Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Actors' Workshop was started in December, 2014 by actor/director Anthony St. Martin, in association with ACT II Entertainment. ACT II provided the space for the workshop to fulfill the theater's vision of providing education to the community while it also afforded St. Martin space to teach local actors. While adults were slow to respond several children signed up for classes.

So, the Actors' Workshop became the Young Actors' Workshop and St. Martin began teaching the same acting technique taught in New York to local expatriate children from 9 to 12 years of age. While there was concern that the children were too young, too restless, the showcase performance of Little Rascals at the end of the class session convinced parents that their children were truly learning to act and a second session was scheduled for Spring.

In April, 2015 St. Martin started teaching free acting lessons to Mexican children at the Lazaros Vasquez school on the corner of Basilio Badillo and Olas Altas. Maestro Mario gave St. Martin a teaching slot in 2 classrooms; one with no space for exercises at all and the other fitted with a makeshift stage at the front. The disruptive nature of a public school classroom made it very difficult for the interested students to work without interruption.

The second session at ACT II meanwhile focused on scenes from the Harry Potter, Chamber of Secrets screenplay, and the students continued to grow. But while the students at ACT II were learning, even the most interested and talented actors at the public school were falling behind. At the end of the public school session in July, St. Martin mentioned the idea of scholarships to M. Mario, scholarships that would allow the most gifted and interested children at his school to attend classes at Act II Main Stage Theater.

M. Mario was excited by the idea, so St. Martin brought it up to Danny Minnini at ACT II and on August 18, the Young Actor's Workshop Scholarship Fund will receive funds donated by the community attending the 2015 Music Fest. Once it is determined how many scholarship are raised, auditions will be announced at several of the local schools and held in early September. If all goes as planned, it appears that an acting school is about to be born in the Romantic Zone.

The Music Fest 2015 fundraiser is set for 6:30 pm on August 18, 2015 at Act II Entertainment, on the corner of Basilio Badillo and Insurgentes. General admission tickets cost just $250 pesos. Tickets are available at the Act II Entertainment Stages box office. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page.

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