ST. LOUIS – On Saturday, March 4th, 40 metro area high school acts competed in the Semi-final round of the 7th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition. St. Louis performing arts professionals judged the acts and narrowed the field to 17 acts (29 individual finalists) who will move on to the finals on Saturday, April 8th at 8pm at The Fabulous Fox Theatre (a list of acts can be found here). These acts are one step closer to performing on the Fox Stage and winning college scholarships, prizes and performance opportunities. “We couldn’t be happier with the level of talent this year. While we usually only advance 12-13 acts to the finals, this year is an exception and we have 17 qualifying acts!” exclaimed Mary Strauss, Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation Board President. The final competition is a Broadway-style show that is FREE and open to the public. General Admission tickets are required and available now at no charge at The Fabulous Fox box office and through Metrotix.
More than $30,000 in scholarships and prizes will be distributed among the top competitors on April 8th. A full list of prizes along with official event information can be found on the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation’s (FPACF) website. Finalists will also have the opportunity to perform at area events throughout the year. 2017 public appearances scheduled to date include Webster Art & Air Fair, National Dance Week and the Muny.
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The judges for the finals have careers spanning film, TV, and Broadway. This year’s guest judges are: Marie-Hélène Bernard, the President of the St. Louis Symphony; Christine Brewer, a Grammy Award-winning soprano who began her career in the choruses of the St. Louis Symphony and Opera Theatre of St. Louis; Antonio Douthit-Boyd, a former lead dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and current Co-Artistic Director of Dance at COCA; Mike Isaacson, the Artistic Director and Executive Producer for The Muny and a Broadway producer; Carl Nappa, an independent producer and Executive Director at Nelly’s ex’treme Institute in St. Louis; Ken Page, a native St. Louisan and Broadway performer; and Steven Woolf, Augustin Family Artistic Director at the Repertory Theatre St. Louis. Students will be judged on technical ability, stage presence, interpretation and originality.
Tony Parise, Broadway actor, director, choreographer and St. Louis native, returns for his 7th year to write the script and direct the finals. "I am so proud of the teens who participate each year in the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition, and it is an honor for me to be able to guide and coach them for their performance on the Fabulous Fox Stage,” says Parise. He will be working
with choreographer Yvonne Meyer Hare (also a St. Louis native) to prepare the final acts to compete in front of a live audience at The Fox. Finalists include a variety of singers, musicians, dancers, baton twirlers and musical theatre performers.
The FPACF reintroduced the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition in 2011 to showcase the St. Louis region’s most talented teens in the performing arts. The 2016 winner was Royce Martin, a pianist from Grand Center Arts Academy. Martin, now a junior, will return for a special performance on April 8th.
Miano.tv produces videos of the competition process which will be available late March on our YouTube and SchoolTube channels. Highlights and winning performances from the 2011 through 2016 events are currently posted and provide viewers a glimpse of what the competition is all about.
The community response to this FREE event has been amazing and grown over the past six years with “sold out” crowds at The Fox. Additionally, each year 120,000 viewers have watched the Nine Network’s hour-long program on the competition. We are pleased that The Nine Network will once again broadcast an hour-long program on the 2017 competition.
PLEASE NOTE: All seating is general admission. There is a limit of 10 tickets per transaction. Seating is first-come-first-seated, and is not guaranteed. The theater will be over-sold to ensure a full house. Please arrive early.
Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation fosters, promotes, and encourages young people in the St. Louis region to discover and participate in the joy and wonder of live performances.
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