Kids and teens in New Westminster are being given a chance to experience the world of musical theatre – side by side with professionals in the field.
Patrick Street Productions, the New Westminster-based company that has earned accolades for its professional productions of contemporary musicals, is offering a new youth musical theatre program at Anvil Centre.
The three-week long program, running April 11 to 28, is aimed at young performers aged 11 to 18.
Peter Jorgensen, a co-artistic producer of Patrick Street Productions, is directing the new program.
“These classes are for kids who have at least a spark of curiosity or interest in the performing arts,” he says.
That doesn’t mean they need to have extensive performing experience, though Jorgensen is expecting that some participants will indeed come with stage skills. What he wants to see is young people with enthusiasm and a genuine curiosity about the world of musical theatre.
“They want to get a peek behind the curtain at what professional training might be like,” he says.
Jorgensen will be working with musical director Sean Bayntun and choreographer Lyndsey Britten, along with guest instructors from the cast of Patrick Street’s upcoming A Little Night Music – including veteran Vancouver performer Patti Allan.
“It’s a really unique experience. They actually get to work with members from our creative team and cast,” Jorgensen says. “I don’t know if there’s another program like it.”
Kids will be separated into groups by age, with a junior class for 11- to 14-year-olds and a senior class for 15- to 18-year-olds.
“This is not about how advanced they are. It’s about teaching every student exactly where they’re at,” Jorgensen notes. “We don’t pander to the younger ones because they’re younger. We don’t sugar coat the training. We just want kids to feel comfortable in their own peer group.”
The new program grows out of one of Patrick Street’s core values, which is the education of young artists.
For Jorgensen, that means teaching the participants more than just steps and words – it means teaching them how to grow and evolve as performers.
“One of my primary philosophies is process over product,” he says.
Students will be introduced to a couple of Broadway ensemble numbers, but the course won’t simply focus on teaching choreography and lyrics. Rather, for the first part of the program, students will have a chance to explore performance and learn techniques they can bring to advance their own work. In the final week, they’ll put it all together in staged numbers.
“First, we lay the foundation of the craft,” Jorgensen says. “That’s really exciting, then they’ve got work that they can own as well. You end up with a bigger sense of ownership from the artists because they’re involved in the creative process.”
Jorgensen says offering the classes at Anvil Centre, where A Little Night Music will be onstage in May, is a win-win for both his company and the new performing arts venue. The students will get a chance to experience top-notch facilities, including a performance at the Anvil Centre Theatre to end their three-week program, and the Anvil Centre will benefit from more young people finding out about everything it has to offer.
“We really hope to help animate that space,” Jorgensen says.
Participants in the program will also get a free ticket to A Little Night Music so they can experience the show for themselves.
“To go to the theatre is part of your education as a theatre artist,” Jorgensen points out.
Jorgensen would love to see this program grow and take root as a permanent part of the New Westminster arts scene – growing, perhaps, to a fully fledged youth conservatory at some point in the future.
For now, he’s hoping he’ll hear from young performers who are intrigued by this glimpse behind the musical theatre curtain – whether they’re experienced performers or not.
“All levels should come out,” he says. “It’s really wonderful to have a really broad cross-section of students.”
IN A NUTSHELL
What: Musical Theatre Performance for Youth, a new program offered by Patrick Street Productions, with a junior class for ages 11 to 14 and a senior class for ages 15 to 18
When: April 11 to 28, Tuesday to Friday, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Final presentation Saturday, April 29, 7:30 p.m. at Anvil Centre Theatre.
Where: Anvil Centre, 777 Columbia St.
Who: All young people interested in musical theatre performance. All levels of skill and experience welcome.
More info: Cost is $245. Download registration form and find more info at www.tinyurl.com/PSPyouth.
