NO SMALL Parts
BY BARBARA RUBEN
T Lechter can only estimate that “thousands”
of children have taken part in AFYP over the
years. “The beauty of it is I can’t go to Target
or go to a graduation and not see some kid I
haven’t already met and is excited to tell me
about what they’re doing now,” she says.

AFYP’s first classes were held in a rented
room in a fire station. Lechter says AFYP was
“nomadic” during its first years before finding
a home in 2012 at the Mason Community Arts
Academy at George Mason University in Fairfax.

Today, the program offers summer camps,
after-school programs, classes and what it calls
showcases — musical productions targeted to
various age groups. This fall, four showcases will
be in rehearsals, with performances in December.

“I impress on (the students) that there are no
small parts. We want everyone to feel important
in the process and have something special to
do,” Lechter says.

While the showcase rehearsals and
performances will be in person, audiences will
be restricted to Zoom. But that’s a step in the
right direction, according to Lechter. When
COVID-19 first shut down schools in spring
2020, AFYP acted fast, reasoning that the show
must go on.

“While the world was shutting down, they were
literally one of the very, very few organizations
to stay running,” says Meggan Strasbaugh,
whose daughter Hailey has participated in AFYP
programs for the last two years. “They moved
seamlessly online with Zoom. I was so happy
they kept going during that time when we had
nothing else,” she says.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ACTING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
At ACTING
FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE in Fairfax,
every student
has the
opportunity to shine
en-year-old Noah Campbell has
encountered the Wicked Witch of
the West, danced the Charleston and
embarked on a film noir movie marathon.

It’s all part of his experience with Acting for
Young People, which offers theater classes
and opportunities to be on stage (both real
and virtual) for kids ages 5 to 18.

Last December, online audiences could catch
Noah as Wee Willie, a Tiny Tim-type character in
“A Wicked Christmas Carol,” a kind of mash-up
between “The Wizard of Oz” and “A Christmas
Carol.” This fall, he’s looking forward to a role
in “Rockin’ Robin Hood,” in which the titular
character and his band of merry men and women
sing and dance their way through a mixtape
of pop hits. His little brother Lucas, 6, also
participates in programs for younger kids.

Fairfax’s AFYP, as it’s called, is now in its 24th
year, igniting dreams of Tonys and Oscars for
hundreds of children each year — or at least
giving them the courage to set foot on stage
and belt out a tune. AFYP is the brainchild
of Mary Lechter, a Washington-area actress
who has performed at Arena Stage and Source
Theatre, among other stages. Her credits also
include the soap opera “All My Children” and
the movie “Avalon.”
While performing, she started teaching acting
classes for kids at The John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts and Studio Theatre.

“I discovered I had a real love for teaching,”
she says. “But when I moved to Fairfax, I
realized there were no acting classes for kids, so
I just took a stab at it.”
12 Washington FAMILY SEPTEMBER 2021
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The number of pandemic-
era students has fallen off a
bit, says Lechter, noting that
600 youth participated in
summer camps this year,
compared with 800 to 900
in a typical year. Camp
programs were offered both
online and in person. Scene
blocking got trickier to ensure
actors were at least 6 feet apart,
and enunciation through masks took
some practice, according to Lechter.

The status of after-school programs this fall
was still in flux in mid-August. The same is true
of AFYP’s free Time to Shine program, held after
school at three Fairfax County Title 1 elementary
schools. The program, funded with support of The
Community Foundation for Northern Virginia,
offers acting classes and a snack for children
at schools where many students have low-
income families.

Hailey, 13, says she is excited to return to
in-person classes. “AFYP made me love acting,
singing and dancing. The environment is super
fun and happy and positive,” she says. “And while
I like performing online, it’s not the same as
seeing everyone in person.”
Hailey played Simba in AFYP’s production of
“The Lion King.” Rehearsals started in person in
spring 2020 but quickly transitioned to online.

She also cites AFYP’s teachers as an inspiration.

The program uses professional actors and
theater education students from George Mason
University, where Lechter is a faculty member.

“They are a combination of folks like me, career
professionals in arts, and students. I know within
a couple days of seeing these students interact
— their clarity in explaining, their generosity in
wanting to help others — if they might be right
for AFYP,” says Lechter, who is also the associate
director of Mason Community Arts Academy.

Some AFYP participants, like Hailey, hope to
go on to a career onstage, and some alumni have
been in local productions at Ford’s Theatre and
Monumental Theatre Company
in Alexandria. A few have been
in independent films.

However, the program has
benefits for a range of youth,
Lechter says.

“We see a growth in
confidence. Acting is hard.

Students come out of their
shell, speak a little louder, become
a little more sociable with their
peers. We hear from parents that grades
have improved because their presentations went
really well,” she says. “When in a production,
there are always problems to solve, and it helps
them think quickly and creatively.”
Noah’s mother, Leigh Campbell, says, “They
are learning public speaking skills, learning how
to act in front of other people. I think they’ll
carry this with them their whole life: how to be in
the spotlight and not be uncomfortable.”
Noah, who admits he doesn’t need much of a
confidence boost, describes his AFYP summer
camp experience in this way: “Some kids were
super shy and quiet, but by the end of the week,
they were super loud and happy!” T
MARY LECHTER
To learn more, visit afyp.org or call 703-554-4931.

Fall showcase rehearsals are held on Saturdays, starting
Sept. 11. The fee ranges from $275 to $450,
depending on the age group.

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