Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation (FPACF) is pleased to announce online registration is now open for the 11th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition for high school students in the bi-state St. Louis Metropolitan area. There are no fees to participate or register. This year the Preliminary Round of the competition will be conducted solely by video submissions.
Students will be vying forscholarships, special awards, prizes, and the opportunity to compete in the Finals on the Fabulous Fox Theatre stage. This event showcases the most talented teens in our region who excel in the performing arts. Past Finalists have performed on tour with Hamilton, on NBC’s The Voice, American Idol, in The Muny, with the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis, at the Sheldon Concert Hall, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, at Gateway Grizzlies & St. Louis Cardinals games, and area festivals.
Contestants must be enrolled in the 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade in the 2020-2021 school year and must attend a high school/home school within a 50-mile radius from the St. Louis Gateway Arch. Acts may be a solo or up to six students performing as a group. Performing arts categories include (but are not limited to): singers, dancers, actors, musicians, comedians, ventriloquists, and circus skill artists. Acts may perform original or published material. High school students can respond to the “Call for Entries” and register on-line at www.foxpacf.org.
Executive Director Judith Cullen noted, “This year, talented teens can compete in our first round by simply registering and submitting a video; there is not another scholarship opportunity as easy as this anywhere in our St. Louis area.”
Finalists in past years have included aerialists, classical and pop singers, a whistler, pianists, a harpist, ukulele artists and other musicians, dancers, jugglers, bands, and baton twirlers. The 2020 winner of the competition was freestyle, hip hop dancer DemBari Taneh from Kirkwood High School who won a $8,000 scholarship and a dance intensive scholarship.
Each round of the competition will have a panel of at least three judges who will adjudicate performances and advance acts to the next round. Judges for the Preliminary and Semi-final rounds are arts professionals from the St. Louis region who are asked to give each act constructive, verbal feedback following each performance. The Finalists will compete on the Fabulous Fox stage.
Students placing First, Second and Third will win college scholarships. Contestants who advance to the Semi-final Round will be eligible for various prizes, special awards, and scholarships. A complete list is available at www.foxpacf.org. Finalists will also be provided unique performance opportunities within the St. Louis area arranged by FPACF and by request.
“We are always gratified and happy with the response to this event from students, parents, arts organizations and the community. We are thrilled to provide the opportunity for students to perform at the Fox and on other stages around St. Louis. We are pleased that we are able to put talented young people in the spotlight,” said Mary Strauss, FPACF Board President and creator of the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition.
Call for Entries
11th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition
DEADLINE: Dec. 31, 2020
Register on-line: https://www.foxpacf.org/programs/teen-talent-competition/
Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation fosters, promotes, and encourages young people in the
St. Louis region to discover and participate in the joy and wonder of live performances.
In addition to the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition, the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation
also produces a variety of other performing arts programs including
Kids’ Night at the Fabulous Fox, Broadway Master Classes, Educational Encores,
and is a producing partner of the 5th Annual St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awar
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.