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If you go

What: "Sparkle Time"

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Mishler Theatre, Altoona

Tickets: $12 for adults and $8 for children, from the Mishler Theatre box office.

To purchase tickets, call the box office at 944-9434 from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday

The Sparkle School of the Arts may be a fictitious learning institution, but it has a lot to teach the students who enroll in it each year.

"Sparkle Time" is the eighth in a series of plays presented by Altoona Community Theatre and Blair County Arts Foundation. The story unfolds when Mr. Sparkle, owner and operator of the Sparkle School, tells his students to add some razzle dazzle to their choral concert, resulting in the creation of a time machine.

This year's show features 75 children ranging in age from 6 to 17, who were chosen from more than 120 young people who auditioned. "Sparkle" creator Karen Volpe and musical director Jonathan O'Harrow put the show together in about three weeks. It will be presented at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Mishler Theatre, Altoona.

No matter what paths the teens who participate choose after graduation, their "Sparkle" time will serve them well in almost any endeavor, Volpe said.

"They learn a lot of self confidence," Volpe said. "A lot are terrified to even audition, and then they get through that and go on to perform, and it's the satisfaction they take in a job well done."

Rebecca Davies, 16, a junior at Bishop Guilfoyle High School, said theater has helped raise her self confidence.

"It boosts it 100 percent, absolutely," said Rebecca, who lives in Duncansville. "The fact that you can stand on stage and be completely different than you're used to, in front of a group of people you don't even know, and then you get the funny line that everyone laughs at - it boosts your self confidence, knowing, 'I'm good at this.'"

This is Rebecca's third year with "Sparkle." She said the camaraderie with other young actors is a big draw for her.

"I meet so many people from so many different schools," she said. "I wouldn't know these people if not for 'Sparkle,' but we see each other outside of 'Sparkle.' It's nice to hang out with people who share the same interests, same kind of hobbies."

Rebecca's theater friends understand her passion for the art, she said.

"I think it's just a common joy in what we do, because we get up on stage for rehearsals and are so excited just to be there," Rebecca said.

"People talk about school. ... It's just something you get to look forward to do - doing what you all love to do. I just think it's fantastic."

While "Sparkle" participants have a good time, O'Harrow and Volpe "demand their best," Volpe said, which makes the program challenging, especially given the time constraints.

"It's kind of a rehearsal boot camp," O'Harrow said.

Like Davies, 18-year-old Kelsey Ingold of Cresson said her involvement with the program has boosted her self confidence. She's done "Sparkle" every year since its inception.

"It really helps with public speaking," said Ingold, who is home schooled. "No matter what you do in life, you need good public speakings. And being on stage helps give so much self confidence."

The "Sparkle" program is open to all children, Volpe said, regardless of previous theater experience.

"We try to approach each year as a clean slate," O'Harrow said. "That's another lesson the kids learn, that they don't always get the part, don't always make the team."

Mirror Staff Writer Ashley Gurbal is at 946-7435.