July 9, 2025 • 25 mins
Emily Rose Olsson, a star of the upcoming "Alumni Showcase" at Riverside Theatre, joins the show to tell us how this showcase of talent is raising funds for the Riverside Theatre for Kids’ tuition assistance program on Thursday, July 17th.
Dr. Crystal Bujol also joins the show to tell us about how she discovered the Treasure Coast area and about the Gifford Youth Orchestra.
Dr. Crystal Bujol also joins the show to tell us about how she discovered the Treasure Coast area and about the Gifford Youth Orchestra.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Arts Blast on the Air. It's a podcast,
a radio show, and an Alexis skill presented by Ballet
Vero Beach and Riverside Theater Arts supporting the arts in Florida.
I'm Willie Miller and every week I get to talk
to people in the arts about the arts on the
Treasure Coast and beyond. Arts. Blast on the Air is
(00:23):
so proudly supported by Ballet Vero Beach presenting the Riverside
Dance Festival August first and second at Riverside Theater. It's
an unforgettable evening of dynamic dance featuring the La Contemporary
Dance Company with the world premiere they created during the
company's recent residency in Vero Beach. Tickets are available now
(00:46):
online at Ballet Vero Beach dot org and now on
with the show. Guests today Emily rose Olsen and Crystal Usual. Emily,
you are here to talk about something, well you're here
to talk about you, but you're involved in something that
(01:06):
is so noteworthy. It's you're going to talk about forty
five years of theater education at Riverside Theater, right and
the show that's coming up. Yeah, Okay, well maybe we
should talk about you first, or are you how did
you get started? Were you at little kid when you
got started? You come to it later? How'd that happen?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
No?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
I started at Riverside when I was really young. I
started with dance, so I started with Adam Schnell, who
founded Balivia Beach. He was my ballet teacher all when
I was young, and I the first show I ever
did was Nutcracker on in Spring in swing time, sorry
with him for I need it for six years until
he stopped doing that, and then he eventually moved to
(01:48):
the No Cracker on the Indian River with his company.
And then I started doing theater Eriverside because I was
already in the dance program. And then once I got
into high school, I did theater at vir Beach High
School with Miss d and I was in that all
four years of high school.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
I actually was.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I think it was when I was in the music Man.
I came and I did this same segment with you.
I think it was that show I remember for one
of my shows. I came and talked about it. But yeah,
So then I went to college and I got my
Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting and I just graduated
in May so I've really had theater involved in my
entire life up until this point. And now I'm working
(02:27):
at Riverside and I'm their associate director of Education, so
I'm really getting to work with kids from all ages.
Just in this past month that I've been there, I've
worked with kids from six to eighteen, so it's really
great so far, and I'm excited to keep going throughout
the whole school year in the future as well.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
So you're going full circle.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah, it really is full circle, especially because my first
theater production I did at Riverside was Annie and the
first show that I worked on this summer was Annie
with the Kids, which was crazy, so that was really special.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Okay, go back to before you got started. How did
your family, I mean they must have been helping you
and encouraging you since you were so young. Yeah, did
you tell them you wanted to do it? Or will
I say, would you like to?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
My grandma thought that I had a little bit of
energy that needed to be placed somewhere, so that's why
she put me into dance class. So that was like
the stepping stone was she was like, I think this
would be good for her because it was before I
could really even form sentences. I think my first dance
class was when I was around three, so I really
have been doing it my whole life. And then from
(03:38):
there I wanted to do the dance shows. And something
that made me want to do more theater was actually
when Riverside came to my elementary school. They have this
program called the School School where they bring a production
of a kids show.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Which just means that it's meant for younger students.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
They bring it to an elementary school and they do
a whole show just with no big set or any thing,
with no big costumes, but they put on that whole
show with those students in.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
The elementary school.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
So we did Aristocrats when I was in I think
third grade or something like that, and that was kind
of my big introduction to the theater program. So then
from there, that's when I was like, I really want
to audition, I really want to keep going back, and
then from there I just kept doing it and my
parents' full support, which was great but kind of going
(04:26):
hand in hand we're about to talk about with this
showcase that I'm doing next week with Riverside. Is the
reason I was able to do all of those programs dance, theater,
everything was I was involved in their tuition assistance program Riverside,
So I applied every year and they were able to
give me a significant discount on my payment towards all
(04:46):
of my dance and theater and everything. And that's the
only reason that I was able to do theater and everything.
I've ever sighed all of my years, which I'm so
grateful for and that's why I'm in this position today.
