Seats Filling Up For New London Youth Talent Show

The rehearsals and hard work of youth from around New London County will culminate Saturday in the second annual Youth Talent Show.

Doors open an hour before the 6 p.m. show on Saturday, which is again taking place at the . The event is sponsored by the theater, Jammin 107.7, Kitchings Productions, and .

Curtis Goodwin, owner of I AM Me Studios and an organizer of the event, said he hopes this year’s show will be as successful as . The 1,472-seat theater sold out for the event, and Goodwin estimated that over 200 more were turned away after the Garde hit capacity.

This year, 21 acts will take the stage featuring youth ages 10 to 25 from around New London County. The talents range from piano to spoken word to rock to magic. In the weeks leading up to the event, participants have been coming to twice a week for rehearsals lasting three-and-a-half hours each.

“As you can see, they get in here and they just start,” Goodwin said as one person practiced a beatboxing routine in the lobby. “I love it.”

Justin Dozier said acts have been training for close to a month. Dozier has been helping with vocal coaching for the singing acts, but said the role goes beyond just pitch correction. He and other coaches first work to get the youth comfortable with fellow acts and the idea of performing in front of a large crowd, then turn to critiques and advice on the how the performance can be improved.

“They get the hang of it quickly,” said Dozier. “These kids are really smart.”

Andrea Messenger, one of the committee planners, said the original show grew out of a New London Anti-Violence initiative to highlight the talent of New London’s youth. She said organizers considered last year’s show a major success based on the dedication of performers and the support of the community.

“We really wanted to keep that sentiment from that year’s show in this year’s show,” she said.

Frank Colmenares, a rapper who is part of the group Alumni, helped to coach performers last year and is doing again for this show. He said he wants to help teach youth the structure and skills he learned over the years, but also serve as a mentor.

“All that hard work turns into pleasure and joy for them…It’s like finally getting something you worked for so many years,” he said.

Sara Buscetto, 14, of New London, is returning to the stage to sing after participating in last year’s show. This year, she is trying out a more challenging song as well as an original one.

“I get more comfortable the more times I perform something,” she said.

A friend recommended the show to 23-year-old Michaela Johnson of New London after she mentioned on Facebook that she wanted to sing. Johnson has had some experience singing in front of crowds, but this will be her first time in the Youth Talent Show.

“I came in as a spectator to watch the show and got encouraged to perform,” she said.

Goodwin says the talent show and rehearsals give youth a chance to showcase their talent as well as learn life skills. In addition to the performers, he has youth participants who will shadow the Garde staff for aspects of the show’s production.

“We’re pushing them to have an outlet for their talent, not necessarily to be the next famous person,” he said.

Tickets may be purchased at the Garde’s box office or website.

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