Not a lot of compassion for the kids. Some of these organizers don't really seem to like children or understand them. I talked to the ladies that were in charge a couple of times and just got really unpleasant attitude, like the kids and their concerns are a huge bother to them. Other parents mentioned it to me as well, so I'm certain I'm not the only one that noted it. We droped out in the end, but my child was glad and joined another theater group in which she is thriving. read more

I had no idea what I was siging up for when I bought the tickets for a show on Eventbrite but we ended up having a great time. It was a singing show by high school kids and they were so talented! The hostess was great and full of energy and it made for a very fun and unique evening. read more

This business initially seemed great until safety and accountability for the children were unsafe and very unprofessional. Starting Arts could not give straight answers when a bullying incident occurred during a rehearsal at their studio. One employee who was not working at the studio on the day of the incident, Adrienne Marquette, insisted her story was truthful. The adult present for the rehearsal, Amber Micelli, gave her side of the story about the incident, but it did not match the first story. Both adults telling us two different stories about our children experiencing a difficult situation in a supposed "safe space" is completely ridiculous, and neither one of them should be working with children. The company's handling of the situation could have been better and more professional. It is alright to say you don't know what happened rather than make up a story and insist it is true. Be aware of this business and how they treat children when parents are not nearby. They yell at the kids here and get frustrated if they have trouble reading their lines. read more

All the previous reviews about poor communication and inequity in excusal policy are true. Here are a few points to keep in mind if you are considering signing up:  1. Poor communication: Emails from starting order are really lengthyyyyyyy and unorganized. It is hard to find information that is relevant and needs immediate attention. 2. They don't care about your privacy. All and any email communication sent by Starting Arts has email addresses of parents/caregivers in cc instead of bcc. So now everyone who is on the common email thread has access to your email address.  3. Tech week- This week will test your patience. It is driven by insanely long hours of practice (at least 4hours at a stretch) with a 10 minute break for snack. Poor kids are starving and the production staff does not care. They are extremely rude. They treat kids as adults and their replies are loaded with sarcasm. To be fair our Director and Choreographer was Skyler. He was the only one who seemed to care and speak to kids politely. All the other production staff were rather dictatorial in their tone.  Tech week rehearsals are mandatory, no excused absences. An absence means you will not be allowed to participate in the show. So no matter how hard your child worked for the show, they cannot participate if they miss a single day in tech week.  Each show has two casts and there are some days that only one cast performs and other watches. Yet there are no excusals permitted. As per their email response to me, "It is part of the theatre culture."Why am I so troubled by no excusals policy? This is because we had a medical appointment for which we requested excusal.  Despite repeated requests, I was denied excusal on a day that my child's cast was not even performing but was just supposed to be "WATCHING". I was strong armed into agreeing by referring to the contract that I signed with them. Contract states, "The policy is Starting Arts' to enforce or choose to except". But they willingly choose to enforce irrespective of a child's medical need. My only choice was to have my child sit and "WATCH" the other cast perform or miss participating in the show. Interestingly enough, the same week two other kids who were also in my child's cast was picked up early from rehearsal for a class outside school and no one among the production staff seemed to care. Moral of the story: If you respectfully ask, they will deny permission. But if you just show up and pull your kid out early for a hobby class, no questions are asked. They uphold their "tech rehearsals are mandatory" policy  selectively.  Sad to see that there is so much emphasis on making the show look "perfect" but so less emphasis on keeping their policies equitable for all students. read more

"Tech week and all shows are mandatory, so please adjust any outside activities your student may have at this time. March 27- 29th. Monday-Wednesday Tech rehearsals start at 2:20 and will run until 6 p.m. March 30 & 31st. Thursday & Friday: Students need to arrive at 3:45 for the show at 5 p.m." This is the email we got ahead of tech week. No where did it mention if they missed one day they would be removed from the show. Well two students were sick One Monday one Tuesday and missed school. Yesterday and Today they weren't allowed to attend the final Rehearsal and removed from the show. So two 9 year old students who have been practicing for months were removed from the whole show. The owner of Starting Arts made the call per the director Christine. The owner Michael is treating kids as adults and punishing them because they had were sick and did the right thing and stayed home. The were ready to go today for the final rehearsal but Micheal the owner refused to allow them. I know talking to the other parents we don't want our school working with this company ever again. 1 read more

