After hearing of a local performing arts studio celebrating its 10th Anniversary, I called to learn more. When I arrived at our scheduled sit-down, I was immediately impressed. Brandon Marcus is an energetic, multi-talented performer that exudes enthusiasm for what he does and the educational performing arts studio he opened ten years ago, The Studio.

Brandon grew up in Mobile before he and his father moved during his high school years, to Chatom, just north of Mobile in Washington County. He attended the University of Alabama, majored in Musical Theater, and was a proud member of the Million Dollar Band during the Shula years. “I saw a lot of bad football but had some great band experiences. I’m still actively involved with the band alumni group.”

In 2008, Brandon transferred to the University of South Alabama, completing his undergraduate degree, then earning his MLA in Leadership and Ethics at Spring Hill College. “I wanted a business education but not a typical one,” he says. He served in multiple capacities at Sunny Side Theater, a children’s theater in Mobile, working with the owner, Christopher Paragone. “He encouraged me to open my own voice studio, so I did.”

He taught his first voice lessons at Sunny Side Theater and 10 years later is now happily established in the heart of Baldwin County. “There had never been an educational performing arts studio for kids and teens that focused on just training in the area, and to this day, we are still the only one. The Studio provides the training and instead of us offering shows, we help our students find performance opportunities that are right for them. This allows our Faculty to focus on the individualized training that we offer each student,” says Brandon.

Now located on Friendship Road in Daphne, The Studio has eight Faculty members, each with or earning degrees in their field. In Brandon’s own words, The Studio is a “full-service educational performing arts studio offering training in acting, dance, guitar, piano, stage makeup, and voice. ”We love what we do,” he says. Shannon Hastings, who teaches piano and voice, retired after teaching, but eventually decided to bring her 40 years of experience to The Studio because it “keeps her young.”

The Studio has students that start as young as 5 years old and trains students until they graduate from high school, and sometimes beyond. ”We still have students that are now in college that come back and work with us during their breaks.” They also meet with the Baldwin County Music Teachers Association monthly to keep abreast of what is happening in the local performing arts world.

Except for stage makeup, all classes at The Studio are one-on-one training. Students identify their goals, allowing the Faculty to focus specifically on what the student wants to concentrate on. “The fact that we help each student find their own space in the Arts is one of the as

things that make The Studio special.”  Typically, students start with a weekly 30-minute lesson and as they progress, many expand to an hour or more per week.

Ivey Simpson, a Senior at Baldwin County Virtual School, arrives at The Studio at 3:30 in the afternoon and doesn’t leave until they close at 8:00 PM. Having been with The Studio for five years, Ivey started with just one 30-minute voice lesson. She now takes multiple hours of voice, acting, and stage makeup, acts as a student assistant for an introductory stage makeup class, and even has time for a break in the middle. She recently accepted a technical theater scholarship to the University of West Florida and has accepted an offer to become a Faculty member at The Studio this summer.

Before The Studio expanded into the educational performing arts studio that it is today, Brandon just taught voice lessons. “Voice training is all about the ear. Matching pitch is a skill that translates to so many things outside of the arts.” He goes on to say, “Kids have to put down their tablets for 30 minutes, and we teach them how to focus, communicate, and, honestly, we teach them how to deal with their emotions. Music without emotion is like a world without color.”

The Studio is primarily an after-school program that operates from 3:00 pm until 8:00 pm. Hoping to also cater to homeschool and virtual school students, they are open during the day one day a week. “I schedule in 30-minute increments, just like a lawyer,” says Brandon. “I can typically tell you what I have scheduled a year in advance.”

The Studio takes pride in being able to help its students book jobs both locally and internationally. Just last week, some of The Studio’s students were cast and shot a new commercial series for Baldwin Preparatory Academy. “Our kids are involved everywhere.” Some students travel to New York every summer to work with Broadway companies. One of their former students was cast in the last Spiderman movie & works alongside Marvel to create content for the Marvel Universe. “A lot of our kids do the extra roles for films that are shot in the Scenic 98 Coastal area, and because of their training, a few of those extra roles turned into much larger roles,” says Brandon.

When asked about the performing arts environment in the area, Brandon says, “The Eastern Shore is a different place than other places I’ve been. People here are so supportive of anything you are interested in. Many kids are into different things, and the people here support them. It’s truly a unique place.”

What’s in the future? “We are working to expand the technical side of the performing arts field while continuing to improve our current offerings.” The Studio is adding more space to accommodate expansion into costume design, set design, and possibly stage management. “Everyone should have a place in the arts, and it doesn’t have to be on stage,” he says.

We are fortunate to have such a talented, dedicated person like Brandon to create and operate an education-based performing arts studio in our area. There are lots of local performing arts theaters in the Scenic 98 Coastal area from Mobile, throughout the Eastern Shore and Baldwin County, and certainly into Pensacola.

I’ve spoken to a few parents whose kids have trained with The Studio, and they say it’s been a wonderful experience. The consistent takeaway from these conversations is that Brandon is extremely talented and dedicated to the kids.

Way to go, Brandon and all the talented Faculty that work so hard to make it happen. Congratulations on 10 years and best wishes for many, many more!

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