Centenary Stage performers workshop planned for July

HACKETTSTOWN — Centenary Stage Company’s critically acclaimed Young Performers Workshop is now accepting new and returning applicants for the 2018 Summer Musical Theatre Intensive running July 9 through August 12.
Hailed as a “state treasure” this 5-week intensive program has been designed to meet the needs of beginning, intermediate and advance performers ages 8–18. The hands-on program is one of only a handful of youth programs in the nation that utilizes both the classroom and the “production process” to train young people in the theatre arts. Career minded individuals can prepare for the rigors of working in the professional industry, while students not aiming for a professional career benefit from the program with its emphasis on discipline, self-worth and the development of communication and critical thinking skills.
Once registered, students enroll in variety of core classes, including acting, tap, theatre dance, and voice/diction. Students are then offered a selection of elective classes, such as, stage combat, make-up, radio production and directing among many others. All instructors of the Young Performers Workshop are experience industry professionals. Classes are broken up by age, ability and meet by section Monday through Friday from 9:00AM-4:30PM allotting approximately 15 hours of study each week.
In addition to the classes offered, the program includes the production of musicals and plays culminating in a Summer Festival of Shows which takes place the last week of the program. Once registered, students are guaranteed a part in at least one production and depending on ability, experience, desire and commitment level, could feasibly appear in more than one production. Rehearsals are held Monday through Friday after classes with the possibility of weekends pending the needs of any individual production. Students have approximately three to six hours of rehearsal daily. Rehearsals are under the guidance and direction of theatre professionals.
The Young Performers Workshop is led by Broadway, television and film veteran Michael Blevins. Blevins is an accomplished director/choreographer having choreographed the Off-Broadway production of “The Mad Forest” for the Manhattan Theatre Club. He has directed and choreographed the National Tours of “Babes In Toyland”, “Aladdin”, and “Tom Sawyer” for the American Family Theatre. Most recently he directed and choreographed the NYC revival of “Seesaw”, and his original musical “Count to Ten” at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. He has worked with many Tony and Academy Award winning Directors and Choreographers including Sir Richard Attenborough, Joe Layton, Woody Allen, Vivian Matalon, Peter Gennaro, Danny Daniels, and Bob Fosse. He has performed with many professionals including Chita Rivera, Michael Douglas, Donald O’Conner, Diane Lane, Victor Garber, Brooke Sheilds, Savion Glover, James Coco, Bebe Neuwirth, Beth Leavel, Jane Drakowski, and Robert Downey, Jr. Blevins has been featured on ABC-TV “Good Morning America” and on the covers of “Dance Magazine” and “USA Today”. He has appeared in several Broadway productions including, “Bring Back Birdie”, Neil Simon’s “Little Me”, and Tony Winning “Tap Dance Kid” in which he created the role of “Winslow”. Major film roles include a cameo in “Zelig”, and a supporting role in the screen biography of “Chaplin”. He is most widely known for his portrayal of Mark in the movie “A Chorus Line”. Most recently, Blevins joined artists from around the world to celebrate one of America’s greatest art forms and performed selections from Bob Fosse’s DANCIN’ at City Center in the Career Transition for Dancer’s Benefit Gala.