Matthew Vala, Hoogland Kids and Hoogland Teens
Matthew Vala and Gus Gordon had been discussing ideas for a Hoogland Center youth outreach program for some time before Vala directed a 2010 teen production of Grease. “That was sort of the first experimental thing that we did,” says Vala. “It was a great project and the teens had such a good time during it, and all I kept on thinking was, imagine what these teens could do of they had a longer time to learn and gain some more tools.”
This past year found Vala at a crossroads as he made a major life decision to leave public school teaching, when Gordon approached him with the opportunity to develop and spearhead a youth program, eventually dubbed Hoogland Kids and Hoogland Teens. The Hoogland Kids range from fourth grade to seventh grade, while Hoogland Teens start with eighth-graders extending through seniors in high school. Classes are held on Saturday mornings, with the Kids meeting from 8:30 to 11, and Teens from 10:30 to 1 p.m. “One of the things that I like about that is there is actually an hour when they are together,” says Vala. “I’ve given each of them a ‘Hoogland Buddy’ so the Teens can have a chance to mentor the Kids throughout the school year. It kind of pushes them to work even harder than they might otherwise.”
With Kids and Teens combined, enrollment is at 47 for the first year, which Vala thinks is just about the right level. “I think that 25 in each group is sort of the prime number because the child gets to work along with a lot of talented kids but also gets the individual attention of the teacher, not just be the ‘third starfish from the right’ in Little Mermaid.” Little Mermaid is the Kids’ and Teens’ first play, opening in May.
Vala’s interest in nurturing young talent has roots in his own childhood experiences. “I grew up performing here in
Springfield in theater and I was going in blind. I didn’t know how
things worked, I didn’t know how to audition, I didn’t know how to get
dance or singing training,” he remembers. Fittingly, Vala’s lesson plans
for the Kids and Teens are based around providing resources he feels he
would have benefited from as a kid. “I know that when I was doing
theater in my high school years I started branching off into set design
and painting. So within these classes I’m trying to make sure it’s not
just singing, acting and dancing. They’re also getting little bits of
how costume design is done, and how you create wigs and makeup design
for stage.”
A typical
Saturday begins with vocal warmups followed by rehearsal for the
community outreach performances the Kids and Teens perform at hospitals
and other institutions. Next is what Vala calls a brief “educational
chunk” addressing a specific element of theatrical production. A recent
session concentrated on the possibilities of using recycled materials in
building sets, fielding creative ideas from the students. After that,
they rehearse for the upcoming Little Mermaid, including learning dances
and blocking. “I pack a lot into a weekend,” laughs Vala.
Vala
is particularly pleased at having begun the Young Artist Fund, which he
describes as a “piggy bank for kids.” Donations to the fund are used to
help with enrollment fees for youngsters with fi nancial diffi culties
who want to participate in Kids and Teens, as well as for area schools
with performing arts programs that don’t include access to performance
and theater space. “We are appreciative of the community’s help and
involvement at the Hoogland,” says Vala. “I think of the education
program as our fi rst big ‘Thank you.’” –Scott Faingold
