Vive Les Arts Theatre sponsors Five Hills Scholarship Pageant

By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press

Vive Les Arts Theatre returns as a division sponsor for the 9th annual Five Hills Scholarship Pageant which will be held March 26.  
As a division sponsor, the Vive Les Arts Theatre provides 50 tickets each season to the Five Hills Scholarship Pageant Program for titleholders to see the different shows that the theater puts on. 
“There are not opportunities in this area, not very many, to see live theater and see art, and that is the opportunity that we’re trying to provide for them,” Salter said. 
Last Sunday, the theater’s run of “The Lion King Jr.” came to an end, and several titleholders had the opportunity to see the show before it left. 
Five Hills Ambassador Dawn Hale said this was the third play she had seen at Vive Les Arts. 
“The cast never fails to put on a wonderful show,” Hale said. “I am so grateful for VLA’s sponsorship of the Miss Five Hills Scholarship Program over the years. The theater has opened the eyes of so many royalty and family members to the great talented thespians we have in our communities.”
For Five Hills Junior Ambassador Maddox Tobias, this was his fourth performance that he had attended. 
“This one was one of my favorite plays, along with Moana,” Tobias said. “I love all of them! I really liked all the acting, and I want to be in a play and act too. Everyone did so good. My favorite parts were Timon and Pumbaa because they were so funny. I hope to audition for Aladdin Jr.”
Young Miss Five Hills Emily Kimball was grateful for the chance to see Sunday’s show. 
“Showing support to our sponsors has always been a priority of our program,” Kimball said. “Visiting the Vive Les Arts Theatre was an experience I’ll never forget. Lion King Jr. was funny, realistic, and absolutely adorable. We’re so thankful for the support of this family-oriented theater. I’ll definitely be revisiting for all the future shows and events!”
Vive Les Arts Theatre, which is also known as Central Texas Theatre, offers a Children’s Theatre as well as a Main Stage, for the older thespians. In doing so, they offer a chance for young thespians to practice their art and grow. 
“What we do here is offer a free opportunity for children after school to participate and enrich their lives through art,” Salter said. “What we do, and I would imagine Five Hills [Scholarship Pageant Program] does is increase their ability to speak in front of people does all kinds of things for confidence and individuality and into independence. We learn to work together as a team. A lot of our students may or may not be involved in athletic events and team sports and things like that, and this offers a chance for them to learn how to work together as a group to find those kinds of experiences.” 
The partnership between the Five Hills Scholarship Pageant and the Vive Les Arts Theatre started back in 2016, after a VLA actress competed in the pageant and won. Vive Les Arts sponsored the pageant in 2016 and again in 2018, and has been a continuous sponsor since 2019, when VLA Executive Director Jami Salter was hired. 
“Because I think the pageant does an extension of what we do-offer all of those kids…a chance to grow as individuals through an experience that they wouldn’t have elsewhere,” 
The Five Hills Scholarship Pageant will be held at the Copperas Cove Civic Center. Contestants will receive prizes just for competing, and crowned titleholders will receive even more prizes and scholarships from various sponsors. 
Applications opened Feb. 1 and will be open through March 1, 2022. Applications can be found at https://www.copperascovetx.gov/pio/five_hills_pageant/. 
Both the application and entry fee must be submitted no later than March 1. The first rehearsal is scheduled for the first Saturday in March, with the pageant to follow three weeks later.