St. Louis is home to a thriving performing arts scene, with a wide range of plays, concerts and much more on the collective playbill any night of the week. But it’s not every day a show provides a little of everything – all of it courtesy of some of the city’s youngest performers.
On Saturday evening, the 2019 St. Louis Teen Talent Competition will bring audience members a total of 15 performances that run the gamut, from vocal and instrumental numbers and dances to musical theater and circus acts. The free event , sponsored by the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, marks the culmination of a several-month-long process highlighting emerging talent in the St. Louis performing arts community.
On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio editor Maria Altman talked with the director of this year’s contest, Tony Parise, as well as emcee Yvette Lu and 2018 winner Nicaya Wiley.
Parise, a St. Louis native, is a Broadway actor, dancer, director and choreographer. He’s returning for his ninth year to write the script and direct the finals, during which more than $40,000 in prizes and scholarships are at stake.
Lu is an Los Angeles-based actor, performer and creator who grew up in St. Louis and is an alumna of the 2013 St. Louis Teen Talent Competition. Among many other credits, she has been a member of the national tour of “Hamilton.”
Wiley, a dancer and senior at Kirkwood High School, will give a special performance as part of Saturday night’s event.
Related Event
What: 9th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 13, 2019
Where: The Fabulous Fox Theatre (527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103)
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. “St. Louis on the Air” producers Alex Heuer, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan and Jon Lewis give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.
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