And so this showcase we're doing next week is to
benefit those students that are going through the tuition assistance
program right now.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
So, and it's called the Alumni Showcase. Yeah, who else
will be in it with you?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
So there's four other alumni, two boys that were in
my year, so David Callahan, Bryce Roue, and then there
are two older alumni, Jamori Williams and Shannon Maloney and
they are so we're all kind of different age ranges,
different types of people, but all five of us went.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Through the Riverside program through most of our childhood.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Okay, you said Jamori Williams, and that's how I first
met him, but he's now known as Jamari Darling.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Okay, yeah, I've never met him. I'm really really excited
to get to work with all of them I have.
I haven't seen Shannon in years too, so it's going
to be a really cool reunion for me too.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
You're not all keeping up with each other.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
Well, some of them are just from like different generations.
I guess, like David and Bryce, they were in my group,
but I don't know the other two as much, just
because I was never in shows or anything with them.
But I'm excited to like come together for this evening
and everything and perform together.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
So it'll be really fun.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Will you be rehearsing ahead of time together or just
coming together that night?
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Basically that day, we're gonna start in the morning and
kind of put it together. We've got like our set
list going on for all of the songs that we're
going to be doing in the order we have them all,
so we can be like rehearsing on our own. But
we have kind of all day of the showcase to
rehearse it and then we perform.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
It at night.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
So it's kind of like a one day and go
kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
And what is the date?
Speaker 4 (06:39):
The seventeenth of July, so next Thursday.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Now, isn't that doesn't that coincide with the Vegas Knights.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, so it's supposed to kind of be a way
to pull some of the patrons and everybody that's involved
from Overside already with the Vegas Knights, because those Vegas
Knights are in.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Main support of the tuition assistance program.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
So we're putting on the showcase to kind of draw
in some more people to really bring them into that
space to really try to raise money for the kids.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Now, you are now the assistant director of Education at Riverside. Yes,
what's that? What does your job? What do you do?
Speaker 4 (07:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (07:16):
So right now for the summer, I'm just I'm helping
out with all of the summer camps. So they're doing
Legally Blonde right now, which is running right after the showcase.
It's running the eighteenth and nineteenth of July, and so
those kids are working super hard to put together that show.
I helped out with Annie for three weeks in the
in June, and then once the fall starts, I'm going
(07:39):
to help with all of the education programs and I'm
going to help mainly with a lot of the outreach programs,
so I get to I'm going to get to work
with the Gifford Youth Achievement Center with their production that
they're bringing to the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, which
I'm very excited about.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
And I'm going to work.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
With some of the schools, like kind of what I
started as with the school stool production. I'm going to
get to go into the schools with the other students
to do the same thing.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
So it's rare. Like you said, it's very full circle
everything that I'm getting to do.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
It sounds like a dream job.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
No, I'm very very excited to really get started with
the school year, especially.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
What suggestion would you have for a parent with a
young child who maybe hasn't shown a lot of interest
yet or has How does how do you as a
parent guide a young child in the right direction without
being a stage mother?
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Okay, Yeah, I mean I think I've seen a lot
of great parents with Riverside. There's a lot of really
supportive and great family members of all of those kids.
And the best thing for me growing up, and what
I've seen is just you know, encouraging them and telling
them that they're doing great and everything, but not you know,
not trying to be their director and give them notes
(08:52):
of course. So I think what helped me with my
family was they were just so supportive and they just
came to see my shows. They wanted me to try
to do all I could and that was the best
thing they could have done. So that's what really made
me flourish. I feel like, in what I've done so far.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Where do you see yourself going in this career?
Speaker 4 (09:10):
I mean, I don't know. Right now.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
I'm really happy with this. I've always wanted to be
a teacher and an educator, so right now I'm just
happy where I'm at and I'm just gonna.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Try to take it day by day.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
I guess you don't have.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
Children, no, no, no, no, not yet No, I do not.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Dare I ask when you do have children? Assume you do.
At some point, will you guide them into the theater
as well?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
I mean I feel like if they want to, yeah,
I would love. I think it's a great outlet for kids,
especially really young kids, because it's such an environment where
it's easy to make friends because everybody's got the same
goal of putting the show together. So and it's such
a place where kids that you know, aren't into sports,
so they're not into other extracurriculars. It's a place where
(09:57):
they can really thrive and they can shine I now
on stage and get to perform and do all these
things that those other like popular extra extracurriculars don't do.
So I think, yeah I would if my kids wanted to,
I'd love to put them in it.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeah, okay, Well you'll jut back with us in maybe
five ten years, right, bring the kids in for an interview. Sure, okay,
So once again, let's talk about the Alumni showcase. Do
you have the dates? How to get tickets?
