Mary Lechter is the Associate Director of Mason Community Arts Academy, which is celebrating 10 years, and she is the creator and director of Acting For Young People (the Academy’s theater division), which recently celebrated 20 successful years! Needless to say, she’s a cornerstone of the organization – staff member Claire Allen recently asked her to share some of her many experiences with us.
CAllen: How did you first become interested in/involved with the arts?
MLechter: When I was a kid, I suppose you could say I lived in my own MGM musical. I was Dorothy Gale from Kansas. I was a weird little kid. But I’m grateful for that now because I know it’s at the heart of why I do what I do. At that time, there wasn’t the abundance of enrichment programs that we have today or if they were there, they weren’t easy to find. So, I created my own. Much to the chagrin of my neighborhood friends, I roped them into coming to my “ballet school” or being in my annual production of the Wizard of Oz, that coincidentally I produced, directed and starred in. But what I realize now is that I had created a safe, creative place, for myself – and for any of those kids who were still talking to me! Once I finally found organized activities, I participated in theater, choir and madrigals throughout my teens, and majored in Theater at University of Maryland.
CAllen: What inspired you to create Acting for Young People (AFYP)?
MLechter: I was very fortunate to start my teaching career with two incredible organizations in Washington, DC: The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. At Studio, I helped create programs for their young peoples’ division. I learned a tremendous amount during that time, and count those as some of the most formative experiences I’ve had. When my husband Kevin and I moved to the Fairfax area, I realized that while there were some programs offered, there was still room for more professional-level training, and I was able to create my own curricula and start testing the waters for what types of programs would work well in the area. My first class was held at the Fire Station on University Drive in Fairfax City, and from there, we had a very nomadic existence for several years! We held classes in two different churches, empty retail spaces, and for a while, I used a dance studio in Springfield, bartering as an acting coach for their competition teams in exchange for use of the space when classes weren’t being held. Having a consistent place to call home [i.e. the Academy], to teach and work from regularly, has made a huge difference, and has allowed us to focus more on teaching and less on schlepping! But seriously, it has given us a sense of stability that has allowed our programs to flourish.
CAllen: AFYP is obviously a spectacular program all on its own. What motivated you to first partner with and then become a part of Mason Community Arts Academy (MCAA)?
MLechter: Thanks to the support of then-Interim Dean Rick Davis, who saw the value of bringing hundreds of community members to campus each summer, we worked out a rental agreement and began offering our Summer Acting Camp at Mason in 2002. It was a huge game changer to be able to work in these spaces, and expand our camp staff to include more Mason students and grads. AFYP was growing exponentially each year, adding more and more after school programs, Saturday classes, and special workshops. When Libby Curtis took on the task of formalizing programming for the Mason Community Arts Academy (then known as the Potomac Arts Academy), she and I began exploring the possibilities of joining forces, starting with our summer programs. I feel so fortunate to work with Libby, and to have developed a wonderful friendship in the process. Bringing two organizations together has many challenges, but many more benefits, and tremendous growth has been possible thanks to our working together.
CAllen: What is your favorite part of your job, currently?
MLechter: There are so many things to love about my job, which is a bit of a hybrid, between serving as Associate Director of the Academy and overseeing our theater programs, teaching for the School of Theater at the University, and running AFYP’s original non-profit organization. The common thread is that I get to work with extraordinary people every day. I could not ask for better colleagues, a better staff, a better team of teaching artists, or more wonderful students and parents. I love that I get to learn from them in every aspect of what we do. Of course, having the privilege of watching our students grow as artists and people, in big and small ways, is the ultimate perk of the job!
CAllen: Talk to me about AFYP and your initial goals for the program, and where it is currently. Did you expect it to grow in the way it did? What did you expect, and what has surprised you?
MLechter: Initially, when I began in 1997, I really wasn’t sure if this was going to go anywhere or what to expect, I just focused on the goal of reaching as many students and families as possible, and took my cues from the response I got. Those responses allowed me to make an informed business plan and grow it over years. I always say, I have had several “angels” along the way, including the City of Fairfax Commission on the Arts, who informally adopted our program in 1999, and allowed us access to classroom spaces in those early days. I remember for the first year of our summer camp, I just wanted 75 students over the three weeks of our half-day program in three small rooms at Fairfax High School, and we had about double that! There have been many more angels along the way, that have shared their expertise and helped build our programs. This past June AFYP marked its 20th anniversary with a beautiful celebration, and I was extremely moved that some of our very first students and teachers had traveled from various parts of the country to be there. It was a magical combination of our AFYP family of current staff, students and their families, my Academy family, and familiar faces from each of our 20 years, all of whom have had a great influence on what the organization is today.
CAllen: What is one of the most memorable experiences you have had as a result of your connection to the Academy?
MLechter: There have been so many, but one that really stands out is last fall’s Family Concert, celebrating diversity. Six of our talented AFYP students were given the opportunity to narrate alongside Professor Mark Camphouse’s Mason Wind Symphony. In the same presentation, my friend and colleague Zach Wilcox had written the narrative for the Academy’s first commissioned interdisciplinary composition. The day just felt like the perfect example of collaboration, and bringing several art forms together to tell an important story.
CAllen: If you had one wish for how MCAA continues to grow in the next ten years, what would it be?
MLechter: My greatest wish is for a dedicated space that would allow all areas of the Academy to do our best work. It’s a big wish, and one that we’ll have to approach in small, achievable pieces (or wishes!), but it’s necessary for our continued growth.
CAllen: Is there anything else you’d like our community to know about you, AFYP, the Academy, or the importance of the arts?
MLechter: Just that I feel extremely grateful for the experiences I’ve had, and the people I get to work with. I appreciate having work that means so much, on a daily basis. Now, more than ever, we need arts education. The arts have the potential to teach students of all ages compassion, empathy, sustained focus. It’s easy to become disconnected with everything that vies for our attention in today’s world, and the arts give us a chance to connect in meaningful ways.
Oh. And I love my dachshunds! [laughs]
Thanks to Mary for sharing these wonderful insights and reflections on the past 10 years (and more). Sign up for one of our popular Summer Acting Camps to get the full MCAA/ AFYP experience!
