Many in Woodford County are familiar with our recreational center, Falling Springs. Numerous people go there to exercise or hone their athletic skills for an upcoming game, often utilizing the large gym court or public pools to do so. While it mainly houses a fitness center, just after walking through the front doors and directly to the left, you’ll be met with the entrance to our very own center for the arts, Woodford Theatre. Known for its seasonal mainstage shows, productions ranging from lively musicals like Annie to heavier plays such as The Crucible are curated by talented actors from all over Kentucky. However, hidden just beyond the magic of the mainstage shows is an amazing educational program—one that the general public often overlooks.
Woodford Theatre Young Artists (WTYA) is currently celebrating 10 years of educating passionate theatre students. The year-round program is intent on improving the capabilities of students from the region, while also nurturing their creativity and love for the arts. It includes a fall junior production, an opportunity to attend the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, and a two-hour-long spring showcase to demonstrate the lessons taken from their year of learning.
There are many in the program who speak highly of the knowledge they’ve gained in their time at WTYA, a testament to the considerable amount of time and effort that is put into making sure students learn as much as they can. “I would say the training that I’ve received here has been more beneficial than any other place that I’ve done training before.” Carolina Rhea, a senior in WTYA, expresses. “The work that we do with singing, acting, improv, and dancing has really, really helped me when it comes to things like auditioning for school shows, being involved in choir at the high school, as well as auditioning for [Governor’s School for the Arts] and doing drama there.”
Rhea also makes it quite clear how the love and community within the program contribute to the effectiveness of this training, highlighting its importance to her. “I think there’s a lot of really unique opportunities in WTYA specifically, compared to maybe some other troops. I do think the community that you find here is unlike anything else. We’re together for up to seven hours a week, just really working and pouring our hearts out on stage because doing this takes a lot of effort. It takes a lot of sweat, and it takes a lot of focus. If you’re doing that by yourself without a support system, that can become very daunting. But here, you have a cast of 33 other kids who, even if they aren’t able to get you to stop feeling stressed, they’re there with you. They’re matching you every step of the way. That’s something that I think is really unique.“
However, it’s not only the students who reinforce this idea. The staff is just as determined to contribute to the family found within this company. Erin Tuttle, the lead director, illustrated this when talking about the group. “My favorite part of the rehearsal process as a director always is to see the growth in the students. It just makes my heart so happy to see where students start off in the audition process and where they end up on the stage. I mean, just to see their growth as humans, as actors, as performers,” she explains. “I’ve seen a lot of support from student to student and that’s how I roll, so I want to keep on building on that, But the level of talent and the love of community was one of the first things I noticed.”
It’s one thing to hear the lead director talk about what contributions she’d like to make, but it’s another to hear about the clear effect it has on the students. Rhea also stated, “I think because they know you for so long and because they really see you do your best, they know how to support you and they know what you need in every given moment. I think the current team that we have has been really good about being there for us emotionally as well and being careful in rehearsals to make sure that they’re matching everyone’s needs. A lot of kids that are in theater don’t have that community at home or at school, and this place becomes a sanctuary for them.”
While many kids feel as though they have no place to express themselves, this program gives so many of them the opportunity to accept who they are. So, if you’re looking for a community that guarantees great teaching and a loving environment, WTYA is the place for you!