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Yeah, this July seventeenth, it's at six thirty. If you
go on Riverside's website, it's right there. We've got tickets.
You can get like tables, you can get individual tickets.
It's going to be in the Waxlax Stage, which is
like the smaller stage and Riverside, and it's going to
be pretty not did.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
You crazy, It's pretty casual.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
We'll just be getting up singing, telling about our stories,
how we got involved in Riverside, introducing each other and yeah,
all of that.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
It'll be it'll be super fun.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Okay, And once again it's going to be David Callahan
Jamorrow Darling or Je Marley, Jamari Williams, Darling, Shannon Maloney,
Emily Rose Olsen and Bryce Rue. It's going to be
a great night. Yeah, and I hope so once again
it's for the Education Department, the Scholarship Department at Riverside Theater. Absolutely, Emily,
(11:23):
great to talk to you, Thanks for coming in. Thank you,
my pleasure. Emily Rose Olsen for Riverside Theater. Oh look,
let's check into Riverside Theater's website to learn about the
coming season plus everything happening this summer. It's all about
Riverside Theater for kids see Legally Blonde the musical. Thrilled
to performances in the Alumni Showcase and get out your
(11:46):
Advisor Garter in Shades for Riverside Theaters, Vegas nights July seventeenth, eighteenth,
and nineteenth. This popular event is a fundraiser benefiting Riverside's
Youth Tuition Assistance program. Learn about everything Riverside at Riversidetheater
dot com.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Arts plast on the Air is probably supported by Ballet
Vero Beach. The company, in partnership with Riverside Theater presents
the Riverside Dance Festival featuring the return of La Contemporary
Dance Company August first and second, at seven thirty pm
at Riverside Theater. Experience an unforgettable evening of contemporary dance
that showcases dynamic and innovative choreography, including a world premiere
(12:26):
created during La Contemporary Dance Companies. Zero Beach Residency tickets
are available now by visiting ballet Vierobeach dot org and
secure your seats today. That's ballet Vierobeach dot Org.
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Speaker 7 (13:36):
Welcome to Riverside Theater's Comedy Zone, where the comedy is wild, untamed,
and downright hilarious. Hit the Zone this Friday and Saturday
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Coast best live stand up comedy show featuring nationally recognized
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(13:58):
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Speaker 1 (14:10):
And we are back with Arts Blast on the Air.
I'm Willie Miller, and now we're talking again with an
old friend, Crystal Doctor Crystal Vougel, And speaking of children,
young people and music and talent and bringing them Upright,
You've got a lot to say. You are the Are
(14:31):
you retired? You're retired sort of sort of?
Speaker 5 (14:35):
This should be my fourth retirement in life.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Yes, okay. Gifford Youth Orchestra.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
Youth Orchestra, right, Yes, okay, I was retired when I
moved to Florida.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Yeah, so now you're practicing it, you're really working up.
You're getting the hang of it now. And again, yes,
let's talk about the Gifford Youth Orchestra. I mean, I've
I've heard the history, but for those who haven't, just
to quick how did it get started? So somebody said,
somebody challenged you.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Yes, that's right, because, as I said, I didn't move
here to do this work. I moved here to be retired.
But seemingly as soon as I got here in two
thousand and two, Annie Laura Powell from Gifford is the
one that challenged me. And she said, look, our children
are being left behind. What are you going to do
(15:28):
about it? And when she said you, she poked me
in the shoulder. And I'm saying what, I don't even
know where Gifford is literally speaking. I mean, I didn't
know I was in Gifford, but I didn't know anything
about children being left behind or what was going on
in Gifford other than the park. And so when she
(15:49):
explained to me about the music having been moved out,
the music programs having been moved out of Gifford, then
I understood what she was asking for, and I said, well,
I can start a program to teach children and all
you have to do is hire a teacher. She said,
I don't know how to do that. So that's how
(16:11):
I started the Gifford Youth Orchestra in two thousand and three.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Now what gave her the idea to poke you in
the shoulder and say.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
Crystal, I was giving workshops for drumming and meditation and
then I sponsored because someone from Gifford asked me to
sponsor a Quansa program in Gifford. And so when I
(16:39):
presented the Quansa program, Annie Powell, who had been giving
Quansa programs, attended, and that's when she met me and
saw I guess what I was capable of, and made
that request and it fit because I've been a musician
(16:59):
on my life. I started very early in life playing
the piano and directing youth choirs, and working with children
and adults in groups. All of my life, one way
or another, creating newsletters for the companies I worked for,
or starting eneiogram workshops at the company, or astrological workshops.
