There has been a lot of talk about the lack of funding and support for the arts in public schools. Money is tight and classes like drama and music are sometimes seen as a luxury rather than a necessity, so they are often the first to get cut. While this may seem like a necessary way to cut spending and still maintain a high level of learning, many fail to realize the importance of the arts in a student’s development and learning. According to Americans for the Arts (americansforthearts.org), a student involved in the arts is four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement. But the benefits don’t stop at graduation. According to a study by Americans for the Arts, 72% of business leaders said that creativity is the number one skill they are seeking when hiring. This creativity is fostered and developed in classes like art, music and drama.
Sandra Edens and Carolyn Briggs-Gaul know first-hand the importance and benefit of the arts for young people. Both Sandra and Carolyn have experience in theater and music, and in 2016 they began Apex Regional Theatre or ART. Sandra calls herself a student of the “school of hard knocks” when it comes to her theater experience. Growing up doing theater in high school, Sandra took a break from the theater during her career as an active duty member of the United States Air Force. Since retiring from the military, Sandra has become an active participant in several aspects of the theater. Her passion for costumes and her talent for sewing has made her one of the go-to costume designers for the Temple Theater in Sanford. She is also a member of the choir at Apex United Methodist Church and has had the opportunity to travel and perform with this highly talented group of musicians. Carolyn had a more traditional education in theater, having received her Bachelor of Arts degree in musical theater and speech communications from Southern Illinois University and a Masters in Theater Education from Roosevelt University. Carolyn taught high school theater and English in Chicago for 15 years and has directed over 150 full productions for both children and adults. With Carolyn’s directorial experience and Sandra’s creativity, combined with their enthusiasm for drama and theater, these two friends decided to form a theater group for the Apex community.
ART was born from the ladies’ desire to have a community theater in Apex, one where the community gets involved in every aspect of the productions. “Eventually we want to get to a point where the community wants to volunteer and be involved because they enjoy it and want to be part of the creative process,” Sandra said. As of right now, the focus has been on children’s theater to get their name out to the community and to have a base to begin. “We definitely want to branch into including adults and doing adult productions,” Sandra said. Some of the productions ART has put on include Aladdin, Jr.; Fame, Jr.; The Aristocats, Jr.; The Little Mermaid, Jr.; and Seussical, Jr. Art is currently rehearsing for their next production, The Lion King, Jr., which will be performed on November 16 and 17.
The beginning of any new adventure has its share of growing pains and challenges. For ART, the greatest challenge they are facing right now is finding a permanent home. Until recently, Hope Community Church has opened its doors to ART for rehearsals and performances. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, the group has had to seek out other location options. The production of The Lion King, Jr. will be performed at Athens Drive High School, which is further from Apex than the ladies would like. “The ultimate goal is to be local and homegrown in Apex,” Sandra said. This is proving challenging due to constraints with space and storage. Sandra explained that “the goal is to have one location where we can rehearse, perform and store our sets. This makes it much easier to prepare rather than having to pack up the entire set after each rehearsal.”
Having grown up being involved in the theater, the goal for Sandra and Carolyn is to create a safe space for kids and adults to go and be themselves and feel free to express themselves in a creative way. To do this, it takes the help of many dedicated volunteers for every production. ART is fortunate to have had the help and expertise of volunteers in areas such as choreography, music directors, stage managers, lighting directors and more. Each volunteer is an invaluable part to making any community theater work, especially one that is just starting out.
A unique feature of ART is that every budding actor in the group, whose ages range from 8-14, are involved in a basic theater class. The class, taught by Carolyn, teaches the students about production, learning stage presence, direction and much more. Everything that is taught in the class ultimately culminates into the final production. Each of the 40 students performs in the final production. The students involved all have varying degrees of experience in theater, which makes it a wonderful environment for learning. There are some who have been doing theater for several years, and there are some who are just starting out.
Sometimes the hardest part of any production is deciding which show to put on. “We decided to do The Lion King because that is what the kids chose,” Sandra said. “We asked them what show they might like to do next and that is what they decided.” Once the decision is made to put on a production, the hard work starts. Auditions are held for every role, since there is no pre-casting done for any production. Those auditioning are asked to sing 16 measures from a song of their choice and are sometimes asked to read from a script. The time from casting to production is approximately three months. The actors rehearse for two hours, once per week, making it easier to fit into a busy schedule of school, sports and other family or extracurricular activities.
For centuries people have flocked to the theater as a means of entertainment, enjoyment and an escape from reality. The literal definition of theater is a building or a place to see a dramatic production. But the theater is so much more. For some it is a way to reinvent themselves, to create a new persona if only for a few hours. For some it is an escape from reality, a time where they can travel to the outer most limits of their imagination. For all who perform, the theater is much more than a building or show, it is a family. It is a place of refuge where they can feel safe and can express themselves without fear of judgment. Sandra Edens and Carolyn Briggs-Gaul have created this kind of an environment where young, aspiring Apex actors can go to learn and experience all that the theater has to offer. ART may be young, but there is no doubt that with the help of Apex residents the young actors of this group will accomplish great things for years to come.
