Janis FontaineA $2 million gift from philanthropist Roe Green launched the 8,500-square-foot education center.
Chief Executive Andrew Kato’s 15-year dream to create an education mecca attached to the Maltz Jupiter Theatre comes to fruition when the Roe Green Education Center opens Oct. 6.
The new home of the Goldner Conservatory, the teaching arm of the Maltz, is named for benefactor Roe Green, who made a $2 million donation from her foundation this year. The theater’s board committed the remaining money to complete the $5 million project.
At the time, Kato called the gift “transformative” and said it would “change a lot of lives” by providing even more young people with access to high-quality arts education. Miriam Rose Colvin, marketing and communications associate for the Maltz, said the expansion will double the number of students the center can serve to 1,200.
Behind the colorful doors
Now known as the Goldner Conservatory at the Roe Green Education Center, the center has ballooned in size to 8,500 square feet and is dominated by a long wide hallway punctuated by brightly colored doors. Behind each one, opportunity waits.
One door welcomes students to a sprawling dance studio with “sprung” floors where the Maltz expansion in dance education is augmented by faculty from the acclaimed Demetrius Klein Dance Company, South Florida’s oldest modern dance company. New classes include ballet, jazz, modern/contemporary, hip-hop and tap.
Behind another door, state-of-the-art equipment and a cozy blue couch furnish the studio where Kato’s podcast, “Backstage with Andrew Kato,” is being produced. The long-form podcast will be available on various platforms beginning Wednesday. It will feature segments with industry professionals, including music performances called “Couch Concerts,” a take on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts.
Down the hall past pictures of playwrights, the stunning “flex studio” is dominated by a vibrant, flexible green screen that fills a corner of the room. Acting for the green screen is an art, and technically inspired students can use the screen to create special effects.
The sprung floors in the two acting studios, which absorb shocks and return energy to the surface, make hours of rehearsals easier on the joints and back. Long black curtains that keep out the harsh sun can also be drawn back to allow in natural light.
Private lessons can take place in the two rehearsal/teaching studios tucked in a quiet corner.
A library and computer lab for editing resumes, researching parts or scene study fill another alcove. The center features new locker rooms and bathrooms, a break room, office space and a space for interns to learn.
The conservatory’s goal of producing well-rounded actors includes teaching them the audition process, and there are several classes devoted to it. Preparing for an audition is changing, and technology has made the self-taped audition a critical component in an actor’s arsenal. Veteran actor instructor Kenneth Kay teaches the class.
Surrounded by inspiration
Energy flows through the bright, open space. The walls are lined with quotes and photos of actors, playwrights, choreographers and directors. The Maltz motto, “Talented and Kind,” is around every corner. Through two double doors across from the center, professional actors starring in the Maltz’s MainStage productions or in the new Island Theatre rehearse, a reminder to the students of what their lives can be.
But young performers who never become pros still reap the benefits of theater, music and dance education. The National Endowment for the Arts research report, “Snapshots of Arts Education in Childhood and Adolescence: Access and Outcomes,” found, “Participation in out-of-school arts activities was positively correlated with many social-emotional attributes and academic outcomes for children from kindergarten through fifth grade.”
The positive effects continue, all the way through high school and into college, the report found.
“Among high schoolers, arts participation was positively correlated with social-emotional attributes during ninth grade, while arts course completion was linked with greater academic achievement, high school graduation, and post-graduation outcomes.”
And the Maltz thinks you’re never too young or too old to start learning. Programs are offered for every age, from 2 years old to the new senior ensemble for age 50 and older that kicks off with a production in the spring.
There’s also a Maltz curriculum devoted to homeschooled students and classes that welcome neurodivergent learners.
The moves follow in a long tradition for the space. The Maltz is at the site of the former home of the now-defunct Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre Training, where apprentices took classes from stars such as Liza Minnelli, Charles Nelson Reilly, Dom DeLuise and Reynolds himself.
Something for everyone
“Whether you’re a parent looking for after-school programs, a young adult preparing for auditions, or a retiree ready to try something new, we’ve got a place for you here,” Director of Education Kim Cozort Kay said.
There’s more for the artist behind the scenes now, from learning camera work to film editing, audio production, making radio shows and podcasts, and even voice work.
“The backstage experiences are extensive,” Maltz staff member Colvin said, from set building and props, painting and dressing sets, lighting and sound, all the heavy lifting that goes on behind the scenes.
Still unsure? The theater is offering a Sample Week Oct. 6-10 where visitors can take a class for free. “Drop in and try out one of our classes. No reservations needed,” Colvin said.
If you go: The Goldner Conservatory at the Roe Green Education Center at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 E. Indiantown Road, Jupiter. Tours are offered from noon-7 pm Tuesday-Friday, and Saturday from 10 am-2 pm through Saturday, Oct. 4. Sample Week takes place from Oct. 6-10. No registration required. 561-743-2666 or www.maltzjupiter.org.
