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Teen Lands Gig On Broadway Arts Board

Tribune photo by JAMIE PILARCZYK

Ryan Desort, a Coleman Middle School eighth-grader, was chosen for the Broadway League’s Kids’ Advisory Board in New York City.

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK

jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com

Published: January 28, 2009

TAMPA Ryan Desort's mom, Karol, picked him up from Coleman Middle School and confronted him about a message left on her cell phone.

To whom had he given her phone number, she demanded, and handed Ryan the device to listen.

She was teasing, and the shock on his face when he heard he had been chosen for the Broadway League's first Kids' Advisory Board was exactly the reaction she was seeking.

"He's a great kid," said Karol Desort, a dance instructor and choreographer at the Patel Conservatory at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Desort said she is excited to see her 14-year-old take an interest in the performing arts. "There's something about the performing arts that changes you. You own it; no one can take that away from you."

The Coleman eighth-grader was among 20 children and teens ages 11 to 16 chosen based on an online essay. More than 400 applied from throughout the nation.

He and his mother head to New York City on Monday for an all-expense paid, one-day orientation with other participants. It includes a lunch with Rosie O'Donnell and a Broadway show.

As a board member, Ryan Desort will provide feedback on the Broadway League's programs focused around young audiences and will help develop and implement kid-oriented programs, events and online strategies, said spokeswoman Elisa Shevitz.

Before he packed his bags, Desort sat down with the South Tampa News and Tribune to talk about his new responsibilities.

Q: You know, you'll be missing two days of school to go to New York.

A: It's a sacrifice I have to make.

Q: Why did you want to be on the advisory board?

A: I thought it would be a good experience. I get to meet Rosie O'Donnell and I've always wanted to go to New York. It was spontaneous.

Q: What was your reaction when you found out you were accepted?

A: I was pretty excited. I was like, 'I can't believe I made it.'

Q: How did you get into acting?

A: I have a 'drug' problem. As a kid, my mom would drag me around to all the shows she was in.

Q: Are you involved in any other troupes?

A: No. But I do sing in the student choir at church, South Tampa Fellowship.

Q: You got the role of Sonny in the 2008 Youth Theatre Co.'s production of "Grease," which your mom choreographed. What's it like working with her on stage?

A: She's not afraid to call me out so I behave a little better when she's around.

Q: Do you get nervous when you are on stage?

A: There's that excitement and nervousness that I might loose my lines, but it balances out.

Q: Do you have any tips for other kids trying out the performing arts?

A: The director is always right.

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 259-7661.

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