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04/17/2024 08:30 AMOne day, an attentive English teacher encouraged a shy girl in her class to try out for the school play, igniting a lifelong passion for theater. Now, Laura Attanasio helps other young people find their love of performing as the founder of Kidz Konnection in Clinton.
Years ago, Laura and her young children faced a problem.
“I was very active in schools back then, like a lot of parents are when their kids are young. One day, my kids and their friends came and said they wanted to do a play, but back then, the only thing around in Clinton for theater was the Drama Club for high schoolers at The Morgan School,” Laura recalls.
As a result, Laura, who has an extensive background in theater work, had to improvise and put on a small play for about five or six children.
The lack of theater options for interested kids in the area inspired Laura to start Kidz Konnection in 2006. While it started as a small company with a handful of kids, Kidz Konnection has turned into a widely acclaimed theater arts academy that now sees about 700 students annually through various initiatives.
“It all sprung out of an idea from a bunch of passionate little kids,” Laura says.
Members of the public can support Kidz Konnection’s mission and take in a new show at the upcoming Mother's Day Tea & Recital. On Saturday, May 11, attendees can enjoy tea and snacks, followed by what a press release describes as a “recital featuring opera, Broadway hits, Scottish melodies, and the world premiere of 'A Mother’s Love' by composer John Tafone for soprano and harp with heartfelt Mother’s Day poems read by Shoreline Theater Academy students throughout the program.”
The event will be held at 61 E. Main Street in Clinton. Tickets cost $60 for a couple or $35 for individual tickets. Tickets can be purchased at kidzkonnectionct.org, by calling 860-227-2363, or by emailing kidzkonnectionct@gmail.com. All proceeds will benefit an initiative to send students of the company to the 2025 Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
“About a year-and-a-half ago, I started an initiative for young emerging artists working in the written arts,” Laura says. “Off of that program, a group of about 12 students have regularly met to devise a play that touches on themes of teen mental health and smart device addiction which will be performed at the festival in Scotland next year.”
In order to make sure all the kids invited to the festival can attend, Kidz Konnection is holding the Mother’s Day brunch and other fundraisers throughout the year.
“All the proceeds of the recital go to getting our kids to the Fringe Festival. It’s a really powerful opportunity, and most of our kids do not get the chance to go to travel to Europe, so I want to make sure everyone can go,” Laura explains.
Laura has always been keen on giving back to others through theater. Even as a student at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Laura was more interested in the community aspects of theater than the acting.
“I’m all about community. It just warms my heart to see the kids in the program flourish. Nobody is ever turned away,” Laura says.
Reflecting on the growth of the company since its inception, Laura adds that, “It just gives me great joy to see how far we’ve come.”
Laura credits her interest in theater to her English teacher in her sophomore year of high school.
“I was very shy as a young child. When I was a sophomore in high school, my English teacher approached me and said, ‘I think you’ll be great in the school play. You should audition,’” Laura remembers.
Still skeptical, Laura auditioned and, sure enough, she landed the lead role in the play.
“I became more confident. The opportunity theater gave me transformed me. I knew I wanted to give back to the community and help kids like my teacher did with me and just give someone that little nudge to help find what they love,” says Laura.
Upon leaving school, Laura was involved in nonprofit theater work in Minnesota, New York, and Connecticut prior to forming Kidz Konnection.
When asked about her favorite part of being involved in Kidz Konnection, Laura points to seeing the kids grow.
“I would say just watching the kids discover it’s a second home for them and seeing them grow up, and yet, they still come back year after year. We have some kids that start as kindergartners, and they’re still here in their 20s,” Laura proudly notes. “It makes me feel like I’ve done what I set out to do.”
In her spare time that isn’t devoted to theater, Laura enjoys running and traveling.
Laura was born in Rhode Island and spent much of her younger life in Virginia. However, she has called Clinton home for close to 30 years.
After moving to Connecticut, Laura and her husband were looking for a place to live that would be an equal commute for both of them.
“We put a map down and literally drew a line that was halfway through our commutes, and it landed on Clinton,” Laura says with a laugh.
Thirty years later, Laura is still glad that the map brought her to Clinton.
“My favorite thing about Clinton is the spirit of community,” Laura says. “It has such a close-knit feel, and everyone looks out for each other.”