"I like having that live, anything-can-happen feeling from the audience," Kristina said. "It's so exciting performing in front of people in that one moment."
"I love the applause you get in the theater," Hailey added, "but with film, you can do the small acting and really get into the character without having to exaggerate everything."
Established in 1994, the Musical Theatre Academy aims to help children ages 4 and up develop their talent and confidence through professional training and performance in musical theater arts, presenting four shows each year.
Though the group is nonprofit, its volunteer staff doesn't skimp on the details. The back rooms of its Newport Beach studio are teeming with costumes from all eras, wigs of every style and color and props galore, including the frame of a 1950s convertible.
Furthermore, it is tuition-based, as opposed to audition only, which guarantees a role for all participants regardless of experience and offers scholarships for low-income families.
"We teach the rudiments of theater from the music to dancing to acting to sets; they get a total picture of what theater is," said board member Ruth Gottuso, Kristina's grandmother. "Over the 11 years that I've been here, I have seen the kids build a community and learn to be confident and succeed."
Gavin Juarez, the 18-year-old Balboa Island resident who stars as Danny, always thought acting would be a secondary ambition behind baseball. But after four years with the academy, he is confident that he will find a place for himself in Hollywood.
"Ever since I saw ['Grease'], I wanted to do the musical so bad, so having this role is really exciting," he said. "I'm looking forward to trying to show up John Travolta."
