Shownotes
This episode originally published in January of 2023. Its content is so good, we thought you'd want to hear it again, just in time to take advantage of the upcoming preview opportunities!
Guest: Robert John Connor, Director
Click on a timecode to jump to the topic:
- [00:44] About Our Guest
- [02:21] Launching Pad for Careers of All Sorts
- [03:09] Born to Perform
- [04:23] Pathways at CCCEPA
- [06:36] More Than Just Center Stage
- [08:45] The Pebblebrook Community Connection
- [09:41] Academic Rigor
- [10:47] The Ideal Candidate
- [12:50] Getting Started
- [14:43] New Facilities and New Productions
- [16:47] Come See A Show!
(If the timecode links above don't work in your podcast player, visit "Podcast Home" below.)
Useful links from the podcast:
- About CCCEPA
- CCCEPA Performances
- Admissions / Application
- Donate to CCCEPA
- CCCEPA - Reach for Your Dreams
- Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts
- Pebblebrook High School
Podcast Home:
https://the-inside-scoop.captivate.fm/
Video Podcasts on YouTube:
Give us a review:
https://www.podchaser.com/TheInsideScoop
Here's the link to let us know what you'd like to hear:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VYTRCLG
Cobb Sports Podcast:
https://cobb-sports.captivate.fm/episodes
Transcripts
Do you have a student who likes to sing at the top of their
Speaker:lungs or dance around the house?
Speaker:If so, this is the podcast for you.
Speaker:Cobb Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts is the topic of discussion
Speaker:on this edition of the Inside Scoop.
Speaker:Hello everyone.
Speaker:Welcome back to another episode of The Inside Scoop.
Speaker:I'm David Owen.
Speaker:Listeners, make sure you click on that subscribe button so that you get the
Speaker:scoop on what's going on in Cobb schools.
Speaker:If you've ever seen a Broadway show, the chances are that you've
Speaker:experienced excellence that was cultivated in Cobb schools.
Speaker:Our guest today is the director of the Cobb County Center for
Speaker:Excellence in the Performing Arts,
Speaker:Robert John Connor.
Speaker:Welcome to the podcast, Robert.
Speaker:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker:So let's start off with just a brief overview of, of who you are.
Speaker:Uh, Robert John Connor.
Speaker:I, um, I am actually a product of a performing arts magnet program.
Speaker:I'm originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:And, uh, you know, in the late sixties and seventies, they began to
Speaker:develop magnet programs, um, that.
Speaker:Would help kids specialize.
Speaker:I was that kid around the house singing and acting, not so much dancing.
Speaker:And, uh, my mother needed to find a place for me, and they had
Speaker:just developed a performing arts program in Pittsburgh called Kappa.
Speaker:And uh, she hastily took me to the audition.
Speaker:And, uh, the rest is history.
Speaker:I went on to, uh, get an undergraduate degree from Morehouse and, uh, M f a in
Speaker:theater and dramatic media from University of Georgia and have worked, uh, for about
Speaker:23 years in, uh, specifically performing arts magna programs around the country.
Speaker:So I've had a, a great, um, time being in the room at the genesis, at
Speaker:the development and at the launching.
Speaker:Part mm-hmm.
Speaker:Of young and upcoming talents.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And I've seen many of them go on and explore such, um, such
Speaker:a rich career, either in the performing arts or in other places.
Speaker:But that's kind of me.
Speaker:I've been a magnet performing arts magnet person.
Speaker:That's kind of been my niche, and so I've learned some really.
Speaker:Incredible things, and I hope to be able to share them
Speaker:with this generation of kids.
Speaker:Well, that's part of the reason you're here, is to get the word out about, uh,
Speaker:all the wonderful things that you're doing that's gotta be exhilarating to see those,
Speaker:those young careers, uh, launching out.
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:Oh, listen, I have a student, um, who just, uh, recently won the
Speaker:Tony for Best actress in a musical.
Speaker:Ooh.
Speaker:Her name is Joaquina kgo.
Speaker:And when she won the Tony and performed on the Tony's, I,
Speaker:as they say, Oprah ugly cried.
Speaker:I was, and, and really, you know, I'm kind of a wannabe, tough guy, but the truth
Speaker:is, um, to see where kids start Oh yeah.