(17:22):
I was always involved in organizing people for some kind
of personal development.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
I don't think we went back that far with you.
Where were you when you were doing all of this?
Speaker 5 (17:33):
Primarily in Los Angeles, just a few years in New Jersey,
four years in New Jersey, but primarily in the Los
Angeles area.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Okay, so and you came here? No wait, all right,
why did you come.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
To Gifford to be retired?
Speaker 1 (17:52):
I had started, But how did you know about it?
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Oh? Okay? Well I had to established two churches in
Los Angele was one was a family church, and then
out of that, from that group, I also established a
church for women only, so that we could begin to
practice looking at the feminine aspects of God and the
(18:17):
Goddess and feminine spirituality. And there was a woman from Ventura.
I was in Los Angeles, but this woman heard about
us and joined the church. And then at some point
her mother became ill and her mother lived in Sebastian,
So she moved here and would write to me every year.
(18:42):
In fact, she invited me to come to Sebastian, but
I didn't know about Gifford.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Well.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
When Gifford opened their swimming pool, she being a certified lifeguard.
She had been a marine major for twenty years and
in her her service as a marine, she became a lifeguard,
and so she was the first life guard at the
Gifford swimming pool. And she would write and say, why
(19:12):
don't you come out here and start a church. I said,
I'm not leaving California for Florida, but she asked me
every year, and then on this year when I had
retired from being in the ministry from both churches. When
she asked me in two thousand and two, I hadn't
planned to say yes, but I said okay, and I
(19:33):
moved here and roomed with her, and that's how I
ended up in Florida. And she's the one that asked
me to give this Quancert program to help her connect
with the community. And that's when I met Annie Powell
and the rest of the rest of this history.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
And now we have talked so many times over the
Year's Crystal, but every time I learned something new. I
had no idea that was your background in California.
Speaker 5 (20:04):
That was my background. And my primary jobs were with
the government, various governments, Internal Revenue, CAAA when it was
before FAA, and the Navy and defense contracts, and I
was in the computer department. And so in nineteen sixty
five I started working as a teacher of computer operations.
(20:30):
And that's what that's what I did. Most of my
adult life was in computer operations.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
It's funny where life leads us, isn't it.
Speaker 5 (20:40):
I have loved every job. I have loved every single job,
even if I had to be on my knees filing papers.
There was always something exciting about that job. When that
computer door opened at CAAA, that was the most exciting
job I ever had. Love computers and computer operations and
(21:04):
programming and what that computer can do. And I'm surprised
that I'm not teaching that here. But music, music takes
what is the what I'm looking for, takes precedent in
my life because there's so much that music covers. Everything
(21:27):
you do in life is connected to music. And in
our music program, it teaches children how to be socialized,
how to have a language around music, how to think,
critical thinking. It prepares them for any job, any form
of education. The music Plato said. I can't exactly quote it,
(21:50):
but it was something like if I were to teach philosophy,
and I can't remember it now. I'm eighty eight now,
so sometimes I don't remember all the details. But he said,
I would teach music because music is the key to
everything in life, and it truly is. Math is music,
(22:11):
Philosophy is music. There's nothing we do without music. And
it's also the bridge between communities that don't have a bridge,
you know. It's the bridge between black and white people
in the world. Music, the instruments, the sound of the boys,
the language. It's I get very excited when I talk
(22:35):
about it because I know what it does to my body.
I was paralyzed back in nineteen seventy nine for several months,
and when I put they moved a piano into the
ward where I was. I couldn't use anything in my
upper body, for I was paralyzed from the waist up.
When they moved that piano in and I put my
(22:58):
hand on the keys, just put them on the keys,
like raise my body up and let my fingers fall
on the keyboard. That's when they started to heal, just
from the vibrations of touching the keys. So I know
that music is healing. It's meditative, it's soothing, it's exciting,
(23:25):
it will change your life. There's music for everything we
do in life, from marching to am I running out
of time? Am I talking about this?
Speaker 1 (23:36):
We are running out of time? But so what we
need to do is mention the website, which is Jyotigers
dot org. That is the orchestra, the youth orchestra. Yes,
camp going camp, going on. You have something Wait, I'm
not even going to ask you because we have run
out of time. I heard somebody say, Gifford Academy of
(23:59):
Performing Arts. Is that something that's coming.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
Yes, it is.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
We'll talk about that another day because now we rarely
have run out of time for Crystal Show and GYO
Tigers dot Org. Crystal, thanks so much, so great to
talk to you. As always, that's thanks to Crystal, Thanks
to Emily Rose Olsen, and thanks as always to you
(24:24):
for joining us again this week for Arts Blast on
the Air. It's a podcast radio show and Alexis Skill,
all presented by Riverside Theater and Ballet Vero Beach, covering
the arts online and in arts Blast, the free emailed
weekly Florida arts news magazine. Join us again next week
for another edition of arts Blast on the air. I'm
(24:47):
Willie Miller. Thanks for listening.
