The Magic of Youth Theater...TADA!
Blocks from Broadway is its Future
By: Jeffrey Valfer
TeenNewsNet Editor
Growing up we often think Magic only comes from someone dressed in a black tuxedo with a big black hat and magic wand. We wait for this magician to make a rabbit appear or something to disappear. However, as we get older our experiences show us that magic can be defined in many forms and many ways. On a cloudy winter day I found it between wholesalers of silk flowers and hand bags on West 28th Street in Manhattan. . There it was beckoning me as I approached the entrance to 15 West 28th Street…TADA!
Entering the building, I am escorted into an elevator that is probably more than twice my age, and told to go to the third floor. It is here that I first witness the magic of TADA! I see children of various ages, ethnicities and social backgrounds from around the city in one room. There are no boundaries separating them as they motivate and learn from each, participating in an art form that not only has matured them, but for many is the definition of who they want to be. TADA! has delivered the “magic” of theater, dance and drama into their lives as many live in communities that have no such programs. Although the magic has only been in this building for 7 years, it is currently approaching its 26th Anniversary.
The “magic,” which she now refers to as her “first child” was founded by Janine Nina Trevens and Linda Reed in 1984. Reed is no longer involved. They initially raised $1,500 which all went to costumes and props and recruited volunteers as they performed in theater festivals. Reflecting on her past, Trevens “knew she always wanted to work with kids,” but didn’t have aspirations to be involved in theater until later in life. “Growing up I always thought I’d be a school teacher or social worker,” remembers Trevens.
Her first introduction to theater came from her mother who has a show producer. She would help out at the box office and soon advanced to become a stage manager. Shortly after, she got a job with the First All Children’s Theater. “I worked with the Stage Manager and Director and realized [this] is what I wanted to do…And to do it my own way.” As she continues her story I sense from her voice and body language that she is her own biggest motivator and many hurdles had to and continue to be climbed to keep the “magic” of TADA! alive. “I just wanted to do it! I didn’t make a salary for the first five years. There were times when I was going through stuff in my own life and I still had to get up and book the groups, get group sales going, go to rehearsal and bartering space to make things work.” Today the organization has grown to produce three shows per year, which involves a group of 65 performer’s ages ranging from 8 to 18 years of age. Additionally, TADA! offers affordable dance, theater classes and summer programs. At first, I wonder how Trevens keeps up with it all. But, after meeting her and listening to the youngsters speak of what they gained out of TADA! I find the answer….All the energy she exerts comes back to her ten-fold from the kids she has inspired.
One of those youngsters is Taylor Hogan, a senior at Frank Sinatra School of Arts in Astoria, NY. Hogan has been a part of TADA! for 9 years, starting in third grade at the recommendation of a teacher. Since then she has been involved in 15 shows and has dreams of being on Broadway. With what the others agree are her trademark bubbly persona, she tells me how TADA! has changed her life. “There are a lot of bad kids in my neighborhood. TADA! has kept me from going down the wrong path.” Besides keeping those involved off the streets, I am told by Lindsey Estevez, entering her 4th year and a freshman at Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan, of the family atmosphere. “A bunch of friendships have come out of here. People of different ages teach you different things. Once you come in here, people you meet-- you will probably know awhile or for life.”
No matter how many of the performer’s I interview I hear the same thing… The positive effect TADA! has had on them. Anthony Sanchez, a Junior at Harlem Renaissance, Harlem, NY has been with TADA! for seven years. He told me before joining that he thought theater and dancing was more for girls. With that perception now erased -- Sanchez has not only learned how to tap, but is writing his own songs. Then I encounter Noah Pelty, a 7th Grader at Professional Children’s School in Manhattan. Although only 13, when you speak to Pelty you feel like he is twice that age. Trevens refers to him as “little man” and ironically he gives her program its biggest endorsement. Pelty, who is a member of the actors union, having done TV, Radio and various readings, tells me TADA! has taught him things he “couldn’t have dreamed of learning elsewhere.” Like an adult looking in, he goes on to say, “it’s really exciting understanding that kids can do this and pull it off.”
As TADA! approaches its 26th anniversary Trevens has desires to pull off a lot more.. “I don’t think I done all I can,” she stresses. She sees a future of TADA! moving into their own theater building. Furthermore, she wants to go from 3 to 5 shows annually, while doing separate performances that are tailored just for teenagers and ones just for kids. But Trevens knows that do make these goals a reality she, as always, has many hurdles to overcome. The biggest is bringing in donations during a recession. “It’s harder to raise money than five years ago… It’s harder to find those people!” Her first wish is to find a celebrity that will take on their cause. Then she hopes that alumni of the program who become successful give back to it. “We do have some kids that have gone off and are in the business doing well. I hope that they give back and think of us in that way!”
Most should, because whenever you encounter “magic” it stays with you for a long time, if not forever. It stayed with me as I left into a dark blustery winter night distracting me from the cold. TADA! is more than just youth theater it is a “blanket” that keeps those involved dreams protected, and to spectators their emotions and feelings warm.
For additional information on TADA! performances and programs please go to www.tadatheater.com.