Speaker:And see them manifesting their destinies in that way.
Speaker:You, you know, it's a calling that we do as educators and arts educators,
Speaker:so to see that is, was just wonderful.
Speaker:So, yeah.
Speaker:I agree.
Speaker:I'm glad you used the phrase a calling because I, I think, would you agree
Speaker:that some kids are just born with Yeah.
Speaker:Uh, this carries some negativity.
Speaker:I don't mean it to be, but some, some drama just wells up inside them.
Speaker:I mean, you can't, like the kid we were in the open here where they're dancing
Speaker:around the house or in your case acting around the house, you can't stop it.
Speaker:It's coming out.
Speaker:So it's a matter of redirecting that or, or refining
Speaker:it, right?
Speaker:Correct.
Speaker:I, I think that, and I have always said this when I was a, a teacher,
Speaker:uh, we cannot teach talent.
Speaker:Yeah, we can only cultivate it.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:Um, we can teach the practices, the techniques to refine that
Speaker:talent, but talent is something that I feel is God-given.
Speaker:And um, sometimes talent shows up.
Speaker:Immediately.
Speaker:Sometimes under cultivation it grows.
Speaker:And with young people especially, the growth is meteoric.
Speaker:You'll see a kid one year that couldn't sing two notes together, right?
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And the next year they're fully commanding a song.
Speaker:Really?
Speaker:And so that is the treasures for, uh, arts educators, that you can see
Speaker:this, this talent manifest so quickly.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:With the right nurturing and the right incubation.
Speaker:So let, let's back up a notch.
Speaker:Performing arts is a, a really broad term.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Uh, we hear that used in like, uh, you know, high school band
Speaker:performances and and so forth.
Speaker:Can you give us an idea of what that means, particularly in the
Speaker:context of your magnet program?
Speaker:And, and I'm glad you asked that because, uh, a lot of people have this idea
Speaker:that if you are not a performer mm-hmm.
Speaker:That you don't have an opportunity to learn and grow at Pebblebrook.
Speaker:Uh, and it couldn't be quite.
Speaker:The opposite of that, that we house now five, five programs, uh,
Speaker:dance drama, vocal music, technical theater, and we have a new major where
Speaker:students can study musical theater.
Speaker:And I will say the glue.
Speaker:That ties all of those programs together is our technical theater
Speaker:program where students who may not have an aversion for performing can
Speaker:learn in costume design set designs.
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:Scenic technology, all the,
Speaker:the stuff that makes it happen.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:So the global.
Speaker:Performing arts, this idea is the entity.
Speaker:It's like when they ask you about how do you define theater?
Speaker:You spell theater two ways.
Speaker:Theater is the building.
Speaker:T H E A T e R.
Speaker:Uhhuh.
Speaker:But theater, t H e A T R e is the craft.
Speaker:Oh.
Speaker:Now, I've never heard that.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:As a distinction.
Speaker:That's interesting.
Speaker:So if you see it spelled with an re, that's the craft that's
Speaker:similar to performing arts.
Speaker:It is.
Speaker:All that encompasses the performing arts, which are the lights,
Speaker:the set design, all of that.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And we provide a platform for kids who have interest in all aspects of
Speaker:the performing arts at Pebble Brook.
Speaker:You know, it occurs to me that that is probably the ultimate team project, right?
Speaker:Collaboration.
Speaker:It's something that, um, some that young people learn very quickly.
Speaker:At at our program?
Speaker:Yeah, at the CCCEPA because we all depend on each other to be great.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So you've got got students who have gone through each of these
Speaker:various, uh, you call 'em Pathways.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:And, and they end up with various skill sets developed and so forth.
Speaker:Where, where do these students end up in life?
Speaker:Do they all gravitate toward Broadway or some performance venue or, uh, tell
Speaker:us a little more about where you, you see, Your students end up in life.
Speaker:So we call our kids star clappers, and the reason we call them star
Speaker:clappers is because if you look at our logo, you'll see two hands clapping
Speaker:together with inside of a star.
Speaker:And I will say that you will find star clappers in every segment of our society.
Speaker:It.
Speaker:Sure.
