Young Talent Big Dreams Presented by The Children’s Trust 
Saturday, April 20 at 7 p.m.
Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
280 Miracle Mile
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Open to the Public, Tickets Available for $10
For more information, visit www.actorsplayhouse.org or call 211. To learn more about The Children’s Trust, please visit www.thechildrenstrust.org.
Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, together with presenting sponsor, The Children’s Trust, will culminate Young Talent Big Dreams, the most widespread local youth talent contest in Miami-Dade County history, with the semifinal and final competitions for student performers ages 8-17.
The competition features a total of eight categories: individual song, dance, original spoken word, musical instrument and original composition; and group categories (six or fewer members): dance, vocal/instrumental and instrumental. Over six months, hundreds of contestants attended the seven auditions held in distinct neighborhoods throughout the county. Participation was free, but limited to residents of Miami-Dade County. In each category, participants compete for prizes ranging from free master classes with industry leaders and performance opportunities, to cash awards, and tickets to local attractions and professional performances.
A special grand prize also will be awarded to the overall winner if from a musical category: a recording studio session and professionally produced song for each act with the renowned multi-award winning producer and musician Paul Fakhourie, who has produced Eric Clapton; Stephen, Damian and Ziggy Marley; and Lauren Hill, just to name a few. Fakhourie’s production and musical arrangement contributed to the success of the album “The Miseducation of Lauren Hill,†which garnered 10 Grammy nominations and won five Grammy Awards.
The grand prize winner also will receive $500 cash; individual first place winners receive $250; and first place group winners will receive $50 each up to $300 for a group of six. Each winner will also receive a 2013-14 Actors’ Playhouse Flexible Anytime Subscription for two (valued at $558), headshots courtesy of Alberto Romeu Photography and the winner of the dance category will also receive a Thomas Armour Youth Ballet Unlimited Scholarship to the Ballet Conservatory.
The Semi-Finals and Finals take place before a live audience. Each act was allotted up to one minute during their audition performance and will be given two minutes for the final-round performance. Contestants in each performance category from each audition location will compete in the semifinals, and three contestants in each category in the semifinals will advance to the finals. A winner in each category and an overall winner will ultimately be selected.
The judges for the finals on April 20 will be: David Arisco, Actors’ Playhouse Artistic Director; Howard Cohen, Miami Herald Columnist; Natalie Lewis, Executive Director of PATH, Inc./Musician, Spoken Word Artist, and Jodie Langel, Broadway Actor/Singer/Author.
“We initiated this outstanding youth program three years ago with the support of The Children’s Trust, to inspire and motivate children of all diversity and backgrounds to reach their goals by expressing themselves through the arts and their individual talent. The program has proven to be very successful with each and every contestant gaining confidence to explore opportunities to develop a career in the arts,†stated Barbara S. Stein, Actors’ Playhouse executive producing director.
