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Young dancer steps into serious role

By NICK JOHNSON
Published April 18, 2007

A rotation of plays to showcase local talent, "3 Plays in Rep," includes the debut of Janae Starling, a young dancer turned actor.

Grace is the story of the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Ala., that killed four black girls. The play is based on the memoirs of Libby Cobbs, whose Klansman uncle was responsible for the bombings and whose testimony later led to his conviction.

Throughout the play Libby is visited by the ghost of Denise McNair, one of the girls killed in the blast. Denise acts as the conscience or guiding light to Libby and is brought to life on stage by Janae Starling.

Janae, an 11-year-old student at Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School, has been dancing since she was about 4. It was through performances with The Chocolate Nutcracker at Ruth Eckerd Hall that director Angela Bond learned about her.

"I knew I needed a young African-American girl who could dance," Bond said. "I put out an all-points bulletin to my friends in the theater community."

Through a series of contacts she found Janae.

"She did really great and took direction real well," Bond said. "I only have to tell her things once."

Janae's dance training likely provided the discipline that she needed to take direction well, and the maturity and poise that she has expressed during the production go beyond her years.

The play deals heavily with issues of race and contains mature and sexual situations. No one had considered how this might affect Janae until an initial reading.

Her mother, Thalia Starling, remembered her own reaction to the content.

"At first I was a little upset. I was invited to the reading and all these harsh words were coming out," Starling said, but she was relieved by Janae's mature response and Bond's attentiveness.

"Angela Bond stopped the rehearsal to apologize to me, and most importantly she checked on Janae," Starling said.

Janae seems to be taking it all in stride and enjoying her first speaking role on the stage.

"I've had a great experience doing the play. The cast members are excellent; they're not mean or anything. It makes me feel like I'm at home," she said.

Grace is part of a movement toward socially relevant theater that Bob Devin Jones, one of the studio's art directors, hopes will draw a new, diverse audience. He plans to make 3 Plays in Rep an annual event in the Studio's growing menu of theater productions, along with other plays by American authors and even Shakespeare.

"We want to do plays that are pieces that the whole community can see their journey reflected in," Jones said.

Jones, who also will appear in Permanent Collection, which finishes the year's three plays, plans to take advantage of the flexibility of a smaller venue by drawing on local talent to bring out a local audience.

Anne Wykell, the city manager of cultural affairs, hopes that efforts like this will help the theater scene in St. Petersburg realize its full potential.

"That you could put the actors and directors in the plays together, from the area, speaks to the depth of talent we have here," she said. "I hope 620 continues to do theater and that other talented theater people get out there and show their work."

Janae says she will continue with dance and theater but plans to pursue a career in journalism. In the meantime, she has the support of her family and counterparts to help her reach her full potential.

"Absolutely," her mother said. "I know that she desires to do more with this and we, her family, are behind her 100 percent."

And the door at the Studio@620 remains open.

"I'm looking toward the future of working with her myself," said Jones, who already has parts picked out for her in August Wilson plays he would like to produce.

"We could have had any little girl do the play, but were so glad it's her, because she's also taught us a lot."

Nick Johnson can be reached at nickjohnson@sptimes.com or 893-8215.

Fast Facts:

'Grace'

8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday. $10, $5 for students and seniors. The Studio@620 620 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg. 895-6620; www.thestudioat620.org.

[Last modified April 17, 2007, 20:09:18]