Old church becomes new stage for St. Pete youth theater program

Perhaps we can call it the “Lin Manuel Miranda Effect.” Youth interest in musical theater is on the rise and one of the area’s top youth programs is not throwing away their shot. St. Pete MAD (short for Music, Acting and Dance) is seizing an opportunity to lease space for a permanent home. 

Founder and Creative Director Dru Rabin recently announced that St. Pete MAD has signed a lease on a space at The Sunflower Private School in Gulfport. Sunflower recently purchased the property at 5313 27th Avenue South, where it had rented space from the Presbyterian Church for 47 years. St. Pete MAD is leasing the facility’s former sanctuary, which sat more than 200 people in traditional church pews. 

St. Pete MAD is an important part of the area’s youth theater community, offering instruction and performance opportunities for students ages 6 to 17. The program is for all skill levels, from students who have never set foot on a stage, to those starring in their high school play. 

In addition to impressive theater bona fides, Rabin also has an extensive career in curriculum development. The new space will allow St. Pete MAD to introduce its revolutionary new curriculum, The Chain, to a larger audience, and create teaching fellowships that bring national talent to the area.

St. Pete’s MAD’s past offerings include ambitious productions of Willy Wonka Jr., Footloose, The Lion King Jr., Disney’s The Descendants, Into The Woods, and Mean Girls. Many of its students perform with local performing arts programs such as Gibbs High School, John Hopkins Middle School, Canterbury and Shorecrest. St. Pete MAD also runs an extensive schedule of summer camps, often led by its own alumni who are on break from their college theater programs. 

According to Rabin, “The partnership with the Sunflower Private School enables us to establish a place on their campus that is more than just a physical space. It’s literally a sanctuary where creativity and community can connect. We can now expand our classes and workshops in characterization, movement, stage dynamics, and voice so that more students of all ages can experience our innovative acting program.” Long-term plans for the space also include a Mystery Dinner Theater, and a Children’s Theater program, neither of which currently exist in Pinellas County. 

St. Pete’s young Broadway hopefuls have a new place to take their shot. For updates on the 2023-24 program visit stpetemad.com.