Located in Costa Mesa, California, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a celebrated arts institution with a campus of six multi-discipline performance venues, and the home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School and Studio D: Arts School for All. The Center presents a wide variety of programming for audiences of all ages, featuring international ballet and dance companies, national tours of top Broadway shows, jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, and free performances on its plaza, such as outdoor movie screenings, concerts, community and cultural festivals.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts – Courtesy of SCFTA
During this time of Covid, the Center’s widely popular Musical Theater Training Program for aspiring young performers ages 9-18 continues and is currently accepting new applicants. The next series will be on March 18, 23, 26, 30 and April 1, followed by an April/May series. The classes are presented live but online, and The Center welcomes students of all experience levels. Training is provided by some of the industry’s leading live stage professional artists and educators. Classes include acting, voice, and dance. Students in the 15-18-year-old age group will have acting and dance audition preparation classes. There is no audition necessary for entrance, therefore registration is on a first-come/first-served basis, and capacity is limited. Tuition for all five classes is $150, and registration can be completed online by clicking HERE.
Five Days of Broadway 2018 – Photo by Joesan Diche
Because the classes are live virtual, there is immediate interaction between students and faculty while everyone remains completely safe. The Musical Theater Training Program has three tracks, one for students ages 9–13 with classes at 3:30pm, a second for students ages 12 – 14 at 5pm and a third for students ages 15-18 at 6:30pm.
Five Days of Broadway 2018 – Photo by Joesan Diche
MARCH CLASSES
March 18
3:30pm – Musical Theater for ages 9-11
5:00pm – Musical Theater for ages 12-14
6:30pm – Audition Preparation – Musical Theater for ages 15-18
March 23
3:30pm – Acting for ages 9-11
5:00pm – Acting for ages 12-14
6:30pm – Audition Preparation – Acting for ages 15-18
March 25
3:30pm – Dance for ages 9-11
5:00pm – Dance for ages 12-14
6:30pm – Audition Preparation – Dance for ages 15-18
March 30
3:30pm – Dance for ages 9-11
5:00pm – Dance for ages 12-14
6:30pm – Audition Preparation – Dance for ages 15-18
April 1
3:30pm – Musical Theater for ages 9-11
5:00pm – Musical Theater for ages 12-14
6:30pm – Audition Preparation – Musical Theater for ages 15-18
Classes will be 60–75 minutes in length. Classes for students 9–13 years of age will be at 4:00pm, and classes for students 14–18 years of age will be at 6:00pm.
Tuition: $150 for the five-class series
To Register, click HERE.
Information provided is accurate at the time of printing but is subject to change.
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FACULTY
Kirsten Chandler has served at the helm as director of many recent productions across the Southland, including 5 Star Theatricals’ critically-acclaimed Shrek, PVPA’s The Who’s Tommy, Panic Productions’ Inspecting Carol (for which she received a Broadway World nomination for Best Director), SDMT’s Crazy for You, A Christmas Story, and South Pacific, Cabrillo Music Theatre’s Damn Yankees and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (choreographer), Farley Cadena’s award-winning one-woman show Stroke of Luck, Musical Theatre Guild’s Sugar, Triumph of Love, Chess, Little Women, and Bat Boy, CSUN’s Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and AMDA’s Ghost, Spring Awakening and Fame. She spent many years on the other side of the footlights, starring in such productions as The Rocky Horror Show (revival), The Marvelous Wonderettes (original cast), Little Shop of Horrors, Sweet Charity, Scarlet Pimpernel, Ragtime, I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change, and Lulu. She provided the singing voice of Pocahontas for Disney for many years and can be heard as Princess Daria in the animated feature Princess and the Pea. Kirsten is a proud principal faculty member at AMDA Los Angeles.
Cheryl Baxter has been in the entertainment business for over 35 years working in theater, commercials, film, and television. She started her career as an assistant choreographer to Gene Kelly and Kenny Ortega in Coppola’s film, One From the Heart and went on to assist Meryl Streep in Death Becomes Her. She has worked on over 20 films including Xanadu, Tap, Grease 2, Pennies From Heaven, 500 Days of Summer, This Is It with Michael Jackson and The Muppet Movie. She has danced beside such legends as Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis Jr. The Nicholas Brothers and Donald O’Connor. Television credits include Bless this Mess, Veep, Criminal Minds, How I Met Your Mother, and the Netflix Series Lucifer, to name a few. Cheryl has performed in the Los Angeles and First National companies of Cats and 42nd Street and was in the Broadway telecast of Sophisticated Ladies. She has directed and choreographed theater productions all over the world and has worked extensively for Disney and Sesame Street Live. She is one of the producers of the World Choreography Awards honoring choreographers in all forms of media and currently teaches at AMDA, AADA and UCLA.
Hector Guerrero is a dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor. He currently teaches at AMDA and UCLA. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in child development and a teaching credential in Elementary Education. His performance credits include the Broadway Tours of Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story, Evita and 42nd Street. Hector has also performed in regional productions of A Chorus Line with Bebe Neuwirth, No No Nanette with Susan Egan and Wonderful Town with Faith Prince and in music videos for Björk, the Foo Fighters and Ice-T. As a choreographer, his work has been seen in many Off-Broadway, International and Regional productions including Off-Broadway’s Gimme a Break, Concert of Excellence at Lincoln Center, and the China premiere of Big Fish.
Ben McFadden is a Pacific Northwest native who transplanted to Los Angeles two years ago. Ben has taught and performed with organizations and theaters across the Pacific Northwest area including Seattle Children’s Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company and others. Acting credits include: The Librarian’s (TNT), Jane the Virgin (CW), Where the Wild Things Are (Seattle Children’s Theatre), Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, Othello (Seattle Shakespeare Company) Slaughterhouse Five, Treasure Island (Book-It Repertory Theatre Company) History Boys, Vertical Hour (Artswest), and Marisol (The Collision Project). Ben is the current Assistant Camp Director for a theater camp at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts in Leavenworth, WA.
To visit the Segerstrom Center for the Arts website, click HERE.
Compiled by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Musical Theater Training Program – Photo courtesy of The Segerstrom Center
