Triple Promise Academy, Bay Ridge’s premier performing arts school for kids and teens, is turning the world of theatre education upside down this spring!
Founded in 2022 by Jill and Nicholas Hudson, Triple Promise Academy for the Performing Arts offers a plethora of classes and theatre-production programs for kids and teens of all ages and experience levels.
What makes their new series of shows so unique is that this time around, the kids and adults have swapped places! Yes, you heard that right; the kids are writing their own shows and are directing adult professional actors who are stepping into the spotlight!
The first production of this kind opened March 27th and featured five, original, ten-minute plays written and directed by students ranging in age from 9 to 13.
Playwright and director Kieran Lavin (13), of Bay Ridge, made his playwriting debut with last month’s production. “I love seeing my ideas come to life, trying different things and seeing what works,” he said. “I like directing adults. These actors are professionals who understand the concepts and deliver on cue.”
Samantha Epstein (11), agrees. “I like writing my own scripts because I can decide how the story goes. It’s really cool directing a show that I actually wrote.”
And it’s not just the kids who are enjoying the experience. Professional actor Arik Hartman adamantly stated, “Don’t call these children ‘future directors.’ They’re directing, right here and right now.”
Fellow castmate Matthew Socci echoed Hartman’s sentiments. “It’s really important for artists to support each other, regardless of age, and these directors have given us a great opportunity.”
John Ivy, another actor in the show, shared, “It’s been an incredibly fun experience working with such talent at such a young age. I certainly wish I had been graced with such a program when I was ten.”
Triple Promise parents are thrilled at the leadership opportunities this program offers. Melissa Lavin, Kieran’s mother, said, “It is a huge accomplishment for my son, as a teenager, to direct professional actors in a play that he created. His new career goal is to be a director, and he is so proud of the hard work he is putting into something that he loves so much.”
Now that the first show has closed, the students are diving back into the playwriting process, creating new scripts for the next production, which will open in a couple of months.
For show tickets and program information, visit www.triplepromise.com.
