Haddonfield Theater Arts Center — Attraction in Haddonfield

Where do I begin?

First of all, not only are the teachers cold but the classes are not only unhelpful but irritatingly pointless. As a young kid who was very passionate about acting and singing, going weekly to this establishment completely ruined my aspirations in theater.

I mean, the transgressions are almost innumerable, to the point where I’m most likely not gonna be able to get to them all. Firstly, Christa Laska was rude and, quite frankly, cruel. Not only would she belittle her students, but she would also pick favorites and, without an ounce of shame, leave her students vying for her praise. When I was there, it was clear that certain students were not even trusted with a single line of dialogue while others were allowed to carry whole scenes on their shoulder—and this is without any audition process. She knows from the get-go who’s getting what treatment; if she doesn’t like you like she didn’t like me, buckle up for a difficult weekly gathering that will leave you artistically stunted and emotionally drained.

Besides Christa being abrasive, incapable of showing the slightest hint of kindness, and unable to support the talents of a good 3/4 of her students, she is also quick to turn on you—as she did me. It was clear she never really liked me: she told me off for being fidgety, ridiculed me if I was a few minutes late or left a few minutes early (despite me not being the only person having to do so occasionally), and was overall an almost pestilent presence whenever I was in the room. But it all came to a head during my last few weeks of attendance after I was outed as gay in fifth grade. My mental health dropped, I wasn’t performing well, and I would sometimes find it hard to leave my bed and therefore come to all the classes. After missing two—which is not as much as some of her more favored students skipped on—she practically excommunicated me. All my classmates got solos for the upcoming play and even got choreography. I was not allowed to sing and watched them from the corner.

My last memory of the class was crying as I clamored into my mom’s car. When I told her about what I was going through at the class, she signed her last check and I never went back there again. I never attempted to sing or act either, despite that I was, and still am, passionate about both—and it’s all because my experience in theater has been permanently scarred by the unprofessional demeanor...

If I could give 10 stars, I would but I'll settle for 5. Haddonfield Theater Arts is a community of inclusive, accepting, supportive individuals. Our son was lucky enough to call HTAC his second home for 11 years from elementary school through high school, and the owners Scott and Christa Laska influenced my son so much he not only went on to pursue a BFA in Musical Theatre, but follow in their academic college choice. HTAC prepares any student willing to work hard, learn to take "notes" without feeling judged in a supportive environment. In other words, HTAC prepares them for the real world of being the best version of themselves in and out of the studio.

Christa and Scott Laska, along with the other talented staff bring so much professionalism and real-life experience, and we are so grateful they settled in our small town. There's zero doubt they've inspired countless students to pursue the performing arts after high school, be it major, minor, clubs.....it speaks to the passion they instill in any student willing to work hard. We also loved the communication we had with the staff. If our son was having an issue with scheduling, academic or social stress, personal issues....all it took was communication to them and they were our safety net.

In a world filled with so much uncertainty and insecurity, we all want our kids to feel safe, seen and accepted. We also want our children to learn respect, rule following, hard work and how to take objective criticism without judgment. We want our children to learn to advocate for themselves and want to feel part of a community ourselves. These things all make better citizens of the world we want to live in, am I right? HTAC became that place for my son, his friends and the staff became an extension...

I have never felt more included and safe in any setting in my life. I joined HTAC this year not knowing a single person. This was to be expected, as I live in an area that is decently far from the studio; however, I instantly felt included. I have really bad social anxiety, so at first, I was somewhat afraid to talk to people. The other members of the Center Stage classes seemed to differ from my point of view, as by the holiday show, I felt as if I was friendly with everyone in the cast. The same goes for the company show, which was Between the Lines. At first, I was nervous to speak to people, since there were people a decent amount of years older than me. By tech week, I felt super close to everyone else in that setting, to the point where about halfway through a rehearsal, about late March or early April from what I remember, I felt comfortable not only being openly gay around cast, but also felt comfortable coming out to my mom with guidance from other cast members. Unfortunately, my mother had a negative reaction, but, Christa and Scott let me and others take a break when that happened, and for that, I cannot be any more grateful. This break allowed me to clear my mind and compose myself, and it’s all thanks to the support that others gave me. For that, I cannot be any more grateful. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for my journey through...