Redding School of the Arts: Encouraging Creativity & Challenging Experiences

Redding School of the Arts (RSA) is a place where creativity thrives through its robust K-12 music and art programs. Over the years, the school has produced numerous successful shows including last year’s productions of “The Wizard of Oz” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” This fall, RSA High School presented the musical “The Addams Family” under the direction of Teshya Russo at the RSA amphitheater. Teshya has taught dance, theater and drama, stage craft and production at RSA for 17 years and also directs the high school musical.

Beyond its stage performances, RSA is known for its welcoming and supportive environment from kindergarten to high school. Students are encouraged to be themselves while exploring a wide range of academic and artistic opportunities, such as dual enrollment at the high school level, a K-8 Mandarin immersion program, coding and robotics and a vast array of art, music and dance course offerings. As a result, students build confidence in their academic and artistic skills while forming strong connections within the school community. RSA connects learning to real-world experiences

This year, RSA’s middle school continues its musical tradition with its latest production, “Matilda Jr.” Lizzie Stoxen, RSA’s middle school musical director, appreciates that theater gives students a unique opportunity to learn a new perspective and provides them with a wider lens to see the world. “We like to select material that will challenge our students and suit their interests,” Stoxen says. “It’s important to us to select shows that will provide opportunities to feature as many performers as possible. We also try to choose things that are relevant to the students or the current social climate that they can learn and grow from.”

This approach reflects a broader philosophy at RSA, where teachers across disciplines and grade levels work to prepare students for future decisions by connecting learning to real-world experiences, which can also be seen in the cyclical thematic K-8 curriculum.

Students balance academics with rehearsals and performance schedules

Students and teachers consistently demonstrate dedication and enthusiasm for their learning experiences. K-8 dance instructor and choreographer Amberly Steffensen, who has been sharing her love of dance with RSA’s students for over 19 years, has witnessed this firsthand.

“When they’re first learning the choreography, it can be chaotic and not coordinated and then they progress and rehearse and suddenly it comes together. It’s like magic on stage!

RSA offers a diverse art and music program that goes beyond theater. K-12 students can explore classes ranging from culinary arts, orchestra and band, choir, piano, stage craft and set design to dance, photography and ceramics. During the preparation for shows, students balance a rigorous rehearsal schedule with academic responsibilities, while still maintaining a positive attitude.

Theater students gain life skills

Many RSA students find that despite their nerves, performing is rewarding. “I feel kind of nervous because it is a lot of pressure and it’s a lot to live up to, but also I feel really excited,” says Mary Charlotte Kendrick, who plays the intimidating Mrs. Trunchbull.

A parent of three RSA students says, “I can attest to the benefits of performing arts and its influence. Where most students struggle in college speech courses, my RSA graduate shows no hesitation at being in front of a classroom.”

RSA alumni, Linze Zaniroli say the drama program gave her baseline acting skills that laid the foundation for her theater roles in high school and the greater community. “It gave me confidence to try new things.”

Behind the scenes, RSA students are equally involved

Students get an opportunity to create the sets and props, collaborating with art teacher Richard Cherveny. “We look at the actual script and then talk about the descriptions that happen in every scene as we start to kind of play out what should be in that scene,” Cherveny says. “My favorite part of this is probably the painting and finishing the products,” says one of the set design students assisting with the “Matilda Jr.” musical. The backstage crew also plays a vital role managing lighting, projections and special effects.

“During the ‘Little Mermaid Jr.,’ we projected a water effect on the walls to make it seem like they were underwater,” said one tech student. These immersive technical elements help bring each show to life while teaching tech students all the behind-the-scenes skills required to produce a show.

The upcoming production of “Matilda Jr.” represents months of collaboration, creativity and hard work by RSA middle school students and staff. The cast and crew invite the Redding community to come experience the magic they have created on stage at the historic Cascade Theatre!

Performances are Jan. 29-31. Tickets can be purchased at cascadetheatre.org/performances/matilda-jr/.

Blending core studies with art boosts learning, comprehension, retention

High school students at RSA can benefit from small class sizes in math, English, history, social studies and science. From K-8 grades, RSA students may be immersed in a Mandarin language program, but by high school Mandarin is offered to teens as a language class just like French and Spanish along with culinary arts, music, theater and visual arts. Students are singing, dancing, acting and designing theater props and promotional posters for theater productions. They may be considering the life of bugs in science class and learning to draw them in art class. Teachers work together to stimulate learning, understanding that a student struggling in math or science may excel in art. Purposely blending those domains can help the student thrive by involving all senses in the learning process to better understand and integrate academic subjects.

RSA students’ artistic talents blossom through deeper study in high school

As the RSA high school art teacher, Cassandra Plummer takes students on a deep dive into the visual arts, progressing through drawing, painting, ceramics (the studio has 10 pottery wheels), sculpture, photography (cameras and ipads provided), print making and digital arts using Adobe and Procreate illustration and editing programs. Student abilities range from beginner to advanced and getting to know her students allows Cassandra to customize a visual arts program that helps them explore and create one-of-a-kind works of art. Some students create highly realistic drawings while others are strong in character illustration and building Pixar-style animation drawings. Some very advanced students are taking college classes in glassblowing, watercolor and figure drawing.

For students that are just beginning in the arts, Cassandra takes them through a step-by-step process to help them see as an artist. She urges them not to give up, but to follow her lead, believing it is a life lesson for them to build skills, one-by-one, to see what they can achieve.

Cassandra’s goal is to provide an RSA education that helps prepare teens who love the arts for a career in the arts. She’s excited about the introduction of new Career Technical Pathways courses designed to help teenagers understand how to connect art with industry, identifying the pathway to not just a job, but an art career that they love.

Families interested in pursuing a spot for their child at Redding School of the Arts may apply for enrollment. Applications are entered into an annual lottery system and a select number of hopeful families are called to confirm enrollment. Visit rsarts.org or call (530)247-6933.