Darren Criss Talks A.C.T. Young Conservatory

Good news keeps rolling in for A.C.T. Young Conservatory (YC) alumnus and Glee star Darren Criss. He is preparing to make his Broadway debut in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, taking over the role of J. Pierrepont Finch from Daniel Radcliffe (of the Harry Potter films) for a limited three-week engagement, January 3-22, 2012. Criss was also just announced as part of the cast for the upcoming movie Imogene (alongside A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program graduates Annette Bening and Christopher Fitzgerald), in which he will make his big screen debut.

Criss, who shot to stardom overnight when his Glee rendition of Katy Perry's "A Teenage Dream" debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, is one of numerous YC alumni with successful acting careers on stage and screen. Many alumni are often seen gracing stages in the Bay Area and across the country. Some alumni, including Criss, Milo Ventimiglia, Winona Ryder, and Nicolas Cage, go on to long careers in film and television.

Criss has said of his time at the YC: "The Young Conservatory is the absolute best place for any hopeful young artist. It instilled in me a sense of excitement and confidence, as well as the tools that I would go on to use in developing my professional career. I will forever be indebted to A.C.T. for the leaps it has allowed me to take as an actor, artist, and citizen of the greater world."

The A.C.T. Young Conservatory offers a broad range of theater training for young people ages 8 to 19. The four sessions and eight public productions offered throughout the year are designed to develop talent and creativity, as well as communication and cooperation skills, for young people with all levels of theater experience. Working professional actors and directors lead students in a spectrum of classes, including acting, directing, voice and speech, musical theater, auditioning, and improvisation. Call 415.439.2444 or visit act-sf.org/yc for applications and information.

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