Center Stage (web series)/Tropes

A Dramedy series created by Bryce Augustine and premiering in November 2011, *Center Stage* is built against the backdrop of the Mel Waterson Academy, a boarding school with a strong emphasis on the performing arts – dance, acting, music, singing, you name it. As you'd expect, its students endure the highs and lows that come with such an environment, ranging from performance anxiety and relationship angst to darker subjects like racism, mental illness, abuse, and grief.

The show focuses on eight ethnically diverse characters, particularly Omar Jackson (Theodore Woods), a transfer student who uses dance to cope with an injury that destroyed his chances at a future basketball career. Completing the Ensemble Cast are ventriloquist and stand-up comedian Phoenix Turner (Leonardo Kirkland); Prima Donna actor-singer Sofia Salazar (Alicia Marquez); arrogant and pompous stage magician Daniel Abbatucci (Bruno Roth, Jr.); School Newspaper Newshound and poet Miley Harris (Chloë Grace Moretz); snarky, cynical pianist-singer Nathan Park (Jordan Saitoh); headstrong ballet dancer Aissata Hallowanger (Victoria Sarpong); and timid mime artist Ivy Yang (Rebecca Wu).

After four seasons and 90 episodes, *Center Stage* ended with a Finale Movie in July 2015, centered around the characters' graduation from Mel Watterson. By its conclusion, the series had grown into a successful franchise for producer Greystone Pictures, garnering several forms of spin-off media. You can find more details on the Franchise page.

## Tropes

* Cast Full of Pretty Boys: Most male characters fall into Pretty Boy or Hunk territory.

### YMMV

* Broken Base: TBA
* Retroactive Recognition:
	+ Chloë Grace Moretz may be the most recognizable talent of the show's players movie-wise, starring in feature films like *If I Stay* and the *Kick-Ass* series.
* Uncertain Audience: TBA
* Vindicated By History: Reception for *Center Stage* was modest for much of its original run, but over a decade later, many are hailing the series as an underrated hallmark in 2010s tween and teen entertainment for its clever humor, music, multi-faceted characters, and handling of social issues. The series' Internet-only distribution has also allowed a new generation to discover it, especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

### Trivia

* The Cast Showoff: All of the core eight get to show off their musical and dancing talents throughout the show, regardless of their in-universe performing arts course.
* Fake American: Leonardo Kirkland (English), Haven Mechtilde (German-Greek), and Maybelline Sanford (Australian) all play American characters.
* Fake Nationality:
	+ Alyssa, an African-American, is played by a Canadian-Tanzanian actress.
	+ Nathan is Korean-American, despite Jordan Saitoh's Eurasian background (half-Japanese on his father's side, half-European Canadian on his mother's side). Members of his extended family are all played by Filipino Americans.
* Star-Making Role: Applies to much of the main cast, as most were previously small theater or comedy improv actors.
* Stunt Casting: You'd be hard-pressed to find somebody in the supporting cast that isn't a well-respected celebrity.
* Underage Casting: Much of the cast were a year or two younger than the 15/16-year-olds they were playing. In particular, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jordan Saitoh, and Rebecca Wu were between 13 and 14 while filming the first season.
	+ Averted with Theo Woods and Victoria Sarpong, as they recently turned 15 when filming began.