Arts school helps young performers

WINSTON-SALEM — In a university system of rams, wolves, pirates and other intimidating creatures, a school boasting the fighting pickle as a mascot might seem out of place.

And the N.C. School of the Arts often does seem like an anomaly in comparison with the other 15 UNC-system schools.

Its 1,100 students don’t cheer on the “fighting pickle” during football games, nor do they conduct cutting-edge research in labyrinthine chemistry labs.

Instead, they twirl, sketch, act and film their way through the conservatory-style curriculum, some beginning at the age of 13.

“They’re here to be trained,” said Martha Teachey, an admissions officer at the school. “This is what they want to do in life.”

Students are admitted to programs in dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, music and visual arts on the basis of auditions or interviews.

Talent is in no short supply at the 67-acre campus, which first raised its curtain in 1965 and joined the UNC system in 1972.

The students who apply to the first state-supported arts school are the same ones applying to The Juilliard School and other long-established conservatories, said Marla Carpenter, associate director of public relations.

And the students continue to distinguish themselves long after they leave the Twin Cities, competing for glory in some of the toughest professional fields.

“If you go to a play on Broadway, there will be an alum, either on stage or behind it,” said Chancellor Wade Hobgood. NCSA alumni include Chris Parnell from “Saturday Night Live,” and Jeanne Ruddy, a former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Company.

“The assumption is that you’re going to go out and perform,” Teachey said.

The intensely pre-professional environment is just one of the ways NCSA stands apart from the rest of the UNC system. Hobgood said the school is “always the exception,” citing differences such as the faculty’s preference not to be tenured and the on-campus high school.

In some disciplines, students can enroll at NCSA in the eighth grade. One-fourth of the student body is composed of high school students, some 90 percent of whom are N.C. residents and can attend the school for free.

Winston-Salem native Chris Dias is a high school senior studying percussion. He said his experience at NCSA has been positive, and he plans to remain there for at least his first year of college.

“It’s definitely a completely different high school experience,” he said, adding that the program is a good way to become familiar with the performing arts world.

Students tend to dedicate not only class time but also free time to their discipline, said Justin Davey, a first-year film student from the Washington, D.C., area. He said he rarely spends time out in Winston-Salem, instead devoting most of his energy to projects.

The city and the institution interact via the Stevens Center, a 1,380-seat theater in the downtown area. The restored 1929 silent movie theater is NCSA’s primary performance space and hosts local and visiting acts.

But the campus itself provides a vibrant, energetic atmosphere for the students, who say they frequently attend classmates’ performances and enjoy an annual three-day festival called Beaux Arts. “I think the campus is a close-knit community,” said Hobgood, praising the unique relationship between faculty and students.

The NCSA community has the largest percentage of out-of-state students in the UNC-system. Less than 50 percent of students are from North Carolina, compared with at least 82 percent at other system schools.

Hobgood said the school, because it serves such a distinct purpose, was established to serve a market beyond North Carolina.

NCSA was thrust unexpectedly into the spotlight in October when state audit reports discovered that more than $1 million in funding had been misappropriated.

“We took that finding very, very seriously,” Hobgood said, adding that the school investigated quickly and could boast a clean slate in late December.

He said NCSA is progressing with the completion of several construction projects and also is considering adding digital design programs to its repertoire.

Even as NCSA grows, staff and students say there is little they would change about their school, which Teachey called a “special gem” within the UNC system.

The chance to thrive artistically under the umbrella of a prestigious university system is far from sour for the “fighting pickles” of the N.C. School of the Arts.

Hobgood said, “It is just a delightful, wonderful environment where people are immersed in what they love to do.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.