Here we go again... same girl that was Belle for beauty and the beast last year gets the lead role again this summer. Do they not have any compassion for the other kids? Yes there are some phenomenal young performers but it's a summer program, let the other kids have a chance at feeling like a star. Soooo many parents furious, anyone that would like program evidence send me a message and I'm happy to screen shot the consistent copy paste programs that show identical kids in the primary roles. What a shame..... read more

We've been associated with Starting Arts three times now (my daughter was in two shows and she also did a summer class there). We've only ever had a great experience with them. Most importantly, my daughter has loved all her directors (esp Ms Amber who she adores) and I feel she has been cast perfectly as per her personality/abilities and the requirements of the play. We look forward to taking more classes and auditioning for more shows with them. read more

Our school hired Starting Arts to manage a production. Brian M. was the director and really should not be working with kids. I have many complaints - Lack of communication, unfair approach to casting, and disorganized at all levels. My biggest complaint is that they do not inspire the kids, and in fact do the opposite by being condescending. The message that was always repeated to the kids that had the supporting roles was that "They Are Not As Important As the Main Roles". This was reiterated many times over the course of the practices. Awful and shocking. I appreciate that the show must go on, but the journey is also very important. This is a kids production and many of these kids are doing this for the first time. So to have their spirits crushed was unacceptable. read more

Starting Arts came to the school I was teaching a couple years ago and I was very impressed with the production and the positive experience the students had. My daughter just finished their summer camp and also had a really wonderful experience. She was happy each day I picked her up and was able to sing and dance during a very well done production. The costumes were amazing and the kids did a great job. My daughter has not stopped singing the songs. She just loved it. Two suggestions: Make sure all kiddos get a mic and have even a minimal speaking role (1 sentence, even 1 word-even shared with another!). They enroll for the opportunity to have the full experience and it is costly. I think they should all experience all that being a performer entails. I absolutely would recommend Starting Arts and have my daughter participate again! read more

My son has been a part of the studio productions for 9 shows over the last few years and has loved every minute. He is just finishing his first year with Dream Team and loves every minute. As a parent, I love to see the kids supporting each other on stage and off. I've seen shows, rehearsals, tech week, and the kids really are a family. My son has done tech camp (he will do it again) and tap class (and he learned a ton). At a recent Studio show, the best part was seeing fellow cast members watch the other cast perform - their excitement was visible from the beginning to their standing ovation at the end. There are only a few people who make a huge impact on a child's life. For my son it has been Miss Adrienne - his director for the 9 studio shows. She has helped him grow skill wise, with self confidence, and helping him be a leader with the younger students. read more

My daughter just completed a studio production of The Little Mermaid Jr. with Starting Arts. She had such a wonderful experience, and I have seen her performance skills grow leaps in bounds with the work she has put in with SA. I love that their studio location is very convenient and easy to get to from my side of town (Evergreen.) Costco is literally next door to the studio, so parents can get some shopping done while their child rehearses! Also, being that the weekday rehearsals are typically during commuter hours, I am glad to not have to get on the freeway. I also appreciate that parents were not obliged to commit volunteer hours, as we had to do at another children's theater company we've worked with. Of course, parents can volunteer to help, and many do, but it is not mandatory. The director Adrienne M. is incredibly professional, she has a knack for working with kids, and I have never seen her without a smile on her face. She is very positive and speaks to the kids with kindness and enthusiasm. My daughter was quite fond of her, and had such a great experience overall with the cast and the rest of the SA team. Prior to this production, the PTA of my daughter's school that I am a part of worked to get SA on site. Unfortunately, we couldn't muster up enough interest last year. Nonetheless, SA was very accommodating and patient during the process. We regret not being able to get them at her school. However, if they are at your child's school you should definitely take advantage of that opportunity! We have already registered for the next play, and my family is looking forward to another magical Starting Arts performance! We are so lucky to have such a wonderful organization such as this in San Jose. read more

I would never hire the director name Bryan Moriarty from Starting Arts. This man should never work with children ever again. He kept telling our children that they weren't important only the 3 lead roles are important. Then during tech week the kids rehearsed from 3-7pm with only one ten minute break and they just got a snack. These poor kids were starving. read more

