Deadline to try out for arts academy nearing

Tom Titus

Young people who are dreaming of “fame” in the performing arts can

take the first big step this month when the Academy for the

Performing Arts at Huntington Beach High School has auditions for its

award-winning arts program.

The tryouts will be held on Feb. 21, but applications need to be

handed in by Feb. 5, so students hoping to join the program have a

one-week window of opportunity if they haven’t already applied.

Students may audition for two of the academy’s artistic

disciplines -- dance, commercial recording arts, music, musical

theater, theater and technical theater.

“We are excited to select a new group of talented, ambitious

students,” said Diane Makas-Weber, artistic director of the program.

Makas-Weber received the allied board’s Distinguished Arts

Administrator of the Year award last year.

“We are proud to offer our students personalized classes and

remarkable performance opportunities in classic and contemporary art

forms, allowing the students to achieve their fullest potential and

share their passion with their peers,” Makas-Weber said.

The academy enrolls students in grades nine through 12 from Orange

and Los Angeles counties through competitive admission. Applicants

are evaluated on their academic record, auditions, interviews and

recommendations.

Academy classes are held on the Huntington Beach High School

campus in the afternoon, but students may attend any high school in

the district for morning academic classes. These high schools include

Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Marina, Ocean View and

Westminster.

If you haven’t applied yet and want to beat the deadline, check

out https://www.hbapa.org or send an e-mail to apa@hbapa.org

requesting a Word or PDF format.

The Academy for the Performing Arts, established in 1993, provides

preprofessional arts education in a scholarly atmosphere for young

performers, writers, composers and technicians. The program features

a specialized curriculum with master classes, small class sizes,

strong interaction with guest artists and performing arts-related

field trips.

Currently, more than 400 students are participating in the

program, many of whom have just been cast in the spring musical,

“Damn Yankees.” That show will open March 12 for two weekends in the

Huntington Beach High School auditorium.

Other spring shows will include the Fusion Dance Concert, Creative

Forces Dance Concert, Classical Spring Music Concert and the plays

“Baby With the Bathwater” and “The Miracle Worker.”

The Academy for the Performing Arts can be contacted at (714)

536-2514, ext. 4025 (administration) or ext. 602 (recorded

information) as well as on the Web at https://www.hbapa.org.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.