Arts Abound in Downtown Franklin

As summer draws to a close, an August snapshot of life at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA) reveals no slower change of pace. FSPA’s home at 38 Main Street is a hub of nonstop activity. A Broadway Boot Camp has brought Kirsten Scott (Broadway’s Big Fish, Follies and Hairspray) and Tony-nominated director and choreographer Dan Knechtges to FSPA for song and dance master classes. New York City-based LUBDUB. Theatre Company is in residence, providing students with a chance to try out physical theatre – group juggling, improvisational movement and imaginative play – and participate in the company’s showing at THE BLACK BOX, located just behind FSPA. The school’s long-standing Summer Theater program is in full swing, as students rehearse two culminating productions, Bye Bye Birdie, and an original musical parody, Bye Bye Bieber. Year-round, FSPA is a dynamic and transformative place.
Founded in 1985 and dedicated to the enjoyment of music, dance and drama for all ages, the school provides an extraordinary faculty of artist-teachers and a nurturing environment where students grow skills for the stage and for life. From the earliest ages, FSPA programming encourages learning through doing, while building skills, confidence and experience.
The Little Music School, created at FSPA in 2005, teaches children as young as 18 months to play the piano. The innovative program introduces children to music in a way they understand, through imagination, movement, play and peer interaction. Offering classes and private lessons in voice, as well as instrumental instruction at all levels, FSPA’s Music Department provides opportunities to jam with Boston’s best musicians or sing in styles ranging from classical, jazz and musical theater to pop, rock and country. Chamber music at FSPA includes collaborative piano and string ensembles.
FSPA’s Drama program encourages students to stretch their imagination, build characters and tell stories through such classes as Creative Dramatics, Improv, Scenes & Monologues and Principles of Acting. Once-a-week musical theater classes explore singing, dancing and acting in a fun and recreational way while FSPA’s Musical Theater Conservatory engages students at a high level, geared especially to those considering possibilities for college and career.
Opportunities for dancers of all ages include a three-track ballet program and multi-level training in tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, dance for musical theater, and modern to meet the needs of those interested in recreational enjoyment and those dedicated to pre-professional study. FSPA dancers pursue many exciting experiences such as collaborative performances with the Metrowest Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Pro Musica, presentations of classical variations with FSPA’s Ballet Conservatory Ensemble, Dance Company showcases, and FSPA’s signature Spring Concert.
Performing is an integral part of the FSPA experience. The school’s musical theater troupes and senior dance company travel annually to Walt Disney World to take workshops and perform on Disney stages. Electric Youth, an ensemble of singer-dancers trained at FSPA, entertained across Austria and Italy this summer, marking the group’s 13 European concert tour. FSPA annually presents four all-student productions – a musical, ballet, play and opera – and any student who auditions is cast. The shows are staged at THE BLACK BOX, home of the Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) and a professional setting for many FSPA performances. FSPA students also participate, through audition, in FPAC’s annual season of shows.
Each year brings new opportunities and 2016 is no exception. The school launches both FSPA Academy and FSPA AfterSchool this fall. Offered in partnership with the Massachusetts Virtual Academy (MAVA) and built upon MAVA’s state-approved online curriculum, FSPA Academy provides the setting for a complete and creative academic education with a special emphasis on arts, language and culture. Guided by an on-site academic facilitator Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., FSPA Academy offers a more flexible and individualized experience in a nurturing environment enhanced by field trips, master classes, Music Theory, and foreign language conversation classes in French and Spanish. FSPA AfterSchool extends the regular school day with interactive educational and recreational experiences, including creative arts activities, from 3-6 p.m. for students in kindergarten through 5th grade. Transportation is available from Franklin schools and students do not need to be enrolled in other FSPA programming to participate.
FSPA will host Back-to-School Open Houses at 38 Main Street on Thursday, September 1 from 4-8 p.m. and Saturday, September 10 from 10-4. Tour the facility, speak with faculty and staff, and learn more about FSPA programs. Prospective students are also encouraged to try a complimentary class. Registration for all programs is ongoing. For more information or to request a course catalogue and class schedule, call (508) 528-8668 or visit www.FSPAonline.com.