SPOTLIGHT: Ava Palmer

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SPOTLIGHT: Ava Palmer

Ava Palmer is one of the many students to enhance their love of performing arts through DMPA’s immersive summer camps.

PHOTOGRAPHER: DUANE TINKEY

AVA PALMERSummer theater camp helps fuel high schooler’s passion for the arts.

It’s become a familiar experience in Ava

Palmer’s household. Sitting in the living room, Palmer overhears her grandmother playing the same video on repeat.

The video depicts Palmer’s solo performance at Des Moines Performing Arts’ 2019 Broadway Summer Intensive camp, where she beautifully belted out a rendition of “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” from the musical Grease. The whole experience — and video — has become a huge point of pride for Palmer and her family.

“I’ll be sitting in the living room and hear the song playing, and that’s Grandma playing the video to her friends again,” Palmer says with a laugh.

Palmer, now a junior at Scavo High School in downtown Des Moines, says the performance was the biggest highlight in her love for the arts, which stems back to middle school.

During a stay at a youth shelter in sixth grade, Palmer learned to play piano from one of her mentors. It changed the course of her life — “it was a game changer,” Palmer says. From there, Palmer found her passion for dancing and singing. But she never had the opportunity to fuse the two together. ArtForce Iowa, a nonprofit organization that provides crucial access to the arts for at-risk youth, has played a vital role in Palmer’s life and devotion to the arts. The organization connected Palmer to

DMPA, which offered her a full scholarship to its annual Broadway Summer Intensive camp. The weeklong retreat brings in Broadway professionals to work with teenagers. Participants act, dance and sing, all culminating with a showcase for family and friends at the end of the week.

Without DMPA’s scholarship and ArtForce Iowa, Palmer wouldn’t have been exposed to such a lifechanging opportunity.

“Cost has always been an issue for me,” she says. “So being considered for a scholarship, I couldn’t believe it. It was crazy for me.”

Palmer excelled at the DMPA camp. Those working with her remarked about her work ethic and attitude. Palmer particularly enjoyed working with renowned Broadway performers, which only inspired her to learn and work more.

Her hard work stood out, and she eventually earned herself a coveted solo performance.

“I didn’t think I would get it because there are so many talented people,” Palmer says. “I thought there was no way I’d get picked. I was really proud.”

The camp has only furthered Palmer’s interest in theater.

“It was an amazing experience, and I was around such great people,” Palmer says. “It was really cool for me to have that first-hand experience. I think it’s an opportunity that everyone should have access to.” n