Local Teen Vies for Spot on Fox Theatre Stage

The 3rd Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition gets under way Feb. 9-10 when 155 high school students take their acts onstage in the preliminary round of a competition sponsored by the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation.

"We are pleased to have added more prizes and scholarship awards for our participating students,” stated Mary Strauss, president of Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation (FPACF) board of directors in a news release. “We hope all St. Louisans will come out and support our talented teens for the final competition on April 12 at the Fabulous Fox. It’s a great opportunity for the whole family to see great talent on the Fox stage free of charge.”

The Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation first produced the Teen Talent Competition in 2011 to showcase St. Louis region’s most talented teens in the performing arts, including singers, dancers, actors, musicians, comedians and circus arts performers. They compete as solo acts or in groups as many as six.

The following local student will compete as a singer this year: Janine Norman, of Ladue Horton Watkins High School. Editor's Note:  Photos were not available for all local contestants, including Norman, but can be added by readers to this article package.

Organizers of the Teen Talent Showcase said the number of entries increased more than 30 percent this year, and include an even wider variety of acts. The competition process, filmed by Miano.tv, will be available on the Teen Telent Showcase SchoolTube channel, donated by SchoolTube.com. Highlights of last year’s event and the winning performances from the 2011 and 2012 Showcase can be seen on SchoolTube and YouTube pages.

Judges for the preliminary round will include a cross section of professionals from the St. Louis performing arts community. A complete list of preliminary judges is available on the FPACF website.

The two days of preliminary competition at three locations (Lindenwood-Belleville, St. Louis Community College-Forest Park, UMSL) will narrow the field to approximately 36 acts. The acts will compete in the semi-final round of competition on March 2 where 10 to 12 acts will be chosen to compete in the finals at The Fox on April 12.

A total of $15,000 in scholarships will go to the top three finalists. Additional scholarships and prizes include:  $1,000 from UMSL to first place; scholarships from Lindenwood and Missouri Baptist for all participants; scholarships from Webster and SEMO to all finalists; and an additional $7,500 in special prizes will be awarded to contestants. A full list of special awards and prizes can be found on the FPACF website. Both The Muny and STAGES will offer one student the opportunity to participate in a 2013 production.   

FPACF directors also provide the finalists with additional opportunities to perform at area events throughout the year. Last year finalists showcased their talents at the Shakespeare Festival, Webster’s Art & Air Festival, The Muny, National Dance Week Celebration and Dancing in the Street.

Important dates for this year’s showcase are:

• Preliminary rounds of competition: Feb. 9-10
• Semi-final round of competition: March 2.
• Final competition on stage at The Fox: April 12. (FREE)

Community response to the free final competition at the Fox has grown over the past two years with “sold out” crowds. The Nine Network once again will broadcast an hour-long program on the 2013 competition with support from St. Louis Community College. Over the past two years, more than 120,000 viewers tuned in to The Nine Network’s hour-long program.