Speaker:Broadway is something, we're very proud that we have a substantial
Speaker:amount of students that graduate from our program that aspire to do work on
Speaker:Broadway and they, they show up there and they're, we have students that
Speaker:have, that are working in Beetlejuice that grab, graduated from Pebble Brook.
Speaker:We have students in Moulin Rouge.
Speaker:We have people who worked on waitress and musical in Hamilton, and the list goes on.
Speaker:That is great.
Speaker:But what I think is really, uh, great is that the skills that young people
Speaker:learn in our performing arts program translate into a variety of other careers.
Speaker:We have attorneys, we have business managers, we have writers.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:We have directors, we have production managers, carpenters, and so, um, A
Speaker:lot of people who, and I appreciate the opportunity to talk about this.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:A lot of people who have known about the C C C E P A or whatever, Their
Speaker:reputation was, they wouldn't imagine that if they didn't sing, act and dance,
Speaker:they had a not, they didn't have a place.
Speaker:Well, what I say to you is the C C C E P A is a place for all kids
Speaker:that have an appreciation and an interest in the performing arts.
Speaker:But ultimately, once they commit themselves to the training, that
Speaker:training and that discipline will translate to most careers that, um,
Speaker:they would want to aspire to do.
Speaker:So it's kinda like showing them what they're capable of accomplishing and
Speaker:then they just take it from there.
Speaker:Absolutely.
Speaker:And, um, you know, we need entertainment attorneys.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And we need entertainment attorneys that understand the entertainment business.
Speaker:And so, you know, with the, uh, their academic classes and their
Speaker:performing arts classes, we create a very well-rounded student that could
Speaker:pursue whatever their heart's desires.
Speaker:So, okay.
Speaker:Now you, you've got me thinking about the difference between.
Speaker:Your school, uh, your, your magnet, is it considered a school or program?
Speaker:It's a program.
Speaker:It's, um, it's a very interesting dynamic.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Where it's housed on the cancer campus of Pebble Brook.
Speaker:They are Pebble Brook students.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Uh, But they're C C C E P A students, or we call them PA Kids Performing Arts Kids.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:But it's a, it's a program and, um, they are Pebble Brook students.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:And they, they celebrate that.
Speaker:They get, they take their academics at Pebble Brook, and they have their
Speaker:performing arts at the C C C E P A.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So those students can.
Speaker:Take as many AP and honors classes that they want.
Speaker:They can also take online classes.
Speaker:But it's really that oasis for those kids that really want to immerse
Speaker:themselves in a rigorous training in the performing arts or technical theater.
Speaker:So they are held to the same standards, um, that say students said.
Speaker:Pope or Kennesaw Mountain or any other Cobb High School in terms
Speaker:of the, the academic aspects?
Speaker:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker:They're, they're held to those same Cobb standards and then they add on to that.
Speaker:You're.
Speaker:Magnet standards as well.
Speaker:I, I would say that they're held to a higher standard because, uh,
Speaker:we have academic, uh, minimum GPA requirements to be in the program.
Speaker:We have discipline and attendance requirements to be in the program.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:As well as to add on to that, our students often perform, and so once
Speaker:they get done with their academic, In their performance training, then
Speaker:after school they have rehearsals.
Speaker:And so, uh, the greatest thing that I would say C C C E P A students learn
Speaker:very quickly is time management.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:That seems to have been a common thread in all the magnets and,
Speaker:and you're no exception to that.
Speaker:And it, yeah.
Speaker:That, that's a life lesson right there, that, like you said earlier, it
Speaker:pays off not just in in what you guys are doing, but in life in general.
Speaker:Uh, absolutely come to fruition.
Speaker:Alright, so who would be that ideal?
Speaker:Uh, you know, give us some insight as to who would be a
Speaker:good candidate for your program.
Speaker:Uh, typically a student who's gonna be successful at the C C C E P A
Speaker:is disciplined, focused, driven.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Um, a lot of people feel like that.
Speaker:They look at some of our marketing and they go, oh my
Speaker:God, my kid's not that talented.
Speaker:Well, maybe not right now, but they haven't trained with us.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So kids that have potential, you know, that are curious enough to want to learn
Speaker:and discipline is disciplined enough to apply that training to move forward
Speaker:in the things that they aspire to do.
