Pinellas County Center For the Arts Where Stars Are Born

BY CINDY STOVALL

Driving south in St. Pete on US Highway 19, you pass familiar local businesses - beauty shops, hardware stores, meat markets and restaurants. They are part of the scenic imprint in our minds whenever we think about neighborhood. Yet, somehow, many of us are unaware of the star incubator that exists in the middle of this unassuming world.

Somewhere around 13th Avenue South, just after you pass a tire shop on the east side, an expansive school campus stretches out before you. The lines of the buildings slope and turn in pleasing ways. It’s pretty for a place of learning. But did you know that history has been made at Gibbs High School time and time again?

Historic Beginnings

Gibbs was originally built in 1927. The imperative was to provide the fi rst free secondary education to black students in Pinellas County. Appropriately, it was named for Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs - an African American who was Superintendent of Public Instruction and Secretary of State in Florida during Reconstruction.

Those early students got a long overdue opportunity to learn beyond the 6th grade - to realize previously unthought-of potential. They held proms at the Manhattan Casino. And like the Manhattan, Mercy Hospital, The Royale Theater and many more iconic buildings, Gibbs became part of a community that was kept separate and apart from life north of Central Avenue.

Fast forward to post-integration era circa 1979. A visionary county administrator felt a need for emphasis in the arts and, with that impulse, a new historic step for Gibbs began. A representative traveled to Dallas to monitor arts programming. After sharing his fi ndings with key Gibbs personnel, model programs for the entire state of Florida were formed for artistically and academically talented students and shared with 67 county school administrators. at St. Petersburg High School, and the Artistically Talented Program (now PCCA) was installed at Gibbs.

How Stars are Born

So, how does it work? In addition to standard high school academic courses, students enrolled in the Pinellas County Center for the Arts, having passed audition, are off ered highly specialized arts classes that uniquely prepare them to meet their future potential and to give them real world advantages toward that end. The categories for students accepted for admission are Dance (modern dance and ballet), Music (vocal, instrumental and piano), Theater (performance, musical, tech and literary) and Visual Arts (painting, sculpting, photography, printmaking and ceramics).

Instructors not only teach the courses, but mentor students one on one. Master classes are off ered by visiting experts in any given discipline. Arts shows and staged performances are meticulously presented each semester at very high levels of execution on par with professionals. Workshops on real world arts infrastructure are frequent and strategies for future success, including in college, is always a part of the discussion.

I have had the honor of interviewing a number of PCCA graduates over the past six seasons of The Beauty & The ‘Burg podcast. Some have molded great careers right here at home and some have attained accolades nationally and internationally. But they had help along the way.

Two faculty members have come up consistently in these interviews as sources of great inspiration and support. Keven Renken is the current chair of the theater department and has been with Gibbs for 31 years. He has been a pioneering force in the development of what is now considered one of the premier theater programs in the state. Did you know you can see productions, twice a year, for around $10? That’s a no brainer for your theater budget.

Some of the many comments from students: “ Mr. Renken did so much to help us with our future careers.” “He pushed us to produce shows that could appear on any professional stage.” “Mr. Renken was a great teacher, mentor and friend.”

Karen Bail, a Gibbs alum herself, retired last year from her role as a music and vocal instructor after decades of service. She continues, though, to be a mentor, friend and fan to a generation of students. In fact, she revels in it. “I have made traveling to see my former students perform around the country a focus in my life,” explains Bail. “Nothing gives me more joy and I’m so proud of every one of them. Knowing I was a part of their journey is so meaningful to me. It’s hard to put into words.”

It’s meaningful to them too. Bail’s infl uence in the lives of her former students is made evident by the outpouring of love and frequent pics with her in their social media posts. “She was always there for me.” “It means so much to me that she still comes to my shows.” “Ms. Bail always pushed me to be better. I owe a lot of my success to her.” “She loved the music, and made us love it, too.”

The Local Stars

These are but a few of the many great stories of successful PCCA grads who have remained or returned to this area to practice or teach their craft.

Poet Gloria Munoz and her musician/ composer husband Mark Fineman of jazz ensemble La Lucha (new album released soon). Both are PCCA grads and met as students. Munoz also co-founded Pitch Her Productions with fellow PCCA grad and actress Chanel Waterhouse. The company empowers women in fi lm and is based in NYC where Waterhouse lives.

