Artista Academy to serve the Southeast

No doubt the so-called three “R’s” (reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic) are familiar to generations of students. But for Gabriela Gallo, the founder and artistic director of Artista Academy in Steinbach, it’s the three “C’s” that are important to her organization, namely creativity, confidence and community.

Artista Academy, a not-for-profit musical theatre and performance organization will provide instruction in dance, theatre and music discipline.

The goal, Gallo said, is to inspire young minds to dream big, build confidence and embrace community.

Artista Academy represents a long-held goal.

“It’s always been a dream of mine and it’s finally coming to life,” she said.

Gallo has been producing musical theatre in Steinbach for years but said the numbers of students wanting to get involved made creation of Artista Academy possible.

“I realized that the growth was just so tremendous that I needed to create my own company where I could kind of tailor it exactly as I saw fit for the needs of our students and their families,” she said.

Gallo got her first taste of the stage right here in Steinbach.

A student of Michelle Sawatzky, who was in university at the time, she was encouraged to perform. At seven-years-old she stepped onto the stage at the Steinbach Festival and sang Goodnight My Someone from The Music Man.

That earned her a trip to the provincials in Brandon.

“I got my own little backstage room with lights around the mirrors,” she recalls. “I’ll never forget it. I felt like a million bucks, and I was just so in awe of that whole experience.”

With anxiety on the rise among children, Gallo said she wants to give kids the benefit of confidence that musical theatre can offer.

“I feel like our kids in society today really do need that outlet and I’m more than happy to be able to give that to them,” she said.

A series of performing opportunities and dedicated instructors gave Gallo a solid base and love of the arts. That trail led to a degree from the University of Manitoba and teaching opportunities in Europe and right here at home.

“It just sort of feeds my soul, as cheesy as that sounds,” she said. “But it really did.”

Gallo hasn’t been on the stage as a performer for close to five years. With four children and her dedication to directing, it hasn’t been a priority.

But, she said, directing has its own rewards.

“I find that I actually get more out of it than I did performing myself,” she said. “I also get more nervous for them than I ever did for myself.”

Her philosophy for teaching is simple.

“Most kids are really just like most adults, and they want to be listened to,” she said. “They want to be somewhere where they feel they matter and they’re doing something good and they’re succeeding.”

Programming is available for students from Grade 2-8, with rehearsals held on Saturdays, twice a month.

In the spring of 2025, they will present The Lion King with two casts totalling over 110 students.

Gallo said they chose to do it that way because last year that was the approximate number of students that wanted to get involved.

This year over 150 have already registered for audition prep to be held on Saturday, Sept. 7.

“It’s just so fabulous to see this kind of interest in this sort of programming,” she said.

As the first season of Artista Academy gets off the ground, Gallo’s focus is not on the future. But she admits she would love to see continued growth, leading to more instructors, classes in related disciplines, and some day their own building or even a new theatre to perform in.

“I think that obviously there’s a need for this in our community and I just want to be able to give that opportunity to as many kids as possible,” she said.

Anyone interested in signing up for audition prep or learning more about the academy can go to www.artistaacademy.ca.