For those interested in the fascinating and varied field of professional theatre, College of the Canyons will once again be offering its Summer Theatre Academy – an immersive, hands-on collection of classes ranging from acting and voice development, to improv and technical theatre – beginning Monday, June 19, and extending through August.

 

"The Academy was such a positive experience for our students last summer," said institute director and COC faculty member Mark Salyer.

 

 Taking suggestions from last year’s students, Salyer added Voice Development and Commercial Dance courses to the curriculum, which already includes Acting, Improv, Technical Theatre, Musical Theatre and Theatre Production. "We wanted to continue to expand the classes based on those suggestions," said Salyer. "Voice Development and Commercial Dance are both vital components to a theatre student’s education."

 

Students will be able to participate in a production class at the end of the summer, with the Academy culminating in a Cabaret Showcase of the summer’s work. "The ultimate vision of this program is a full production at the end of summer and hopefully we’ll see that happen by next year," said Salyer. "Meanwhile, this summer’s Cabaret Showcase evenings will be an absolute delight to anyone who loves music and theatre." The academy will again feature many talented coaches and teachers and provide incredible opportunities for one-on-one instruction.

 

In Musical Theatre alone," said Salyer, "you get an accompanist, Debbie Lawrence, a nationally known cabaret pianist, an acting coach, and the opportunity to work intensively on your song. A lot of my students use the songs they work on for audition materials."