Welcome to Arts Blast on the Air. It's a podcast,
a radio show, and an Alexis skill presented by Ballet
Vero Beach and Riverside Theater Arts supporting the arts in Florida.
I'm Willie Miller and every week I get to talk
to people in the arts about the arts on the
Treasure Coast and beyond. Arts. Blast on the Air is
(00:23):
so proudly supported by Ballet Vero Beach presenting the Riverside
Dance Festival August first and second at Riverside Theater. It's
an unforgettable evening of dynamic dance featuring the La Contemporary
Dance Company with the world premiere they created during the
company's recent residency in Vero Beach. Tickets are available now
(00:46):
online at Ballet Vero Beach dot org and now on
with the show. Guests today Emily rose Olsen and Crystal Usual. Emily,
you are here to talk about something, well you're here
to talk about you, but you're involved in something that
(01:06):
is so noteworthy. It's you're going to talk about forty
five years of theater education at Riverside Theater, right and
the show that's coming up. Yeah, Okay, well maybe we
should talk about you first, or are you how did
you get started? Were you at little kid when you
got started? You come to it later? How'd that happen?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
No?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
I started at Riverside when I was really young. I
started with dance, so I started with Adam Schnell, who
founded Balivia Beach. He was my ballet teacher all when
I was young, and I the first show I ever
did was Nutcracker on in Spring in swing time, sorry
with him for I need it for six years until
he stopped doing that, and then he eventually moved to
(01:48):
the No Cracker on the Indian River with his company.
And then I started doing theater Eriverside because I was
already in the dance program. And then once I got
into high school, I did theater at vir Beach High
School with Miss d and I was in that all
four years of high school.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
I actually was.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I think it was when I was in the music Man.
I came and I did this same segment with you.
I think it was that show I remember for one
of my shows. I came and talked about it. But yeah,
So then I went to college and I got my
Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting and I just graduated
in May so I've really had theater involved in my
entire life up until this point. And now I'm working
(02:27):
at Riverside and I'm their associate director of Education, so
I'm really getting to work with kids from all ages.
Just in this past month that I've been there, I've
worked with kids from six to eighteen, so it's really
great so far, and I'm excited to keep going throughout
the whole school year in the future as well.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
So you're going full circle.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah, it really is full circle, especially because my first
theater production I did at Riverside was Annie and the
first show that I worked on this summer was Annie
with the Kids, which was crazy, so that was really special.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Okay, go back to before you got started. How did
your family, I mean they must have been helping you
and encouraging you since you were so young. Yeah, did
you tell them you wanted to do it? Or will
I say, would you like to?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
My grandma thought that I had a little bit of
energy that needed to be placed somewhere, so that's why
she put me into dance class. So that was like
the stepping stone was she was like, I think this
would be good for her because it was before I
could really even form sentences. I think my first dance
class was when I was around three, so I really
have been doing it my whole life. And then from
(03:38):
there I wanted to do the dance shows. And something
that made me want to do more theater was actually
when Riverside came to my elementary school. They have this
program called the School School where they bring a production
of a kids show.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Which just means that it's meant for younger students.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
They bring it to an elementary school and they do
a whole show just with no big set or any thing,
with no big costumes, but they put on that whole
show with those students in.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
The elementary school.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
So we did Aristocrats when I was in I think
third grade or something like that, and that was kind
of my big introduction to the theater program. So then
from there, that's when I was like, I really want
to audition, I really want to keep going back, and
then from there I just kept doing it and my
parents' full support, which was great but kind of going
(04:26):
hand in hand we're about to talk about with this
showcase that I'm doing next week with Riverside. Is the
reason I was able to do all of those programs dance, theater,
everything was I was involved in their tuition assistance program Riverside,
So I applied every year and they were able to
give me a significant discount on my payment towards all
(04:46):
of my dance and theater and everything. And that's the
only reason that I was able to do theater and everything.
I've ever sighed all of my years, which I'm so
grateful for and that's why I'm in this position today.
And so this showcase we're doing next week is to
benefit those students that are going through the tuition assistance
program right now.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
So, and it's called the Alumni Showcase. Yeah, who else
will be in it with you?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
So there's four other alumni, two boys that were in
my year, so David Callahan, Bryce Roue, and then there
are two older alumni, Jamori Williams and Shannon Maloney and
they are so we're all kind of different age ranges,
different types of people, but all five of us went.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Through the Riverside program through most of our childhood.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Okay, you said Jamori Williams, and that's how I first
met him, but he's now known as Jamari Darling.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Okay, yeah, I've never met him. I'm really really excited
to get to work with all of them I have.
I haven't seen Shannon in years too, so it's going
to be a really cool reunion for me too.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
You're not all keeping up with each other.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
Well, some of them are just from like different generations.
I guess, like David and Bryce, they were in my group,
but I don't know the other two as much, just
because I was never in shows or anything with them.
But I'm excited to like come together for this evening
and everything and perform together.
Speaker 4 (06:11):
So it'll be really fun.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Will you be rehearsing ahead of time together or just
coming together that night?
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Basically that day, we're gonna start in the morning and
kind of put it together. We've got like our set
list going on for all of the songs that we're
going to be doing in the order we have them all,
so we can be like rehearsing on our own. But
we have kind of all day of the showcase to
rehearse it and then we perform.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
It at night.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
So it's kind of like a one day and go
kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
And what is the date?
Speaker 4 (06:39):
The seventeenth of July, so next Thursday.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Now, isn't that doesn't that coincide with the Vegas Knights.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, so it's supposed to kind of be a way
to pull some of the patrons and everybody that's involved
from Overside already with the Vegas Knights, because those Vegas
Knights are in.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Main support of the tuition assistance program.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
So we're putting on the showcase to kind of draw
in some more people to really bring them into that
space to really try to raise money for the kids.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Now, you are now the assistant director of Education at Riverside. Yes,
what's that? What does your job? What do you do?
Speaker 4 (07:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (07:16):
So right now for the summer, I'm just I'm helping
out with all of the summer camps. So they're doing
Legally Blonde right now, which is running right after the showcase.
It's running the eighteenth and nineteenth of July, and so
those kids are working super hard to put together that show.
I helped out with Annie for three weeks in the
in June, and then once the fall starts, I'm going
(07:39):
to help with all of the education programs and I'm
going to help mainly with a lot of the outreach programs,
so I get to I'm going to get to work
with the Gifford Youth Achievement Center with their production that
they're bringing to the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, which
I'm very excited about.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
And I'm going to work.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
With some of the schools, like kind of what I
started as with the school stool production. I'm going to
get to go into the schools with the other students
to do the same thing.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
So it's rare. Like you said, it's very full circle
everything that I'm getting to do.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
It sounds like a dream job.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
No, I'm very very excited to really get started with
the school year, especially.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
What suggestion would you have for a parent with a
young child who maybe hasn't shown a lot of interest
yet or has How does how do you as a
parent guide a young child in the right direction without
being a stage mother?
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Okay, Yeah, I mean I think I've seen a lot
of great parents with Riverside. There's a lot of really
supportive and great family members of all of those kids.
And the best thing for me growing up, and what
I've seen is just you know, encouraging them and telling
them that they're doing great and everything, but not you know,
not trying to be their director and give them notes
(08:52):
of course. So I think what helped me with my
family was they were just so supportive and they just
came to see my shows. They wanted me to try
to do all I could and that was the best
thing they could have done. So that's what really made
me flourish. I feel like, in what I've done so far.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Where do you see yourself going in this career?
Speaker 4 (09:10):
I mean, I don't know. Right now.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
I'm really happy with this. I've always wanted to be
a teacher and an educator, so right now I'm just
happy where I'm at and I'm just gonna.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
Try to take it day by day.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
I guess you don't have.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
Children, no, no, no, no, not yet No, I do not.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Dare I ask when you do have children? Assume you do.
At some point, will you guide them into the theater
as well?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
I mean I feel like if they want to, yeah,
I would love. I think it's a great outlet for kids,
especially really young kids, because it's such an environment where
it's easy to make friends because everybody's got the same
goal of putting the show together. So and it's such
a place where kids that you know, aren't into sports,
so they're not into other extracurriculars. It's a place where
(09:57):
they can really thrive and they can shine I now
on stage and get to perform and do all these
things that those other like popular extra extracurriculars don't do.
So I think, yeah I would if my kids wanted to,
I'd love to put them in it.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeah, okay, Well you'll jut back with us in maybe
five ten years, right, bring the kids in for an interview. Sure, okay,
So once again, let's talk about the Alumni showcase. Do
you have the dates? How to get tickets?
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Yeah, this July seventeenth, it's at six thirty. If you
go on Riverside's website, it's right there. We've got tickets.
You can get like tables, you can get individual tickets.
It's going to be in the Waxlax Stage, which is
like the smaller stage and Riverside, and it's going to
be pretty not did.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
You crazy, It's pretty casual.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
We'll just be getting up singing, telling about our stories,
how we got involved in Riverside, introducing each other and yeah,
all of that.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
It'll be it'll be super fun.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Okay, And once again it's going to be David Callahan
Jamorrow Darling or Je Marley, Jamari Williams, Darling, Shannon Maloney,
Emily Rose Olsen and Bryce Rue. It's going to be
a great night. Yeah, and I hope so once again
it's for the Education Department, the Scholarship Department at Riverside Theater. Absolutely, Emily,
(11:23):
great to talk to you, Thanks for coming in. Thank you,
my pleasure. Emily Rose Olsen for Riverside Theater. Oh look,
let's check into Riverside Theater's website to learn about the
coming season plus everything happening this summer. It's all about
Riverside Theater for kids see Legally Blonde the musical. Thrilled
to performances in the Alumni Showcase and get out your
(11:46):
Advisor Garter in Shades for Riverside Theaters, Vegas nights July seventeenth, eighteenth,
and nineteenth. This popular event is a fundraiser benefiting Riverside's
Youth Tuition Assistance program. Learn about everything Riverside at Riversidetheater
dot com.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Arts plast on the Air is probably supported by Ballet
Vero Beach. The company, in partnership with Riverside Theater presents
the Riverside Dance Festival featuring the return of La Contemporary
Dance Company August first and second, at seven thirty pm
at Riverside Theater. Experience an unforgettable evening of contemporary dance
that showcases dynamic and innovative choreography, including a world premiere
(12:26):
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are available now by visiting ballet Vierobeach dot org and
secure your seats today. That's ballet Vierobeach dot Org.
Speaker 6 (12:36):
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Speaker 7 (13:36):
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(13:58):
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Speaker 1 (14:10):
And we are back with Arts Blast on the Air.
I'm Willie Miller, and now we're talking again with an
old friend, Crystal Doctor Crystal Vougel, And speaking of children,
young people and music and talent and bringing them Upright,
You've got a lot to say. You are the Are
(14:31):
you retired? You're retired sort of sort of?
Speaker 5 (14:35):
This should be my fourth retirement in life.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Yes, okay. Gifford Youth Orchestra.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
Youth Orchestra, right, Yes, okay, I was retired when I
moved to Florida.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Yeah, so now you're practicing it, you're really working up.
You're getting the hang of it now. And again, yes,
let's talk about the Gifford Youth Orchestra. I mean, I've
I've heard the history, but for those who haven't, just
to quick how did it get started? So somebody said,
somebody challenged you.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
Yes, that's right, because, as I said, I didn't move
here to do this work. I moved here to be retired.
But seemingly as soon as I got here in two
thousand and two, Annie Laura Powell from Gifford is the
one that challenged me. And she said, look, our children
are being left behind. What are you going to do
(15:28):
about it? And when she said you, she poked me
in the shoulder. And I'm saying what, I don't even
know where Gifford is literally speaking. I mean, I didn't
know I was in Gifford, but I didn't know anything
about children being left behind or what was going on
in Gifford other than the park. And so when she
(15:49):
explained to me about the music having been moved out,
the music programs having been moved out of Gifford, then
I understood what she was asking for, and I said, well,
I can start a program to teach children and all
you have to do is hire a teacher. She said,
I don't know how to do that. So that's how
(16:11):
I started the Gifford Youth Orchestra in two thousand and three.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Now what gave her the idea to poke you in
the shoulder and say.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
Crystal, I was giving workshops for drumming and meditation and
then I sponsored because someone from Gifford asked me to
sponsor a Quansa program in Gifford. And so when I
(16:39):
presented the Quansa program, Annie Powell, who had been giving
Quansa programs, attended, and that's when she met me and
saw I guess what I was capable of, and made
that request and it fit because I've been a musician
(16:59):
on my life. I started very early in life playing
the piano and directing youth choirs, and working with children
and adults in groups. All of my life, one way
or another, creating newsletters for the companies I worked for,
or starting eneiogram workshops at the company, or astrological workshops.
(17:22):
I was always involved in organizing people for some kind
of personal development.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
I don't think we went back that far with you.
Where were you when you were doing all of this?
Speaker 5 (17:33):
Primarily in Los Angeles, just a few years in New Jersey,
four years in New Jersey, but primarily in the Los
Angeles area.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Okay, so and you came here? No wait, all right,
why did you come.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
To Gifford to be retired?
