Center Stage
Hartung's mom, who speaks with great pride when discussing his accomplishments, shared some aspects she experienced through the school that helped him and other students realize their strengths in theater and music.
“I think the teachers are very dedicated to their art and to their students as a whole,” she said. “They provide a very welcoming environment where students aren't afraid to go beyond what they are comfortable with. There are a lot of elective introductory courses to try out, and I think a lot of kids would not realize they had an ability in music, and other areas, if they didn't have the opportunity.”
Rossman said the parents are also invested in the productions at Boyertown.
“Their kids graduate, and they stay on and still help with the shows and backstage and the costumes,” she said. “They are still involved in any way they can.”
Hartung offered some inspiring words of encouragement for upcoming graduates.
“When the going gets tough, dig in, because that's where you're going to find your true inspiration, he said.
As for Hartung's personal journey, he shared his dream.
“My dreams are to be consistently working as an artist, whether that be at the MET or The Washington National Opera or with regional companies,” he said. “To me, the most important part is the art and art can be made anywhere.'
Ashlie is an eighthgrader at PA Leadership Charter School's Center for Performing and Fine Arts in West Chester. Her professional dreams include roles both on and off the stage.
“I have always, ever since I got introduced to theater, wanted to be a Broadway actor and then from there, become a Broadway director,” Ashlie said.
Ashlie has already performed professionally, landing her first role at age 10 when she played the role of Lavender in “Matilda the Musical” with SALT Performing Arts in Chester Springs.
“It was my first professional show, and it was amazing,” she said. “There is that moment right before you go on stage when you are very nervous, and then you go on and forget the crowd is even there.”
She balances her performing arts studies with the academic arm of the school called University Scholars Program. Her performing arts curriculum is her sole focus on Mondays and Wednesdays; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are reserved for academics.
She had to audition to be accepted into the school's Center for Performing and Fine Arts (CPFA).
“I performed a monologue, I did a song and I submitted my artwork portfolio,” Ashlie said.
Her passion for performing was rooted at a young age through SALT.
“She got her start there doing camps and landed a role in their main stage production,” said her mother, Ciaara. “She was like, ‘I love this, I want to do this forever and always.'”
After recognizing her daughter was truly in her element, and hearing from a vocal coach at SALT who said she had a special gift, Ciaara and her husband, Tim, were willing to do what it took to support Aliyeh's aspirations.
“When she was 9 and in ‘The Music Man,' that is when I really saw her shine,” Ciaara said. “You look at her and think, ‘Oh my God, she is at home here and this is her space.'”
They were also impressed with her level of commitment off the stage.
“Every moment she had free she was either rehearsing her lines and practicing her choreographed dances,” Ciaara said. “I saw how committed she was.”
At the end of fifth grade at private school, her parents began looking at schools that offered a concentration in the performing arts. The search led them to CPFA.
“She begged us to go,” Ciaara said. “The school's main focus is on training and technique to support her in her roles in the theater.”
Still active in local theater productions, Aliyeh is preparing for her upcoming role as Ruth in the play “Ash Girl,” a Cinderella spinoff, through CPFA.
She said her favorite role she has played was Dorothy Brock in the musical “42nd Street.” She shared her dream role.
“I would love to play Charlotte in Cinderella; she has so much personality and character,” Ailyeh said. “I would also love to be part of the ensemble in ‘A Chorus Line.'”