Spotlight Arts Students Participate in NYSTEA Conference 2017

For the second year, Spotlight Arts Inc., a local youth theatre company based in Brewster, sent high school students from Brewster and Pawling to represent the theatre group at the NYSTEA Conference 2017 this past weekend. The New York State Theatre Education Association, a strong, statewide organization of theatre educators, promotes and supports theatre education for students in grades pre-K through 12.  This past weekend, NYSTEA held its 20th Annual Student Conference at the Villa Roma Resort in Callicoon, New York. 

This conference creates an opportunity for approximately 800 high school students from all over New York State to come together for a full weekend of learning and peer interaction.  These students attend workshops given by colleges, universities and other theatre professionals, as well as networking with one another and experiencing a variety of performances throughout the conference.

For the Student Conference delegates, this conference is a highlight of their high school career.  In the over 100 workshop offerings, students receive expert instruction in technical theatre, acting, dance and voice. Meeting and sharing interests with other similarly-minded students from every region of the state is paramount in working collaboratively, gaining self-confidence and exploring new areas of learning. This conference is a testament to how ”theatre transforms students’ lives!”

Spotlight Arts’ group of students each requested which workshops they wanted to participate in and were given their schedules on day 1 of the conference. “My favorite workshop was my improv workshop because I got to act spontaneously with a lot of people I didn’t know the personalities of. It added a whole new perspective,” explains Brewster High School sophomore Sarah Borsari. Grace Curley, also a BHS sophomore, adds “I learned so much from the NYSTEA conference and I now feel so much more confident with my acting skills and am inspired to continue to pursue it.” BHS junior acting student Megan Campbell took advantage of some technical theatre workshops while at the conference and explains, “The NYSTEA conference is a fantastic and highly recommended experience! NYSTEA is a great time to branch out and learn new and valuable skills that we can go on and use in our futures as the next generation of performers and technicians in the industry after high school.”

NYSTEA believes that theatre is an essential component of a pre-K-12 education for all students. Studying theatre in schools develops abilities needed for the 21st century including critical thinking, problem solving skills, applications of technology, social responsibility and creativity. Spotlight Arts Inc. holds very similar values in their acting and musical theatre programs held in Brewster, NY. Students were thrilled to be given an opportunity to participate in this year’s NYSTEA conference and Spotlight Arts plans to continue their participation in the many conferences to come.