A piano strikes up a fanfare. Thirty or so singers and dancers take to the stage. With unbridled energy and a poise born of discipline, the performers launch into an impassioned version of Irving Berlin’s timeless “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” After accepting their applause, the thespians proceed to tackle, one right after another, a selection of classic Broadway musical numbers, including sophisticated songs such as “Ascot Gavotte” from My Fair Lady, “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof, and “America” from West Side Story. Again, enthusiastic applause greets the conclusion of each well-staged theater piece, capped by a standing ovation following a finale that features a song from the ’50s-style musical Grease.

This could be a description of a traveling musical revue stopping through the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, or possibly a production at one of the Nashville area’s many active community theaters. In fact, it happened just recently on a Friday afternoon at the Belcourt Theatre, where young people, ages 8 to 12, capped off a two-week stint in the summer program of StageWorks Academy for the Performing Arts.

StageWorks is the brainchild of Jennifer S. Orth, a Nashville arts administrator who served in various capacities at the Tennessee Repertory Theatre from 1985-1999. Now executive director of her own venture, Orth sees StageWorks—offering comprehensive instruction in acting, voice, and dance for children and adults—as both an important career opportunity and the fulfillment of a dream. With support from family, friends, and theater associates, she managed to conceive a business strategy, lay out a game plan for her curriculum, enlist the teaching talents of local artists, and, not least of all, locate and refurbish an accessible building that would be StageWorks’ home. The dream is now a reality.

Orth has a B.A. in theater from the University of Virginia, with a concentration in costume design. After concluding 14 years at the Rep, she looked to the future, taking her inspiration from the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s Academy of Musical Theatre. “It’s a wonderful program,” Orth says. “They started about 13 years ago and now have over 3,000 students, with full-time faculty and staff. I said to myself: ‘If it can work in Pittsburgh, why not Nashville?’ It seemed to me that Music City was ready for an ongoing program like this. We’re the only group doing it year-round in Nashville.”

Orth spent about a year putting together a board of directors and laying the groundwork to attain her company’s nonprofit status. StageWorks was officially formed in February 2000.

She credits TPAC CEO Steven Greil with an important assist in her dream. “He graciously invited me to do a proposal to run a camp at TPAC. It was a huge shot in the arm. It gave us legitimacy right off the bat. We were there for six weeks with 135 kids coming through in five different sessions of musical theater camp.”

StageWorks’ permanent home is based at 909 Eighth Ave. S. How this space came into being is one of those wonderful stories of people helping out people, of imagination triumphing over implausibility.

After considering various ideas that were either too costly or impractical—including refurbishing a structure on Church Street, or partnering with Metro schools—Orth and her board explored a number of different options. Finally, Orth called Frank Crowell, a veteran of Nashville theater and an entrepreneur with many business interests. Indeed, he had a potential spot on Eighth Avenue South, with 2,600 square feet of space. It was the old home of M & M Office Machines Co. “People still show up wanting us to fix their copiers or fax machines,” Orth says with a smile.

“We rent the building,” she continues. “Fortunately, the renovations required were fairly modest. We divided some of the space, then put in lights and the dance floor. We had to renovate the bathroom to be accessible for all. Initially, we had some zoning problems also, but we got that ironed out. Everything that happened in that building—from demolition, to paint on the walls, to open house and the first classes—happened in two and a half weeks. The contractor was fabulous, and everyone I knew—and then some—came and helped me paint. Now we have what we need—space for music, acting, and dance. On Sept. 26, 2000, we began our first classes—14 for the fall semester, and about the same in the spring. Between summer camp 2000, the school year, and this summer, we’ve served over 350 kids.”

Eyes wide, Orth states, “I still look around and say, ‘My lord, how did this happen?’ This summer we actually turned a few applicants away. That wasn’t easy to do.”

StageWorks’ urban location is significant, with its proximity to the W.O. Smith/Nashville Community Music School, which offers music lessons to the underprivileged and is a favorite charity for the music industry. Eighth Avenue South may soon become The Gulch of arts instruction.

“I felt very strongly about not locating in Green Hills or Bellevue or Brentwood,” says Orth. “I wanted a location that was equally inaccessible to everyone”—she laughs—“but I wanted it to be near an interstate, near a bus line, and close to where the performing arts happen, which is downtown.”

This strategy is apparently paying off. StageWorks seems to be drawing from everywhere. “Last summer,” Orth says, “we had two girls who came down from Kentucky. Last spring, a girl’s parents were driving her from Knoxville every Saturday for a music theater program. We’ve got kids in this past summer’s camp from Paris (Tenn.)—that’s a long way to come. We also have kids from Spring Hill, Springfield, Mt. Juliet, Lebanon, Goodlettsville, and Hendersonville.”

A StageWorks semester spans 12 weeks, with classes one hour a week. Vocal instruction ranges from singing to dialect work; dance from beginning ballet to stage combat; and the acting program includes creative dramatics for youngsters, progressive levels of acting, and preparation for auditions.

For her faculty, Orth has drawn upon local professionals. “I went to people whose abilities I respected and who I thought would work well with children.” Among the roster of names are David Compton, Matthew Carlton, Jamie London, Lynn Rothrock, Jeff Lisenby, Renee Lopez, and Janet Ivey. “We’ve added people here and there as needed,” says Orth. “The nice thing about using professional artists versus professional teachers is that the students benefit from learning many different styles of performing and perspectives on craft.”

East Nashville resident Taunia Rice is the mother of 8-year-old Noah Rice, a StageWorks participant, who snagged the role of Tiny Tim in last year’s production of A Christmas Carol at the Ryman. “We’ve been impressed that StageWorks is not simply performance-oriented,” she says. “Even though the kids might be at various levels of acting, singing, or dancing, the program ensures that the kids work together. Also, Jennifer seems to have a knack for attracting strong talent to work with the children. Noah loved it in a big way.”

Belle Meade’s Tom Corts, dad of 13-year-old StageWorks “veteran” Tommy, has a similar reaction. “It’s a very impressive program,” he says. “Tommy’s been there two summers. He meets kids from all over the city—boys and girls, and racially mixed. This year he was in the program that performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was amazed what they accomplished for their age.

“My son has already surpassed my knowledge of Shakespeare,” Corts says (and not completely tongue-in-cheek). “I was impressed with seeing that many kids doing classic drama. It’s very good training and good experience.”

Orth speaks candidly about the challenges of dealing with a variety of young people. “We’ve got ADD, depressed, and developmentally challenged kids. And that’s OK. But I feel all right with calling parents and telling them that theirs just might not be a child that we are equipped to deal with. I tell all of our parents: Our camp isn’t necessarily for everyone—we don’t answer everybody’s need. And the last thing we want to do is create kids who hate theater because they had some hideous camp experience when they were 9! We’re trying to develop a theater audience.

“I also tell people that we’re not in the business of turning out stars. We’re not going to help you find a job, we’re not an agency, and we’re not going to turn your child into the next Britney Spears. We don’t teach hip-hop. We don’t teach you how to sing with a ‘belt’—unless you have one naturally. We’re going to teach you a legitimate vocal style, and what you do with it from there—rock on! For example, there’s only one Billy Gilman, but the number of people who could potentially make a living or perhaps find happiness singing in the chorus of Oklahoma! is substantially larger.”

With its focus on accessibility and diversity, its employment of local artists, and its dedication solely to training, StageWorks has made long strides—in a very short time—toward assuming an important role in the Nashville performing arts community.

For more information on classes at StageWorks, phone (615) 255-7580 or e-mail stagewrk@bellsouth.net.