Dream Team and Dream Team II are wonderful theater groups. My kids have learned so much and have really enjoyed being a part of such professional groups. They have been with the program for two years, and they have loved every minute. The directors are amazing! Mr. Lopez and Alicia Sanders are inspirational directors and their plays were so much fun for my kids. They also provide a lot guidance for students interested in pursuing careers in theatre. My kids also love the Starting Arts summer play with Mr. Boston. They've done the summer play for the last four years, and they've had so much fun each time. I highly recommend Starting Arts, Dream Team And Dream Team II! read more

My son attended their camp which included arts, drumming, dance, theatre and circus training. He had a BLAST! The staff was professional and great with the kids. He learned a lot while having a lot of fun and he got to experience areas of performing that he would have otherwise never had exposure to. He also attended dance camp and had a great time and learned a lot. We have also attended many of the Dream Team performances and have been thoroughly impressed by the level of talent and professionalism of the show. This is a great organization that also does a lot for the community. We are lucky to have them in our community! read more

Both my son and my daughter have had instruction at Starting Arts. They both very much enjoyed their experiences. My daughter eventually got to the Dream Team (which is a speciality group for youngsters who want to improve in dance, signing and acting). There is a large time commitment, but the fact that much of the work occurs at the school where you children attend makes it much easier on the parent-drivers. It is wonderful to watch your child perform in front of an audience. The children gain a lot of confidence along the way too. Great Teachers is the norm as well. read more

This review is for the Studio shows, dance classes, and the Dream Team program. We have never been involved with the school shows. We have been with SA for four years now as part of the DT program, and there are a few things that set it apart from any other program in the Bay Area. The kids are truly supportive of each other. Through the DT program, there have been amazing opportunities to learn from actors with many traveling shows and local talent. They strive to highlight every child in some way in their productions, and push them as actors, dancers, and singers. The SA staff want to teach the kids to better in every area. They are not a show mill. They have two shows a year with the DT program, but there are opportunities to do more through their Studio shows. We have done dance classes off and on here as well (schedule permitting), and have learned so much in such a short time. The tap classes are challenging but fun. Over the last two years, we've been involved with the fall Studio show. The amount my child has learned about acting in that short time has been amazing. To be clichè, my kid was pushed way out of her comfort zone and I was shocked at the difference. We have been involved in other theater programs, but this one is personal, has your child's interest at heart, and they set out to make the world a better place. They do not have a huge staff or a huge facility (although bigger than you would think from the outside), but do incredible things in the community. In the end, though, you have to try several companies and decide which is best for your child's goals and your family. It's like comparing apples to oranges (another clichè, but oh well). Each company has their own goals for their participants. read more

Doesn't really foster teaching of arts. Expected them to teach the kids but sadly disappointed in that they focus on the ones that already are good! read more

BUYER BEWARE!! Unfortunately they seems fine on the onset, but if there is even a small glitch, they place blame on others and take no responsibility whatsoever and to the detriment of the children. There are several other performing arts companies in the Bay Area that are actually in business to teach and inspire performing arts in children, and not just to make a buck or toot their own artistic talent, such as PYT or CSMA, that I would recommend very strongly ahead of Starting Arts. read more

Both of my daughters have been doing shows with Starting Arts for over 5 years, first with shows through their school, then Dream Team and DT2 (they have both been members for 3 years) and also studio shows. We have had the most incredible experiences with every director, music director and choreographer they have worked with. All Starting Arts staff (from Anne Watts and Mike Boston to Michelle Frank, Deena Riddle & Julie Engelbrecht and everyone in between) is kind, supportive, talented, engaged and always looking out for the kids in all ways. Both of my daughters have felt welcomed, supported and have learned and grown beyond what I could have imagined. They have progressed and advanced in terms of skill, training, confidence and willingness to reach beyond their comfort zone. I cannot say enough about this incredible program and how lucky we are to have found it. read more

My daughter has been taking classes at Starting Arts and participating in Dream Team for the last three years. It has been a transformative experience for her. The instructors, directors, and fellow performers are incredibly supportive and collaborative. She has gained not only performing arts skills, but also confidence and independence during her years here. Their shows are incredible - professional level, for sure. But the real emphasis is on the process. It's a training program, where each child has the opportunity to grow. I cannot say enough good things about Starting Arts! I only wish we had found the program sooner! read more

UPDATE: My daughter has since joined their Dream Team 2 program and we are heading into our third year. There just isn't another program like this in the Bay Area. She has gained confidence and lifelong friends! We can't imagine our lives without SA. read more