Prologue . . .
It was the evening of February 19, 2020, about 6:00 PM, and I remember being in a mental stupor as I stood almost toe to toe with the very lovely and talented Ms. Ava Mahan. I looked to my right and there was a camera pointed at me and I glanced up and saw a boom mic hovering overhead. How on earth did I get here? I thought. “Get closer,” says the guy behind the camera. I am in the very least slightly intimidated. I start thinking this girl is a StarStruck legend and she just asked me a question that will require a cohesive response. Miss Mahan is in this sparkly dress and I remember how amazingly she sang that song in Mamma Mia but right now I can’t remember the name of that song because Ava Mahan was looking at me and pointing a microphone directly at my face.
“I - uh . . .”
WAIT a minute! Didn’t I just see Ava Mahan outside in a pair of athletic shorts? No really, she was outside two minutes ago walking around and when did this sparkly dress happen? How did she change so fast? Is that a special kind of StarStruck costume-change training they do here? I honestly am not sure where to begin my answer. Repeat the question, that should buy me some time. “Why does this community need StarStruck . . .?”
The room is spinning, words start coming out, but I have no idea what I am saying.
The truth is, Ms. Mahan, I want a re-do. Please! I can’t remember what I had uttered or if I said it with any grain of coherence. Now that I have had a few weeks to think about my answer, I know now how smooth I wish my response had been. . .
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The reality is that most of us do not carry a grande capacity for being quite so cool under fire. How do you step up to the edge of a stage or a microphone and have the poise, confidence and faith to know that the next few words out of your mouth are going to sound like something that was written by a poet? Do you grow that sort of skill within the hallowed halls of StarStruck theater?
I think that is probably one of the many things that happens there.
What we have within this little community theater is a gift and a blessing that we may not even realize. StarStruck is a special kind of light responsible for teaching our children, entertaining the lives of theater goers and enriching the community for over 20 years now. It’s a treasure not only to the young performers that attend the classes but also to those that are fortunate enough to settle into the seats of this intimate theater and see those children pour it out on stage.
Although they may start out as bashful, clumsy or unruly little 3 or 4 year-olds, days and years that may be spent within this special conservatory mold them into remarkably skilled dancers, performers, singers and actors. Those that go the distance learn more than just discipline, timing and focus, they get a handle on the building blocks of character and confidence that will serve them both on and off stage for a lifetime. They are encouraged and constructed and nurtured into becoming world class performers. These kids, our kids, acquire and hone the skills to stand at the end of a stage in a dark, quiet theater while the audience holds its breath.
It was around the summer of 2018 when there appeared to be an alternate reality that StarStruck would not exist and thrive where the building stands today. There was a very real fear that the Peter and Jennifer team who started years ago in the top of a carpet store would be uprooted and transported elsewhere. The uncertainty of where the theater would land and how it would shape the community and how it would affect the children who relied on the theater’s instruction appeared to be at least a very real setback. My daughter was a student and although my reaction at first seemed carefree and cavalier, I realized that I had a very real sense of worry and concern. My daughter loved and lived for who she was becoming while within these doors and it was this sort of disciplined, supportive environment that seemed to propel her forward. Until that moment I had not really had a chance to think what we would do if StarStruck disappeared?
It seemed that the lease was up on the building where StarStruck had grown and there was a great deal of uncertainty regarding how and where the theater might continue. There is a scene at the beginning of the Phantom of the Opera movie (2004 Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler) when everything is black and white and there are cobwebs and broken, dusty theater pieces laying around and members of the community have arrived to bid on auction pieces that may have once mattered. It made me wonder what it would be like in this empty space if the sound of music and laughter didn’t echo inside. What would it be like if there was no sound of tap shoes on the floor, no piano leading voices in harmony and no clapping, no cheers, no standing ovations? Just quiet. What a vacant and empty space would remain if the same vibrancy did not continue to flourish and survive behind these walls. Luckily, heroes like David Smythe and other members of this community stepped forward and gave from their heart making sure that future students would still be able to develop and cultivate their talent while continuing to make their dreams a reality.
Thankfully, StarStruck is going strong and just celebrated its 20 Year Anniversary of bringing love, enrichment and theater to the community.
