2024 Season Sponsor
Ages: 9 – 18
Location: North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre Community Hall (527 Len Self Blvd, Midland)
Date: Monday, March 11 to Friday, March 15
Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $395 plus tax
Learn FOUR production numbers from mega-hit Broadway shows. Performers will receive practical insight into how big musical numbers are rehearsed and performed while they work with professional artists to produce a showcase of hit Broadway songs and scenes. Building on the fundamentals of singing, acting, and movement, students will develop an understanding of reading sheet music, vocal production, choreography and creating dynamic characters within the ensemble. The Final Showcase will be presented on Friday, March 15 at 3:00 p.m. In addition, students will attend Master Classes with Industry Professionals in Stage Combat, Audition Technique and On Camera Acting.
Boot Camp Leaders
Darren Burkett
Darren is so thrilled to be here at Drayton Youth Academy! As an actor himself, national/international credits include performing in Matilda (1st National Tour) and Angelina Ballerina (International Tour). He has also performed across Canada with such companies as The Ross Petty Panto, Stage West, Drayton Entertainment, Thousand Island Playhouse, Western Canada Theatre, The Arts Club Theatre, Chemainus Theatre Festival, and many more. Darren is the recipient of the Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Performance and an Ovation Award for Male Ensemble of the Year. Previous work as a choreographer/assistant choreographer include Legally Blonde (Mainstage Theatre), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Eclipse Theatre Company), Buddy (The Globe Theatre), Edges (Two Monkeys Productions), A Funny Thing Happened…and Guys and Dolls (Vancouver Lawyer Show), Eternal Hydra (Touchstone Theatre) and the motion picture Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. He has also been a theatre and dance educator and has taught around the globe for the past 18 years.
Will Parry
Will Parry (he/they) is a music theatre performer and proud member of the CAEA based in Toronto. Some of his performance credits include Toto in Wizard of Oz: The Panto (Drayton Entertainment), Here I Am: A Cabaret (Self-Produced), Illusionarium (Starvox Entertainment), Scuttle in The Little Mermaid, Robert Martin in The Drowsy Chaperone, Kevin in Going Under (SLC Stage). Will is a graduate of St. Lawrence College’s Music Theatre Performance program. They are passionate about bringing joy and leading with kindness in everything they do. Will is honoured to be a part of the faculty at the Drayton Entertainment Youth Academy. Follow along with Will’s shenanigans @willxparry, and check out www.will-parry.com
Special Workshop Faculty
Siobhan and Matt Richardson
Stage Combat Workshop
Matt and Siobhan are professional actors and fight directors. They have over 50 years of professional stage combat experience between them, including performance, teaching (high schools, universities and professional development) and directing fights for hundreds of productions. Their company, Burning Mountain, is committed to continuous professional development for the growth of the art form and the artist. They are known world-wide for their approach to stage combat: centering on the actor’s process and time-tested safety principles, with biomechanical specificity of technique from foundation principles of numerous martial arts.
This STAGE COMBAT workshop is an introduction to the foundations of stage combat, specifically safety practices, and an introduction to scene work with fight choreography. Students will learn the foundation safety concepts with accompanying techniques, how to connect to the actors’ process within a fight scene, and may even try out a very short piece of choreography.
David Connolly
Audition Skills Master Class
David is the Associate Artistic Director of Drayton Entertainment, Director of Education for their Youth Academy and Co-Chair of their EDI Committee. He is also an active Disability and Inclusion Advocate who is deeply committed to changing the statistic of being the only male amputee to have performed on Broadway.
For Drayton Entertainment, he has helmed over thirty-five productions including The Prom, Kinky Boots, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Mamma Mia! Newsies, Singing In The Rain and their beloved Pantos. David is a recipient of The Ontario Premier’s Award of Excellence and speaker for the DEI Committee of the International Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance. For the past four years, David has curated and moderated a disability inclusion panel at BroadwayCon in New York City to help develop actionable steps to improve disabled representation onstage, and has proudly served as a peer assessor for The Canada Council for the Arts.
David will lead an AUDITION SKILLS workshop focused on both the artistic and business aspects of auditioning. Students will explore all the jobs related to putting on a musical, including casting, plus discuss how to pick appropriate material, how to find out about auditions, representation, unions and overall tips and techniques to gain an edge and feel confident about the process.
Lia Luz
On-Camera Acting Workshop
Lia is a proud Filipino-Canadian performer based in Toronto, ON and a graduate of the Music Theatre Performance program at Sheridan College. Drayton Entertainment credits include: Peter Pan in Peter Pan: The Panto and Dorothy in Wizard of Oz: The Panto. Other theatre credits include: Janet in The Rocky Horror Show (Stirling Festival Theatre), Puring in Prairie Nurse (Lighthouse Festival Theatre), and Little Sally in Urinetown (Toronto Musical Concerts). TV and Voiceover credits include: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (Ubisoft), Blues Clues and You! (Brown Bag), and Mayday (Cineflix).
This ON-CAMERA ACTING workshop is designed to help young performers bring their own life and imagination to actual, age-appropriate TV, voice over and commercial scenes. All students will have time on camera and will work in an encouraging and respectful atmosphere with an experienced film/television/commercial/voice over actor instructor to learn specific and practical skills for auditioning for roles. Learning to use their instincts, adapt to different styles, and take direction are key components of this class.
Virtual Guest
Erich Bergen
Virtual Mentor
Erich Bergen is a television, film, and stage actor who starred as Blake Moran on the CBS drama, Madam Secretary, and as Bob Gaudio in the Clint Eastwood-directed feature film, Jersey Boys. Bergen made his Broadway debut starring as Dr Pomatter in Waitress and also appeared in Roundabout Theatre Company National Touring production of Anything Goes as Billy Crocker. Other television credits includeplaying Robert Jones on the final season of Bull, Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives, Franklin and Bash, Person of Interest, The Tonight Show, and America’s Got Talent. Erich is a cancer survivor and continues to work on behalf of men’s health awareness worldwide. He also dedicates his time fighting for funding for music education in public schools on behalf of the VH1 Save The Music organization.His self-titled debut album and Never Give Up are available on iTunes. @erichbergen
More 2024 March Break Bootcamp Guest Faculty Announcement Coming Soon!
Supervised drop off available at 8:30 a.m. and pick-up until 4:30 p.m.
Please plan to bring water and a packed lunch.