Young stars take to stage

Children dance, sing, and become stagehands in after-school program Artbarn

Children in the after-school theater arts program Artbarn performed in a dress rehearsal for ''Turkey Tales'' at Maliotis Cultural Center at Hellenic College in Brookline on Monday. (Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff)

Cardboard and glitter sets. Scooters parked outside of rehearsals. Young directors encouraging even younger actors to be "ensemble-icious" (work together as a team).

Welcome to Artbarn. Just approaching its 10th anniversary, the after-school theater arts program combines nurture and rigor, creativity and community, performance and visual arts.

"It's the highlight of my daughter's week," said Steve Lipsitt, musician and Artbarn parent. Once a week, his daughter Daria plays with the Barncats, a fourth- through sixth-grade group that just finished performing "The Wiz" (she was part of the Yellow Brick Road).

Artists in other groups range from preschool to eighth-graders. They come as much to be with their friends as to be on stage - or backstage. But, Lipsitt says, the performances are "high quality" - they aren't "cringe-worthy."

Phoebe Anderson-Kline, a high school junior who is now a paid intern after six years of attendance as a performer, agreed.

"The directors always push you to do your best," she said. "It makes for a higher level of acting, and it's good to be challenged."

At a dress rehearsal for "The Wiz," actors tumbled in to the Maliotis Cultural Center at Hellenic College, raring to go. After donning costumes - made by the children with help from technical director A.E. Ryan and assistant choreographer Sarah Sadie Newett - they took to the aisles and practiced dance steps.

"I wish I could bottle their energy," said Mimi Katz, a freelance photographer who shoots the stage photos.

But despite the energy, the movement is directed. Those who are not making groovy arm movements are helping to tie on costumes or checking out props for the next scene - a tornado made up of flashlights.

Most of the productions undertaken by Artbarn are musicals, according to executive director and founder Jackie Borck, so singing and dancing are almost always part of the mix. So are visual arts - since participants help create the sets and costumes.

Sets consist of "anything you want as long as it's under $200 in cardboard, glitter, and leftovers." The idea is to allow children to explore their creativity and talents in four areas of art.

Original work is often performed at Artbarn, Borck said - in part because most of her artists aren't ready to perform in romantic plots ("too icky"), and because Broadway shows tend to use a few stars rather than the 20-plus parts needed.

"We have no small parts, only small actors," she said.

With the smallest actors, some of the skills Artbarn works on are overcoming stage fright, focusing on a task, and memorizing lines - many are nonreaders.

The Duck Soup Troupe, a gaggle of 24 first- through third-graders, is performing "Turkey Tales" this weekend. At one of the early dress rehearsals, held at Temple Sinai, they worked hard to hone their ability to stand on one foot without knocking down their neighbors. But while lisping through their lyrics and throwing their arms around, a crisis emerged: The rented room was packed, and the situation got a bit rough, with some boys and girls yanking on one another.

"Guys, this is not how Duck Soup Troupe actors treat each other," said Matthew Kossack, who for this production is dance instructor (he directed "The Wiz"). He said this age group has a tough time staying focused, especially after having to pay attention through six hours of school.

"We set the bar pretty high," he said. "But it's most rewarding."

Fran Rota said her son Sam, a seventh-grader at the Driscoll School, has been with Artbarn for nine years, since he was 4.

"As a parent, it's amazing for me to watch all the kids transforming, to feel confidence," she said.

Graduates of Artbarn agree.

"It was fun. I got to meet a lot of people in the community and work with them," said Lee Spivak, 22. Spivak went on to act in high school, and then took part in a college improvisation group.

Jacob Nathan, a junior at Clark, enrolled because Artbarn was a place he could be a clown "without getting yelled at." He went on to perform in his high school rock band (he's a drummer) and now at college.

"Artbarn provides a safe and positive environment to be creative," said Beth Darman Stone, who leads Artbarn's board of directors. "They can try on different hats in a safe place, be anyone they want to be."