Speaker 1 (17:52):
I had started, But how did you know about it?
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Oh? Okay? Well I had to established two churches in
Los Angele was one was a family church, and then
out of that, from that group, I also established a
church for women only, so that we could begin to
practice looking at the feminine aspects of God and the
(18:17):
Goddess and feminine spirituality. And there was a woman from Ventura.
I was in Los Angeles, but this woman heard about
us and joined the church. And then at some point
her mother became ill and her mother lived in Sebastian,
So she moved here and would write to me every year.
(18:42):
In fact, she invited me to come to Sebastian, but
I didn't know about Gifford.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Well.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
When Gifford opened their swimming pool, she being a certified lifeguard.
She had been a marine major for twenty years and
in her her service as a marine, she became a lifeguard,
and so she was the first life guard at the
Gifford swimming pool. And she would write and say, why
(19:12):
don't you come out here and start a church. I said,
I'm not leaving California for Florida, but she asked me
every year, and then on this year when I had
retired from being in the ministry from both churches. When
she asked me in two thousand and two, I hadn't
planned to say yes, but I said okay, and I
(19:33):
moved here and roomed with her, and that's how I
ended up in Florida. And she's the one that asked
me to give this Quancert program to help her connect
with the community. And that's when I met Annie Powell
and the rest of the rest of this history.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
And now we have talked so many times over the
Year's Crystal, but every time I learned something new. I
had no idea that was your background in California.
Speaker 5 (20:04):
That was my background. And my primary jobs were with
the government, various governments, Internal Revenue, CAAA when it was
before FAA, and the Navy and defense contracts, and I
was in the computer department. And so in nineteen sixty
five I started working as a teacher of computer operations.
(20:30):
And that's what that's what I did. Most of my
adult life was in computer operations.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
It's funny where life leads us, isn't it.
Speaker 5 (20:40):
I have loved every job. I have loved every single job,
even if I had to be on my knees filing papers.
There was always something exciting about that job. When that
computer door opened at CAAA, that was the most exciting
job I ever had. Love computers and computer operations and
(21:04):
programming and what that computer can do. And I'm surprised
that I'm not teaching that here. But music, music takes
what is the what I'm looking for, takes precedent in
my life because there's so much that music covers. Everything
(21:27):
you do in life is connected to music. And in
our music program, it teaches children how to be socialized,
how to have a language around music, how to think,
critical thinking. It prepares them for any job, any form
of education. The music Plato said. I can't exactly quote it,
(21:50):
but it was something like if I were to teach philosophy,
and I can't remember it now. I'm eighty eight now,
so sometimes I don't remember all the details. But he said,
I would teach music because music is the key to
everything in life, and it truly is. Math is music,
(22:11):
Philosophy is music. There's nothing we do without music. And
it's also the bridge between communities that don't have a bridge,
you know. It's the bridge between black and white people
in the world. Music, the instruments, the sound of the boys,
the language. It's I get very excited when I talk
(22:35):
about it because I know what it does to my body.
I was paralyzed back in nineteen seventy nine for several months,
and when I put they moved a piano into the
ward where I was. I couldn't use anything in my
upper body, for I was paralyzed from the waist up.
When they moved that piano in and I put my
(22:58):
hand on the keys, just put them on the keys,
like raise my body up and let my fingers fall
on the keyboard. That's when they started to heal, just
from the vibrations of touching the keys. So I know
that music is healing. It's meditative, it's soothing, it's exciting,
(23:25):
it will change your life. There's music for everything we
do in life, from marching to am I running out
of time? Am I talking about this?
Speaker 1 (23:36):
We are running out of time? But so what we
need to do is mention the website, which is Jyotigers
dot org. That is the orchestra, the youth orchestra. Yes,
camp going camp, going on. You have something Wait, I'm
not even going to ask you because we have run
out of time. I heard somebody say, Gifford Academy of
(23:59):
Performing Arts. Is that something that's coming.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
Yes, it is.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
We'll talk about that another day because now we rarely
have run out of time for Crystal Show and GYO
Tigers dot Org. Crystal, thanks so much, so great to
talk to you. As always, that's thanks to Crystal, Thanks
to Emily Rose Olsen, and thanks as always to you
(24:24):
for joining us again this week for Arts Blast on
the Air. It's a podcast radio show and Alexis Skill,
all presented by Riverside Theater and Ballet Vero Beach, covering
the arts online and in arts Blast, the free emailed
weekly Florida arts news magazine. Join us again next week
for another edition of arts Blast on the air. I'm
(24:47):
Willie Miller. Thanks for listening.
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