Speaker:Um, Um, kids who want to be a part of a family, a group of up and coming
Speaker:artists that support each other.
Speaker:And so, um, the kid, the ideal kid, I don't know if there's, um, archetype.
Speaker:I think we have such a broad cross section of kids that come from all walks of life.
Speaker:But what the thing, the thread that ties them to together is their love and
Speaker:appreciation for the performing arts.
Speaker:And, um, you know, I'm grateful that Cobb County has created a
Speaker:space for those kids, not for just the benefit of being entertained.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:But the impact that that experience has on the lives of young people.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It, it, it, it's life changing, you know?
Speaker:And we should continue to value the performing arts as we do with any of the
Speaker:other careers that we are pushing kids, because think about it, entertainment.
Speaker:Is a billion dollar business.
Speaker:At least.
Speaker:At least.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:So the facets of entertainment that our young people can go in,
Speaker:especially now in this digital age and film and television, are endless.
Speaker:And so my goal is to broaden the scope of programming so that we
Speaker:stay current and relevant and we provide even more opportunities
Speaker:for our kids to seize the day.
Speaker:How do they get the ball rolling?
Speaker:Where, where does that all begin?
Speaker:And at what age level should they begin thinking?
Speaker:It's not when they're.
Speaker:Literally on the doorstep of, of high school in a freshman year, right?
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:So when, when should parents and, and students start thinking about coming
Speaker:to your, your program or applying?
Speaker:Well, you know, we've had, um, parents that say their kid has wanted to be
Speaker:in the C C C E P A since they've been in elementary school because of Wow.
Speaker:The reputation, the program and, and the opportunities thereof.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Um, I think that parents should support their artistic kids and
Speaker:their creative kids when they demonstrate that creativity.
Speaker:And for some parents, that's daunting because there's this
Speaker:idea that performing arts is not a lucrative pathway to a career.
Speaker:Well, yeah, we, we have heard the starving artist, uh,
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Term, and if whoever's listening had a camera on them, they would
Speaker:realize that as an artist myself, clearly I haven't starved.
Speaker:However.
Speaker:However, what I will say is that for students who are drawn to the program
Speaker:when they get in middle school, They need to start refining kind of where
Speaker:they wanna be and what they wanna do and, um, you know, uh, visit some of
Speaker:our performances, uh, see what the end game is and what the expectation
Speaker:is so they can begin to prepare.
Speaker:Check out our website, which is a one-stop shop of information.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:CCCEPA.com.
Speaker:Really easy.
Speaker:It's a lot of Cs.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:It's three css.
Speaker:We'll, we'll put the, the link in the show notes so they don't have it.
Speaker:It's, it is as it like, easy hold the C button down for about a second and a half.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:Um, but uh, yeah, they go there and there's a, there's a, there's just a
Speaker:wealth of information of how to connect yourself to your next, uh, step.
Speaker:It's such a worthwhile.
Speaker:Uh, commitment.
Speaker:So, uh, people in the community hear about, uh, the excellence
Speaker:of, of Pebblebrook years past and, and, you know, currently mm-hmm.
Speaker:How can they be made currently aware of productions that
Speaker:you guys are putting on you?
Speaker:You got a new facility out there too, right?
Speaker:We do.
Speaker:And see, that's, that's the other gem, you know.
Speaker:Um, Thanks Cobb County.
Speaker:Thanks.
Speaker:Takes taxpayers.
Speaker:Yeah, that's Ed-SPLOST, right?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:That Ed-SPLOST Penny really paid off.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And Cobb County was intuitive enough to know that for this program we are going
Speaker:to build a brand new performing arts center state of the art so that kids can
Speaker:continue to learn and grow and be current.
Speaker:So now we can celebrate that we not have only have one.
Speaker:Not two, but three performing art spaces.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:And so we do a lot of work.
Speaker:So oftentimes we are in working in tandem because our programs are very, very busy.
Speaker:The kids are performing all the time.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:They train during the day.
Speaker:They rehearse.
Speaker:They perform.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:How many kids were in the program?
Speaker:Roughly?
Speaker:About 350 kids.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:And um, They're always working.
Speaker:So yeah, we have a brand new, they should come see our, our season of shows.