In true StarStruck fashion, the duo team of Jennifer and Peter Jones chose The Sound of Music as a defining piece to commemorate their 20 year celebration of StarStruck bringing music and joy to the Treasure Coast. The Sound of Music played seven shows to sold out audiences from February 19th-23rd. I will admit that I am still learning more about this theater lifestyle. I will never forget the dismay on the face of Jennifer Jones as she tried to conceive the reality that I was unfamiliar with the story behind the Von Trapp family and their plight in Nazi occupied Austria. . . now I am pretty much just sad that it’s over.
If you missed The Sound of Music you are beyond help. No really, you should go find a soft place to lay down and cry – maybe even a counselor or someone to help you get through this hardship in your life.
A professional production in an intimate setting that captures the ability, proficiency and caliber of magic that you might expect only to see on a Broadway stage is even more of a blessing when you realize it’s affordable and right down the street. Getting to see at least one of the seven sold out shows was an amazing experience and something I will never forget. To prepare, I had tried to watch this classic on TV and even thought I could muster through a stage version on YouTube but I found myself barely interested at best. In fact, nothing could capture and mesmerize me the way a group of harmonizing nuns did at StarStruck in the first 3 seconds of their live performance. I was transported away to the mountains of Austria and could not have been more of a fan two and a half hours later when the production was over.
Getting to see the seven Von Trapp children fall in behind Josh Rhett-Noble as Captain Von Trapp and Katie Rodgers as Maria will forever more be one of my favorite stories. The vocal clarity and acting ability of our leading characters stunned audiences for five full nights. The fiber and precision that had grown between performers in such a short time was beyond astounding – it was hard not to believe we they weren’t a real family. Not only does a professional show bring out the skill of talented performers dwelling within our own community, but getting a chance to see the tested abilities and the faces of our own children as they work with and respond to professional performers on stage makes you realize that the training they are receiving within this small theater in Stuart, Florida is second to none.
Teaching children to dance and act and sing and build character and confidence is what this theater does and you really do get the vibe that the philosophy propelling this little theater forward wants so much more for these kids and this community than to just bring on the next show. In only a few years of experiencing what can be achieved on this small stage I have been lucky enough to see young teens grow into confident young stars. Depending on where they started when they learned their first dance step or song, I have witnessed them grow into gifted young dancers, actors and singers on stage and then grow beyond into college bound performers with self-assurance and swagger.
The good news is that if you haven’t been to a StarStruck show it is closer than you might think. If you missed The Sound of Music you will eventually be forgiven. If you missed Chicago, The Wizard of Oz, Mamma Mia, Matilda, Aida, Pippen, Legally Blond, Beauty and the Beast, The Producers, or Cats you can rest assured that more great shows lie ahead.
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My 20th Anniversary Gala Do-over . . .
. . . Suddenly the blur goes away and I find myself standing inside the front doors of StarStruck. I am wearing a suit and staring blankly at Ava Mahan. I probably went on a mental field trip again and hope I hadn’t been there too long. I begin to realize that although I was asked a question, I haven’t answered at all and Ms. Mahan is still awaiting my response. . . camera rolling. . . boom mic lowering. . . I begin to speak. . .
“Well Ava, where would these kids go if they didn’t have StarStruck? Where would you have gone? Who would teach and sculpt the very best out of these children if StarStruck went away? What if this building was empty and there were spiderwebs and old theater stuff lying around and everything was black and white and people came here to auction stuff off? I can tell you this, Ms. Mahan, I think they would be scared. I think they would be sad and afraid. Where else could they hope to learn the skills they are gaining behind these doors. Where else do they get to push and practice any number of abilities that gives them a greater hope and nurturing nudge towards what they might become some day? I can’t speak for all the kids, but I know my daughter has always been searching for the place she feels she belongs. I think all the performers that pass through these doors feel like they belong to something greater than the whole every time they perform together and it makes them appreciate and realize that it takes each one of them to make every production happen. ‘Put your cell phone away and look each other in the eye.’ It is a lesson in life that we do not seem to be able to teach so clearly at home. Honestly, if this building and the hearts and souls of the team that makes StarStruck breathe weren’t here to guide her to be her best, I do not know where she would be. I do not know where we would be. I think she feels now like she has a place to go where she fits in and from any parent’s point of view, isn’t that all we really could ever want for our kids?”
To Be Continued...
Up Next, Gavroche
