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Matthew Wisniewski/Curb
AACT creates a supportive environment for Milwaukee children to experience the arts.

“I thought we would do the one show, and then I’d be done with it,” Clark said. “But after the first performance, the kids insisted we keep meeting. And each time we performed, more kids came.”

With the overwhelming interest from parents and kids in the community, along with contributions from several donors, Clark began to offer after-school theater training classes to the children of Milwaukee. To join Clark’s classes, students need no prior experience, just a desire to learn and support one another. The early coining of the group, the “African American Children’s Theatre” by a young high school student who desperately wanted to associate the term “African American” with a positive message, helped solidify the group.

From the early days of the program, AACT has created a welcoming, supportive environment for the children of Milwaukee, as they receive theater training from local artists recruited by Clark. Over the years, Clark and others have helped train hundreds of children in basic techniques of the theater, building upon each student’s individual interests and skill levels.

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Slowly, one by one, students begin to file into the Sondheim room for evening practice. Many of the children, coming directly from school, walk briskly into the classroom hunched forward to offset the weight of heavy backpacks. Any residual frustration from the school day appears to be shed as backpacks drop to the floor and shoes are quickly slipped off in preparation for class.

To offer the children a foundation in the musical arts, Clark hires talented professionals from the Milwaukee area to train AACT students in acting, singing and dancing for two hours every Tuesday through Thursday. Dr. Wallace Cheatham, AACT music director, teaches children to sing and composes music for upcoming AACT shows; Betty Salamun, a local choreographer, coaches children on how to execute controlled body movements to tell a story; Samantha Montgomery, a local actress and theater educator, offers students the fundamentals of acting and acting theory.

Although each professional leads the classroom differently, they share a similar mannerism in

Matthew Wisniewski/Curb
Since she was very young, Asia Williams says she has loved dancing.

their respect and patience with the AACT students. The instructors do not yell, they do not patronize and they are not rushed. If a student’s technique is off, they are not singled out. The group works together to achieve perfection.

“AACT gives kids an outlet…a chance to be themselves without judgment or ridicule…It gives kids the opportunity to be themselves, flaws and all,” Montgomery said. “We know everyone has weaknesses…We try to turn them into strengths.”

Long before the group stretches in preparation for dance lessons, harmonizes with the group or practices the delivery of their lines at the beginning of the nightly practice, Clark frequently insists they join in the long-held AACT tradition of joining together before the beginning of class at a table placed in the middle of the classroom.

Like a family gathered together to share a meal, each student and adult finds a welcoming seat at the table. Although there is no feast, the gathering of the intimate group relishes the time to share with each other the events of the day. The conversations are meant to be private–creating a trusting environment where students can feel free to share their joys, frustrations and fears. To Clark, the lesson of support holds as much weight as any lessons taught by her talented team of dancing, vocal and acting coaches.

For Angie White and Toni Martin, former AACT students, the experience of participating in AACT throughout their childhood continues to influence their lives each day.

“One of my first memories of the theater was the friendships that were built there,” White said. “Aunt Connie said to me, ‘Angie, this is your family.’ And she built that structure into our classes.”

“My goal isn’t to create movie stars, but rather to help [the children] to be confident in what they do,” Clark said. “I want them to be brave; to be creative.”

Over 15 years since joining AACT, Martin said she vividly remembers when she first recognized she was good at something.

“I could feel myself getting better and learning and applying what I was being taught,” she said. “AACT gave me a feeling of accomplishment.”