Young Actors Hone Skills in ‘Smash’ Workshop in White Plains
A Latin tune pumped from the stage as Valerie Salgado led a dance routine to the Mambo beat under the bright overhead lights.
The Broadway Workshop Series with the cast and creative team of “Smash” at the White Plains Performing Arts Center on Sunday, July 8, netted just under 40 children aged 13 and up from the tri-state area. The goal was to bring popular New York City resources to Westchester County, teaching students skills to further themselves in the performing arts industry.
The students were all dressed in dancing attire as they learned new choreography and lyrics from the television show “Smash.” They were joined by Salgado, the show’s assistant choreographer, who remained chipper throughout the session, joking with them if she flubbed a dance step or song lyric.
“Now, I’m blonde but I ain’t so dumb, Hollywood will be under my thumb,” Salgado sang joyfully as she watched the teenagers swivel, step, shimmy and pose to the beat.
When they finished learning a segment, Salgado praised the students for their good memory and stamina, as those are skills needed in show business. Salgado also noted that the actors and dancers on “Smash” had a longer time to learn the moves.
“This ‘Smash’ workshop provides the kids with unique opportunities to study with the real deal,” said Jeremy Quinn, producing artistic director at the White Plains Performing Arts Center. “We feel that the more the kids can work with people in the industry, it becomes more real for them. And it’s a unique opportunity that they can’t find anywhere else. They could do this in the city, but to have it Westchester makes it more attainable for them.”
The “Smash” workshop was about acquiring the training “to prepare the students for an impossible career,” Quinn said. After speaking with some high school juniors and seniors, he noticed that many do not know how to prepare for a college audition.
“We focus more on the training aspect and getting them into great colleges rather than prepping them for Broadway auditions,” he said. “It’s not about teaching them tricks to get into a Broadway show, it’s about getting them into the college of their choice. That’s going to give them a sustainable skill set to pursue this as a profession.”
Quinn explained that many young actors have the mindset that they need to be in the latest production with their friends. However, once the young actors outgrow the dress, he said, they will no longer be needed in that production. Afterward, they are left with one Broadway credit, but without the needed skills to further their careers.
“We try to be as realistic with the students as possible,” Quinn added. “The training is worth it.”
While the students were dancing and singing, Lucille DiCampli, an agent and director at McDonald Selznick Associates – who has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Tia Mowery and Tamera Mowery – hosted a workshop for the students’ mothers. The workshop touched on strategies for finding an agent, the differences between a manager and an agent, and finding auditions when a child is serious about a career in the arts.
Once the children had learned the moves, parents filed into the White Plains Performing Arts Center’s theater to watch the students perform in a mock audition for DiCampli, Quinn and Salgado. Split up into three groups, the children performed for waving mothers and applauding grandparents. The three professionals led the audition, calling out advice to sing louder, remain upbeat, pronounce words and dance with excitement.
Fran and Saul Singer, who live across the street from the White Plains Performing Arts Center, arrived at the theater to watch their granddaughter’s mock audition. Olivia, 15, a soon-to-be junior at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, slept at her grandparents’ house the night before to arrive on time for the “Smash” workshop.
“She loves this,” Fran said, noting that her daughter has been performing since she was five years old. “I think this is absolutely wonderful for the kids. It is sociable and they are talented.”
Bonnie Ackerman also came to the theater to watch her daughter, Sarah, perform the “Smash” routine that she had learned throughout the day. Sarah, 17, an upcoming senior in Rye Brook, has appeared on the popular NBC show “30 Rock,” CBS’ “Guiding Light,” and can currently be seen on TV in a “Mike and Ike” commercial.
“It’s nice to do something like this and meet new people,” said Ackerman. “Performing is Sarah’s passion. She loves it.”
The White Plains Performing Arts Center expects to have their next educational offering, similar to “Smash,” in the fall.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