Speaker:We have, you know, lots of shows this spring.
Speaker:Um, and we are excited to say we're going to be producing, bring it on
Speaker:to musical, which is very popular and the kids are really excited about it.
Speaker:But if you wanna find out more about our season of shows and
Speaker:how you can find out what.
Speaker:We do performance wise.
Speaker:You can go to our website again, ccc epa.com just rolls off the tongue.
Speaker:It does.
Speaker:And, uh, click on the link that says performances and it'll take
Speaker:you directly to a link of how you can get tickets to our shows.
Speaker:But, uh, can they subscribe
Speaker:to an email?
Speaker:Uh, notification for
Speaker:stuff like that?
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:Uh, yes.
Speaker:Once they purchase a ticket that auto, auto subscribes them to our email list,
Speaker:uhhuh, and we will keep the patron or the future student, uh, future
Speaker:star clapper, updated on what's next.
Speaker:So, uh, times are tough.
Speaker:How much are tickets to, to see?
Speaker:Oh, they're reasonable.
Speaker:Seven and $10 for our smaller shows.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:And then.
Speaker:Um, 10 and $20 for our major shows.
Speaker:And if you've ever seen a show at Pebblebrook Yeah.
Speaker:They're, that's, you're like at a professional show.
Speaker:I was gonna say, people don't, don't imagine, uh, like
Speaker:refrigerator boxes painted and.
Speaker:Taped up to make like, no, look like something.
Speaker:No.
Speaker:These, these are legit, uh, shows that you'll be glad you
Speaker:paid the ticket price for.
Speaker:Oh,
Speaker:very person.
Speaker:A patron.
Speaker:A patron came to me one time, she says, I feel like I owe you money.
Speaker:And I said, what do you mean?
Speaker:She said, this is like a professional show.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:She said, are, are you sure those are kids on stage?
Speaker:I said, they're kids, man.
Speaker:They are kids.
Speaker:And that's what I say kids can do.
Speaker:Anything they put their mind to, provided they have the right support and the
Speaker:right environment, just need guidance.
Speaker:And that's what I am committed to do, to continue to give the kids support and
Speaker:create an environment where all kids who have a love and passion for the arts I.
Speaker:Can thrive and grow.
Speaker:And how many productions do you guys do a year?
Speaker:Too many?
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Um, this year we have, um, amassed about 15 productions a year.
Speaker:15.
Speaker:I know, please.
Speaker:We, okay, so this going back to the theater spaces you were talking about,
Speaker:that kind of explains why you need.
Speaker:That many theater spaces with that many, what'd you say, 350 kids in the program?
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:And we also support the other performing arts programs at the school.
Speaker:We have an orchestra program, we have a band program.
Speaker:And so we are constantly rotating performances and events, uh, school,
Speaker:school-based events through our theaters and, and our technical theater program
Speaker:is the glue that holds it all together.
Speaker:And they do such an exceptional job at, um, Yeah, really just, uh, making
Speaker:sure that all the planes land and it, it's kind of almost like a mini.
Speaker:Business, mini production company.
Speaker:Um, um, and, and here, here's the thing.
Speaker:Our kids could literally leave Pebblebrook and walk into the industry with, you
Speaker:know, we had a kid who was a tech kid.
Speaker:He was entered into the.
Speaker:Union immediately.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:Soon as he graduated because he had enough skills.
Speaker:And, and that's the other thing is that yes, we promote kids going to college.
Speaker:I think it's vital, but they, there's also careers outside of college that
Speaker:kids can earn a living and have a career.
Speaker:Uh huh.
Speaker:That may not be the direct pathway to the college, and we can provide that
Speaker:training right there at Pebblebrook.
Speaker:Well, we have been listening to the director of Cobb County
Speaker:Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts, Robert Connor.
Speaker:Robert, thank you so much.
Speaker:Oh man, I, I really, I want a time machine so bad.
Speaker:Be able to go back and, and get into your program.
Speaker:So don't forget that subscribe button and make sure you tell a friend.
Speaker:Everybody likes being well informed on the topics they're interested in,
Speaker:and hopefully we're providing that sort of resource for you and others.
Speaker:Thanks again for listening to this edition of The Inside Scoop, a podcast produced
