Clayton Student to Vie for Scholarship in Teen Talent Competition

A teen performing-arts competition featuring a student kicks off Saturday in St. Louis.

"There are some really talented young people in St. Louis," said Kathryn Ballard, executive director of the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, which is sponsoring the event. The event will initially include performers from 46 St. Louis-area high schools. A total of 180 schools received invitations to participate.

Clayton's Rae Warren will perform in the area of spoken word as part of the competition. A panel of teachers chose Warren as the top act at an annual talent show held in the , Chief Communications Officer Chris Tennill said. The win also made her the district's entry in the event.

The preliminary round of the event is Saturday, when 25 acts will be chosen to move on to the April 16 round at . Ten acts will be chosen for the May 6 finals, a free event that will happen at the Fox Theatre.

The idea for a competition developed out of an event held when the Fox first opened—the Southwestern Bell Teen Talent Showcase.

Mary Strauss, now the president of the foundation's board of directors, produced the event.

"We kind of followed that same format of having the preliminary competitions off site and then holding the finals at the Fox Theatre," Ballard said. More recently, the foundation has sponsored a showcase featuring students in high school, middle school and elementary school.

Students will compete for scholarships and prizes, both for themselves and for their schools. They may participate individually or as part of a group. The first-place award is $5,000; second place is $3,500; and third place is $2,000. The schools of the students who win those top awards will receive a cash prize of $2,000.

One student also will win a trip to attend Camp Broadway in New York City.

Signups began in fall 2010. Schools are allowed to feature up to six students in grades 9 through 12. Categories will include dance, acting, singing, instrumental music, magic, comedy and circus skills. Participants will be judged in areas such as stage presence and originality.

The Nine Network will be filming throughout the event for a future broadcast. It also is providing participants with cameras that can be used to document the experience.

Ballard said the goal of the program is to nurture young performers. The first and second rounds of the competition will only be open to family, friends and peers. Performers will receive feedback from the judges at these stages. No feedback will be provided in the final round featuring the 10 finalists.

"It's really about nurturing them and giving them suggestions and ways to improve," Ballard said.