unique,” said Mr. Tonning Riise, who has been performing professionally since he was 8 years old. He attended a performing arts high school in his home country of Norway and studied theater in London before moving to the U.S., where he has worked in television in addition to theater.

“A lot of kids get shocked when they go from being a big fish in a small pond to the real world,” he said. “We want to better prepare them for college, after college or to be professionals as children.”

Ms. Dellapolla didn't see theater as something she wanted to do as a career until she got to college and earned roles in shows over theater majors. “The teacher said to me, ‘There’s just something in your blood and you’ve got to go for it,’” she said. She has since performed regionally and in the city, and has taught at the Gateway Playhouse, Bay Street Theater and the Broadway Dance Center in addition to Pierson. Several of her students have gone on to professional careers, including the title role in the Broadway version of “Matilda.”

Their workshops will go beyond acting, singing, dancing and audition preparation to emphasize good character, kindness, hard work and positivity -- which are also traits that directors look for in theater professionals, Ms. Dellapolla and Mr. Tonning Riise said.

“You shouldn't go home after class and say, ‘That's it,’” Ms. Dellapolla said. “That’s not how you get better. You’re only in competition with yourself, so be better than you were the day before. I think too many kids compare themselves to others. Everyone’s on their own journey.”

For more information on NexGen Youth Theatre, visit nexgenyouththeatre.com.