At the
Ruhala Performing Arts Center in East Lansing, a little New York City and a little Haslett have merged to produce shows and performers that are passionate, powerful and charged with energy.
The Ruhala Center offers full career-training programs, workshops taught by guest artists from New York City and around the world, and chances for students to participate in high- caliber performances.
But they’re not taught just in the use of their bodies and their voices; they are encouraged to go deeper, and find their inner power and strength—no matter what their age or their performance level.
The unique teaching model—and the center’s big-city resources—come from its founders, Haslett native, Mark Ruhala, and his wife, Celina Matos.
Both lived in New York along with their young son, Jordan, for many years before returning to East Lansing and opening the studio in 2004.
“We embody many different things generally found in a much larger venue with a much larger staff,” Mark says. “It’s very big-scale, but family-run.”
Life's a StageWhen he lived in New York, Mark had a vibrant career in acting and performing, both on- and off-Broadway. He was the executive and artistic director of the Broadway Training Center, which he founded in 1991. Celina assisted him at the center, and also had her own thriving career in acting and dancing.
But in 2004, the successful duo decided that it was time for a change. They got more than they ever expected.
They were discussing the possibility of heading to Michigan when they learned that Mark’s father was ill with cancer.
“That’s when we knew that Lansing was where we were supposed to be,” Mark says. “My dad was very instrumental in getting me started in show business. He inspired me with his love of music, and I wanted to be with him at the end of his life.”
East Lansing was home for Mark, whose five siblings also live in the area. It was also where he made his theatrical debut, on East Lansing High School’s stage.
The school’s theater director—and Mark’s tenth-grade English teacher, Kate Veilh—was on a mission to get more “jocks” into her theater program. Mark, a sports enthusiast who lacked a certain enthusiasm for academics, had skipped his English class so many times that Veilh could have easily failed him.
“It was to save a grade in English,” Mark says with a laugh. “She told me that she’d pass me if I tried out for the spring musical. I did, and realized in short order that I was at home on stage.”
About two weeks after they moved from New York to Lansing, Celina found out she was pregnant with Thomas. They opened the Ruhala Center officially in September of 2004, and Mark’s father passed away that November.
“Looking back on it now, it was a very difficult time. We experienced so many life-changing events,” Celina says.
Despite all the challenges, they pulled together to create a flourishing family business. Mark is executive and artistic director, overseeing the dance and Broadway training, and directing and producing most of the center’s performances. Celina serves as financial director and assistant artistic director, teaching the full acting program, the preschool program and several other classes.
Trust and TrainingRuhala’s approximately 100 students range in age from pre-school to adult, with a large number of teens and “twenty-somethings” who pour into the studio every afternoon ready to work and have fun.
There is no doubt that the center is a second home to many, and they say it’s because it’s safe to open up and express themselves. Mark and Celina’s views on education and the developmental process are a core piece of the training model, which helps students build confidence as they come to trust their own thinking.
Lexi Moeller, a student and assistant at the center, has been training with Mark and Celina since the center opened. Lexi was a sophomore in high school when she started at the studio, but had been a student of ballet since she was very young.
She found her experience in Mark’s classes to be unlike anything she had ever encountered.
“Mark really cares about each student and looks at them individually. To have that in a teacher is vital,” Lexi says.
Her first summer with the center, Lexi attended the Broadway Summer Camp, and she says it changed her life. “The experience was transforming. It renewed my faith in myself, because Mark had faith in me and believed I could succeed.”
Previously, her only interest was in dance, but she has since broken into acting and singing, and now has a passion for performing.
“Mark and Celina like to push you out of your comfort zone. Students are tested, but they also have fun and the environment is very supportive and nurturing," she says.
Growing TalentThat family-like environment is something Mark and Celina want to hold on to, even while implementing plans for continued growth.
Mark and Celina, along with musical director, Jeff English, and a crew of talented, spunky and passionate performers, have produced more than twenty-five shows. While the venue at the Ruhala Center may be small, what’s happening there is big, bold and daring. Performances are held in the studio, so the setting is intimate, creating an energy and connection between audience and performer.
“I’d like to see growth in all components,” says Mark, including his hopes to entice more career-minded students to come and “taste” what they do. He also wants to do more collaboration with other area arts professionals, and to grow the performance and workshop attendance.
Someday the couples wants to open a Cabaret-style performance space.
“Cabaret is fun,” Mark says. “It’s simpler, smaller performance pieces—solo acts, duets, performance artists and drinks. It’s an entertaining evening out.”
“When people come to see the performances, they tell us that they felt moved, changed, often for reasons they can’t explain,” says Celina. “The work we do here is based on truth. The performers don’t just go through the motions. They have to justify why they are on stage and the choices they make. They also need to be committed.”
Dawn Gorman lives in Lansing with her two daughters, and has written for several magazines and newspapers.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
Mark Ruhala teaching a class at the Arts Center
A modern dance class
Mark Ruhala, and his wife, Celina Matos
Alena Hartsuff, Mackenzie Mitchell & Anjelica Hayden (front to back) in ballet
Lexi Moeller, a student and assistant at the center
Marks works with Nora Gorman
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie