Orpheus Musical Theatre & Broadway Nights Ottawa join forces to bring you an exciting workshop from the St. Lawrence College Music Theatre Program: Acting Through Song with Kyle Blair

About the Course:

Join us for an exciting and immersive workshop focused on presence and play! Led by professional theatre actor Kyle Blair from the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, this session dives into acting through song in a collaborative and supportive atmosphere. You'll gain tools to help you stay active, present, and confident in your work as a singing actor.

Please come prepared with a memorized 32-bar cut of a musical theatre song and bring sheet music for our accompanist. Don’t miss this opportunity to grow your skills and connect with other passionate performers!

This course is aimed at ages 15 - 19 looking to study musical theatre in post-secondary training. All ages are welcome to join as observers. Participant registration is limited to a maximum of 10 to ensure concentrated focus, while Observer registration is open to 25.

Where:

Orpheus Musical Theatre
17 Fairmont Ave.
Ottawa, ON K1Y 1X4

When:

Saturday, November 30
1:00pm - 3:00pm

Cost:

FREE

PAY WHAT YOU WANT DONATION OPTIONS ACCEPTED.
All donations support continued low cost and free development programming throughout the year.

*Orpheus Schoolhouse courses are intentionally the lowest priced in town to ensure affordability and accessibility for all. Read Our Philosophy below. PAY WHAT YOU WANT options are intended for those who require the accommodation. If you can afford the full price, we ask that you be honest and leave the PWYW options for those in need. If the PWYW options are still out of reach for you, we have bursaries available. Please contact J.T. Morris at jt@orpheusmusicaltheatre.ca for more information on bursaries.

Course fees are non-refundable

About the Instructor:

Kyle Blair (he/him) is a full-time professor at St. Lawrence College (SLC) in the Music Theatre - Performance program and has been working as a professional theatre artist for 25 years. His credits include 21 seasons between the Stratford and Shaw Festivals. Roles at Stratford include Frederic (Pirates of Penzance), Lucentio (Taming of the Shrew), Will Parker (Oklahoma!), Billy Lawlor (42nd Street) and Jack (Into the Woods). Roles at Shaw include Octavius (Man and Superman), Ragueneau (Cyrano de Bergerac), The Captain (Androcles and the Lion), Oscar (Sweet Charity), Pirelli (Sweeney Todd) and Jim (Holiday Inn). Toronto credits include Musical Stage Company (John in John & Jen and Robbie in A Man of No Importance), Crow’s Theatre (Pierre Laporte in Red Velvet), Young People’s Theatre (Bert in Mary Poppins), and Ross Petty Productions (The Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz). Other appearances include The National Arts Centre, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Neptune Theatre, Grand Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Talk is Free Theatre, and Drayton Entertainment. Kyle holds an MA (University of Guelph), a BFA (University of Windsor), and is a graduate of the Stratford Festival’s Birmingham Conservatory. He is the recipient of a Merritt Award (Best Actor) for his portrayal of Billy in Billy Bishop Goes to War, the Odyssey Award (Notable Career Achievement) from the University of Windsor, and the Maureen Forrester and Dora Mavor Moore awards from the Stratford Festival.

About the Pianist:

With 20+ years of musical theatre experience under her belt, Wendy Berkelaar is a well-respected music director and pianist in the Ottawa region. She has worked with many musical theatre companies in the city, including Orpheus Musical Theatre, ASNY Productions, indie women productions, TotoToo Theatre, and Three Sisters Theatre Company. She is a local keyboard sub for Broadway Across Canada, and has performed with several touring companies at the National Arts Centre including “Wicked”, “The Book of Mormon” and “Les Misérables”. Internationally, she spent a year with Spotlight Theatre and Mixed Company Theatre in Australia, and toured Germany and Switzerland as Associate Music Director of a production of “Grease - Das Musical’. She is the co-founder of Zucchini Productions, which produces the very successful Ottawa franchise of the “Confidential Musical Theatre Project”.

When not working in theatre, Wendy teaches piano privately, and is the choral accompanist for OrKidstra, a Sistema-based organization that empowers children through music. Wendy holds a masters degree is 18th century performance practice.

Our Philosophy:

Quality arts education should be available and accessible to all! Orpheus Schoolhouse courses are specifically designed to provide the opportunity of quality training by accredited and experienced instructors at lower cost rates. Bursaries are available to those who qualify. For information on bursaries, please contact J.T. Morris at jt@orpheusmusicaltheatre.ca or by phone at 613-729-4318.

Orpheus welcomes individuals from equity seeking communities, intersecting identities, and people with disabilities. Orpheus is committed to providing a space that is free of discrimination and harassment, and fostering a supportive and inclusive community. Please advise us of any accommodation required which will enable you to participate.