From teacher, Seamus Fera:

It has been my pleasure instructing and directing Coquitlam Youth Theatre for the past seven years. During this time, we have created full scale musicals, gritty Canadian classics, fanciful children’s theatre and even some digital content. My focus is to create an environment where curious, playful and passionate students of all levels can explore various techniques and skills while creating a dynamic ensemble. Programs like this allow space for curiosity to grow and creativity to blossom.

Throughout the ten months, students will experiment with various techniques including, but not limited to, voice and breath, Laban Movement (a technique that enables students to discover new ways to physicalize character) and classic text analysis (unpacks the character’s line of thinking to provide greater context). The commitment to this September-June program will enhance the students experience in building a foundation of performance skills that can transfer to, and benefit, post-secondary education and future career opportunities.

• The Fall months focus on building the above-mentioned skills to work towards a small-scale presentation of scenes and pieces to present to friends and family.
• The Winter months focus on applying the skills to a rehearsal process.
• The Spring months focus on performance with a year-end production. This is where we put together everything we have learned with props, costumes and sets created by a professional designer.

From teacher, Joanna Kovats:

My passion for Musical Theatre has been with me from a young age. I feel blessed to have enjoyed a global career as a performer and now, I find joy in teaching and creating a program where all aspects of the theatre world are incorporated.

Passion, Creativity & Respect are just a few of the values that I practice in my classes. My goal is that each student leaves with a newfound respect for all that is involved in creating a musical theater production.

A full commitment and pristine attendance to classes is crucial in gaining confidence and enhancing each students’ performance.

The disciplines of singing and dancing are just a part of a bigger picture that creates wonderful, inspiring pieces that bring joy to many.

• The Fall months focus on learning the basics of all three disciplines of Musical Theatre: Singing, Dancing and Acting. Students will start by learning how to use their voice both with dialogue and vocals. They will also learn dance steps and stage directions, as well as the basics of acting and how to develop a character.
• The Winter months will focus on further knowledge and skill development and building confidence in each area. We will begin to learn songs and choreography for our year end production.

In the Spring months, staging of the musical will be in full swing and students will be getting close to memorizing and mastering their lines choreography. in preparation for the the year end production.