Visual artists Laura Spencer and partner, sculptor George Retkes are recent recipients of Creative Pinellas Emerging Artists grants - both PCCA grads. Spencer relates that PCCA “was arguably the most infl uential arts education experience I ever had. It set me on a course for success.” Eva Avenue is an artist (Eva Avenue Studio) and writer (News Service editor for the New York Times) whose time at PCCA “meant so much, I could talk about it forever.” Of course, with infl uences like her mother, artist Carol Dameron and step-father, iconic jazz and civil rights photographer, Herb Snitzer, it seems natural for her to be so talented.

Anthony Murphy and Blaine Krauss

Jamieson Lindenberg

Helen Hansen French is our dancing muse. A PCCA and Julliard grad, Helen came home from NYC and has helped bring dance here in St. Pete to its highest level of excellence. She co-founded Beacon, an annual dance showcase performed at the Palladium. It is scheduled this year on April 3. Carrie Jadus of Carrie Jadus Fine Art & Portraiture in the Warehouse Arts District, is one of St. Pete’s best known artists. Her paintings have been selected to represent the City of St. Pete, the Tampa Bay Rays and her murals are some of the most familiar in the area. Siobhan Monique is the niece of Duke Ellington ensemble great Buster Cooper (also a St. Pete native). She came home from a successful run as an actress on and off Broadway, to build a skyrocketing career as a jazz vocalist.

The ExPETEriots

Of course, the career of Ephraim Sykes, ‘05 dance grad, is incredible to follow. Now a Broadway veteran (“Hamilton” original cast, “Little Mermaid,” “Memphis,” “Newsies,” “Motown the Musical”), he received a Tony nomination this past year for his role in “Ain’t Too Proud.” Now, Sykes is slated to star in the new musical about Michael Jackson...as the LEAD! Sykes has been on TV as well: “30 Rock,” “Smash,” HBO’s “Vinyl” with Bobby Cannavale and “Hairspray LIVE” on NBC (Seaweed). His sister, Martina Sykes, also a PCCA grad, has toured with Disney’s “The Lion King.” Together, the siblings have created a scholarship fund, SykesKids, that will benefi t PCCA students.

Dylan Glatthorn, ‘05 music grad, lives in NYC and is a musician, composer and lyricist. The two-time recipient of the Alan Menken Award is working on his third fulllength musical (“Edison”). He has scored commercials and independent fi lms, including collaborations with award-winning fi lmmaker and fellow PCCA grad William Joseph Stribling. Their fi lm “Bear With Us” went all the way to Cannes.

Michelle Dowdy, musical theater grad, was recruited to Broadway as a Gibbs senior to be standby for the lead of Tracy in “Hairspray.” She has played the role on tour and on the high seas. Most recently, Dowdy performed in the off -Broadway show :The Marvelous Wonderettes” and was just cast for the national tour of “Les Miserables.” Alana Clapp was a musical theater student who switched to tech and rose to become general stage manager of “Mystere” - the longest running Cirque du Soliel production in Las Vegas. Clapp has worked on a number of TV, comedy and fi lm specials. Speaking of Cirque, Jamieson Lindenberg traveled the world with two Cirque productions as lead vocalist, and currently is assistant director of “Kooza.” He has also released several albums, and is the creator/director of “Girlie Show.”

Lisa Finegold

Stefanie Lehman has been the business manager for Lincoln Center in NYC since 2015 and is on the editorial board for Southern Theatre Magazine. Lisa Finegold, dance grad, travelled on the national tours of “Wicked” and “Dreamcoat.” She made her Broadway debut in “Rock of Ages” and went on to become dance captain for “Head Over Heels.” She is currently on the national tour of “Hamilton.” Maya Flock was understudy for the role of Maria in the fi rst national tour of “West Side Story.” She performed as a soloist for the Boston Pops and starred in an MT short fi lm, “Hey Beautiful,” that premiered in Paris. Anthony Murphy, musical theater grad, spent the past year on the “Aladdin” national tour as the bigger than life Genie.

Justin Hires is an actor and standup comedian. He portrayed Det. James Carter on the TV series Rush Hour. He also portrayed Juario in the fi lm “21 Jump Street.” He currently stars as Wilt Bozer in the “MacGyver” reboot series. Did you know he went to PCCA? As a “Pose” junkie, I was fl at out gone over knowing PCCA grad Blaine Krauss was in the cast. He has had roles in “The Cher Show,” “Kinky Boots,” “Great Comet” on Broadway and has been on tour with “Hamilton” and” Lion King” as Simba.

Everyone listed here agrees on one thing. The bonds they forged at Gibbs travel with them wherever they go. PCCA, for them, was about a lot more than the training. “We are a family - a community.

Catch audio interviews with many of the people featured in this article on The Beauty & The ‘Burg podcast. Go to www.heliumradio.com