Everyone will have a different take on how to cultivate young talent from a stage-frightened youngun’ into a glowing star. It’s a problem for the ages. That’s one of the obstacles of working with kids and teens. They grow up and move on. Darn kids, growing up just when we need them the most!

Our number one priority… (Okay, I’m lying. It’s not number one. Number one is usually getting the show up. Number two is not pulling our hair out. Number three is staying sane.) So our number four priority is to find out what budding talents these young actors have besides acting. If we can tap into that, we can reach the kid and hopefully change their lives. Finding out what other talents these young people have is the key to getting them hooked on theater. I’ll share a few examples of what’s worked for us in the past.

Example one: Jenny. Jenny first came to our camp because her mother felt it would be good for her. Jenny didn’t speak. Jenny did her best to impersonate wallpaper and fade into the background. We tried everything we could to bring this shrinking violet out of her shell. Joking didn’t work. Bribery didn’t work. Support and encouragement didn’t work. We would’ve considered it a major victory if we simply got her to utter a single syllable. We’re pretty easy to please.

Nada.

Now this particular show required a sword fight. So I was trying to choreograph fairly complex stage combat to a bunch of grace-challenged youths. As it turns out Jenny’s family runs a karate school and our shy heroine was pretty adept at wielding a sword.

Bingo!

That was our foot in the door. I made Jenny my combat assistant and gave her responsibilities. I didn’t ask; I just delegated. “You handle group A,” I told her and didn’t wait for her to shake her head no. Pretty soon Jenny was talking. Jenny was teaching. Jenny was leading. When we showed our work to the cast they exploded into applause, and the look on Jenny’s face is tattooed on my brain forever. She’d never been applauded before, and the theater bug bit hard right then.

Next year Jenny came back and auditioned for a role. We were all excited to hear her voice, and she blew us away! She got the ingénue that year, and by the end she was our leading female romantic lead.

Now not every show requires combat, so let’s look at another example. Duncan wanted to be part of theater, but wasn’t blessed with natural talent. We simply couldn’t give him a meaty role. He was wooden as a popsicle stick. But Duncan loved stagecraft. He helped build the set, which was great and got him excited about the production. But it didn’t help with his acting skills. However, we got inspired and asked Duncan to run our lights.

He’d never done it before, but he was game. He went home and spent the weekend Googling everything he could find. He designed a plot, hung the lights and ran the board. And here’s where he really got his theater education. He learned about projection because he couldn’t hear his light cues from some of the cast. He learned about blocking because the actors weren’t hitting their marks and kept stepping out of his precious light. He learned about pacing because every performance was different. Duncan absorbed it all.

The next year Duncan got our comic lead, which was hard for us because he didn’t have much time to do lights that year. Bummer for us. Duncan is now a film major at a prestigious New York university.

Of course, not everybody is as self-motivated as Duncan. Take Rachel, for example. This little sprite had a small role her first year. But we just couldn’t inspire her. She didn’t care if she missed rehearsal. Didn’t mind if she was late. Just didn’t want to commit. You know this type of teen, I’m sure. Rachel walked through her part umbilically connected to her cell phone. Apathy, thy name is Rachel.

But Rachel liked to do crafts. Scrapbooks, bedazzle, anything with sequins. So we put her in charge of props. Not all, just a few special props that needed a little pizzazz.

Rachel was in her element! Her work was going to be seen by an audience. She now had something invested in the show. She was never tardy again, and the theater bug bit her too. She was fully committed and enthusiastic about every rehearsal.

So there you have it. When nurturing young talent, take the time to find out what else they are good at. Learn what they love, what they are passionate about. That can quite often be your key.

Got someone who loves music? How about having them choose the “scene change” music? Or better yet, have them compose it themselves. Got a writer? Can they do the programs? Have them write the synopsis and press releases and morning announcements! Is your pain-in-the-rump actress a budding chef? Can she be in charge of the cast party, or pre-show dinner? How about snacks for hell-week?

The point is to try and get young talent involved in the theater family. Let them be part of something bigger than themselves. Once the theater bug bites and they’re part of that theater geek family, there’s no turning back.

Then you won’t have to nurture; they’ll be hungry to learn. Theater isn’t always about acting, singing, talent and skill. It’s about passion. Unleash the passion and get out of the way.

And always remember… you rock.
By Flip Kobler