By Mandy McFarland Editor
NAPPANEE — They  may only be in elementary and middle school, a group of local students are getting ready to tackle their first performance of High School Musical.
They’re all in this together, and with just one week to go the first ever Joseph Stein Young Actors Studio production is fully under way.
The studio will kick off with a stage production of Disney Channel’s High School musical, the popular kids’ musical that was an instant hit when it first aired in spring of 2006.
While they prepare for the production, the students are also learning about the world of theater. Classes meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. and run for three weeks. During this time, students will learn blocking, stage movement, dancing, vocal performance, costuming, makeup, auditioning, scenery and other elements of stage production.
Class time is more than learning time. It is also rehearsal time. Each student has a character whose lines they must memorize and whose solos they must learn. In addition, participants are expected to know the choreography to each of the songs.

“It’s intensive,” said Sue Frost-Maize, director of the Joseph Stein Young Actor Studio. “They’re learning about theater while doing theater.”
Auditions took place during the first session on March 5. Maize used a technique that allowed the students to audition without knowing that they were auditioning. The students sat in a circle, and Maize had them stand one by one, introduce themselves, sing a few lines from a favorite song and recite the alphabet while mimicking one of the characters from High School Musical. According to Maize, this helped the students relax and be themselves, making it easier to find parts to fit them.
Maize’s daughter, Ashley Frost, is co-directing the production and helping teach the classes.
The production is not limited to Wa-Nee kids. Students come from all over Michiana, including Edwardsburg, Bremen, Syracuse, Plymouth and other towns. Because this is a learning experience, prior theater experience is not required, though Maize welcomes all skill levels.
Sessions begin with stretches and voice warm-ups. Afterwards, students recap what they learned at the previous session before moving on to that day’s lesson.
Maize and Frost are enthusiastic about the Young Actors Studio, and their energy shows during each rehearsal. While they try to maintain a professional atmosphere, they are willing to work with even the shy kids who may not have experienced the world of theatre and who may be nervous about appearing on stage. It is their desire to give kids with a desire to act the chance to let their talent shine.
“I don’t know how many opportunities like this there are in the area (for kids),” said Maize.
The Young Actors Studio is named for Joseph Stein, a Broadway composer who has written a number of classics, including Fiddler on the Roof, Zorba and Plain and Fancy, to name a few.
When Amish Acres CEO Richard Pletcher contacted Stein to ask permission to use his name in association with the Young Actors Studio, Stein was enthusiastic.
“He is terribly excited to have his name attached to it and wants to be kept updated,” said Pletcher.
The studio has been in the planning for a number of years. However, finding enough stage space presented a problem at first.
The opportunity came when the city purchased the property at 203 West Market Street from the Pletchers. Proceeds from the sale allowed Amish Acres to construct a rehearsal stage in the Cow Shed, the large red pole barn across the street from the main Amish Acres complex. Over 5,000 square feet inside of the Cow Shed were remodeled.
With this new stage, the Round Barn Theatre and the Locke Township Meetinghouse, another building on the Amish Acres complex, Pletcher feels that there is more than enough room for the Young Actors Studio to take off.
“Most of the time they’ll be on the Round Barn stage or in the rehearsal stage,” he said.
The rehearsal stage includes mirrors to help the actors fine-tune their choreography. Maize plans to take the class over to the Cow Shed once and have them practice in front of the mirrors.
While the March class is nearly over, it is not too late to sign up for the May class. A summer acting camp will also be available. For more information, contact Sue Frost Maize at 773-4188, extension 200.