Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharyl Sutton-Troiani
Hi Sharyl , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Kids love spotlight moments, whether it’s just telling a story or show & tell. When I moved to Johns Island, there were only a few programs for children. I was working as a substitute teacher and the kids told me they really wanted a drama club on our island. Two years ago, I bought the Drama Kids Charleston South franchise so they would have a place to perform in plays, skits, classes, comedy shows and musicals all year round. As we approach our third school year season, we’ve added five more private schools. Last school year, we taught more than 220 students at our studio, The City of Charleston Rec on Bay Street, five Charleston County public schools and Charleston Collegiate. We expect to grow even more this year. Drama Kids is contagious!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We enjoy tremendous support from Charleston county families, and school leaders. But as a new small business owner, with a Journalism degree, not an MBA, I admit that juggling so many money hats is daunting. I really enjoy teaching, creating social content, building new business partnerships, but I do not like working on the books, forecasting or taxes.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Drama Kids Charleston South?
We are South Carolina’s biggest Drama Kids working out of our Johns Island Studio, The City of Charleston Recreation on Bay Street, several Charleston County School District Elementary Schools, and six private schools. All of our teachers, except me, are College of Charleston Theater or Education majors. We all teach Drama Kids International award-winning, curriculum based developmental drama to students aged 4-17. Our hour-long, fast paced lesson plans rotate every four years so that a student does not repeat the lessons. Students learn in their peer age groups. We had a marvelous Acting Academy season last year with three shows performed by actors ages 10-17. Our Take 2 Musical Theater Performance Academy performed two incredible Beat by Beat Press musicals and our Charleston Collegiate KinderKids students debuted. We’re so proud of our students’ courage to express themselves during classes. We love that our students are not using electronics in our classes, so they can focus their voices, movement, gestures and creative energy. We are invested in their commitment to working collaboratively with a kind spirit so they grow exceptional, empathetic communications skills. Being polite and engaging is cool!
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We’d love more homeschool coops to join our daytime studio classes. We would love an angel investor to help us build a Johns Island community center focused on performing and visual arts. Our rural island is rapidly growing, it’s a great investment area.
Pricing:
- Creative Drama Classes $68-$78/mo
- Take 2 Musical Performance Academy $158-$200/mo
- Acting Academy $78-156/monthly
- KinderKids Theater $60-$84/monthly
- Birthday Party 2 hours with a teacher and a skit $250
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dramakids.com/johns-island-james-island-charleston-kiawah-island/classes-by-age/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dramakidscharlestonsouth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DramaKidsCharleston/
