American Musical Theater program stays afloat with community support

By Wayne Grant

wgrant@hometownnewsol.com

DAYTONA BEACH - Gracie Winchester, a senior at Seabreeze High School, has yearned for the lights of Broadway since the age of six, when she heard Andrea McArdle sing "Tomorrow" from the show "Annie."

"I started to sing it and my parents realized I had potential," she said.

Her parents helped her with her aspirations and she has appeared in several productions, including some at the now defunct Seaside Music Theater, toured with a national company, and even did a stint on Broadway.

She is now honing her craft at the American Musical Theater Program at Seabreeze High School, where the emphasis is on professional training.

"This is the closest thing to professional theater in the area since Seaside Music Theater went away," Ms. Winchester said.

Instructor Chris Endsley brings in professionals to work with the students and strives for a real-world experience.

Kim Ball, a choreographer, and Gary Cadwallader, a director, work at Seabreeze on a contract basis.

"I want this program to be a spring board," Mr. Endsley said. "It's not about high school. It's about getting the kids on to the next level and becoming professionals."

There are other similarities to professional theater: budget constraints and hard work.

Keeping the high level of quality requires money and the program is not funded by Volusia County Schools, said publicity director Beth Agnone.

"All of our funding comes from corporate and individual sponsorships, ad sales and tickets," she said. "The cost for the program is between $12,000 and $15,000 per year, which includes buying rights to musicals, costumes, props and hiring professionals."

Ms. Agnone said funding has become more difficult in the past couple of years because of the economy, but both the high school and the parents feel it is too valuable a program to lose.

"The community is pulling together to keep this program going," she said.

Mr. Endsley said they have had to make adjustments.

"We've cut back the scale of projects. We used to rent costumes and now we're raiding Grandma's closet and that sort of thing," he said. "I like to have professional musicians in the orchestra pit working with the students but I haven't been able to hire as many."

Just like Broadway, getting ready for a musical in the school program requires a lot of work.

"We start with rehearsals two days a week from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.," Mr. Endsley said. "As the show gets closer, we'll go to five days a week. The kids spend a lot of hours outside class."

He said many of the students also take private music and voice lessons.

Ms. Agnone said the program is in high demand because of the program's reputation. Graduates are consistently accepted into university music programs throughout the country, she said.

Students must audition for the class and only about 30 are accepted each year.

"It's a rigorous audition," Ms. Agnone said. "They have to dance, sing and act."

Students throughout Volusia County are eligible to take part in the program. Seabreeze principal Bob Wallace said that if a student passes the audition, they can receive a variance to attend the school.

Mr. Wallace is one of the program's biggest fans.

"I never miss a production and I couldn't be more proud of the young men and women," he said. "It's a great collaboration between the students, Mr. Endsley and the community."

Dr. Monty Musgrave, who oversees performing arts for Volusia County Schools, said the close connection that Mr. Endsley had with Seaside Music Theater, which closed in 2008, boosted the Seabreeze program.

"Chris has produced quite a good product," he said. "One of the reasons is the professional staffing."

Members of the class do well at the Florida State Thespians Festival, where competitions are held in musical performances.

"You have to get a superior rating at the district level to go to the state festival," Mr. Endsley said. "The maximum number of performers you can send to the state festival is five and we fill our spots every year."

Students who don't plan a career on the stage also enjoy taking the class.

Max Chappuis, a senior, plans on a career in political science but enjoys the theater class.

"Everybody's pretty close and I've made good friends," he said.

Amy Smith has participated in the class all four of her high school years but does not plan on a musical career.

"It's just a passion I have," she said. "I've been singing for 10 years and I enjoy the class because it's like a family."

Many others, like Ms. Winchester, do plan on a life on the stage.

When Ms. Winchester was six years old, she and her dad started making one-day round trips from their Ormond Beach home to New York to audition for parts.

"We would get on an airplane at 9 a.m. for a flight to New York, have a 2 p.m. audition, and fly back home that night," she said. "Show business runs in my family. My parents had a dance studio for 15 years. My aunt, Anna Hunter, who recently passed away, was a lifelong performer."

At the age of seven, Ms. Winchester toured with a national company, playing "Nellie" in "Annie Get Your Gun." She later appeared in "Swing" on Broadway until she was nine.

She's now happy to be in the Seabreeze program.

"I was excited to get into this class," she said. "I plan to have a career in professional theater and this is going to open doors for me."

The current production is "All Shook Up" featuring Elvis Presley music at Seabreeze High School auditorium. The shows will be at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5, 6, and 7; and 2 p.m. on Nov. 7 and 8. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at the door. For information, call (386) 290-3061.