BDF Announces Roster For 5th Annual Atlanta Summer Performing Arts Intensive 6/7-12

Atlanta's Broadway dreams will come true for the 5th consecutive summer when THE BROADWAY DREAMS FOUNDATION (BDF) presents their acclaimed Summer Performing Arts Intensive Monday, June 7 through Saturday, June 12, 2010 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre (2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Marietta, GA), Atlanta's premiere entertainment venue. The week-long program will culminate in a one-night-only Broadway concert event entitled "Don't Stop Believing" on Sunday, June 13 at 2:00 pm at the Centre's 2,750 seat John A. Williams Theatre.

BDF's Summer Performing Arts Intensive will feature a faculty roster of Tony Award nominated stars and Broadway favorites including former "MadTv" and Wicked star Nicole Parker, 9 to 5 co-stars and Tony Award nominees Stephanie J. Block and Megan Hilty, BDF Artistic Director Paul Caanan (Legally Blonde) along with Billy Porter (Grease, Miss Saigon), Nikki Snelson (Legally Blonde), Carolos L. Encinias (Les Miserables, Mamma Mia!); James Kinney (Sweet Charity, Fosse) and BDF Musical Director Jeremy Schonfeld (Drift, Clear Blue Tuesday).

BDF Executive Director Annette Tanner was thrilled to announce the Broadway faculty and new venue for the summer program "As a proud resident of Atlanta, I couldn't be more pleased that the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre has agreed to host our program this summer. The opportunity to perform in our city's gorgeous state-of-the art facility and to learn from an incredible line up of Broadway professionals is an experience our students will not soon forget."

Mark B. Kent, the Cobb Energy Centre's Director of Education and Community Outreach also remarked on the new collaboration "Education programs at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre have always put quality experience within the grasp of students in the Atlanta region.
Partnering with the Broadway Dreams Foundation is a logical fit for our vision. They bring in top quality Broadway artists as faculty and provide an in-depth, quality training experience for students who really have the drive and talent to pursue their Broadway dreams. We are thrilled to work with them on this fantastic program."

With the success of wildly popular television shows like "Glee" and the blockbuster films Hairspray and Fame, the world of musical theater is more popular than ever. The Broadway Dreams Foundation, a national non-profit performing arts training program, teaches America's youth how to kick start their career with one of a kind performance workshop taught by Broadway's brightest stars.

Attendees of the week-long BDF Summer Performing Arts Intensive will receive first-rate training in acting, dance and vocal performance daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. by savvy Broadway veterans who will share their invaluable insider knowledge on the skills needed to make it in show business. Students will also learn how to improve their audition skills (song selections and cold readings) and attend classes geared toward college and career planning (headshots and resumes). At week's end, all participants will have the opportunity to perform alongside their Broadway idols in a "one night only" concert event to be held on Sunday, June 13 at the Cobb Energy Centre in the John A. Williams Theatre. Students will audition for top NYC casting director Craig Burns (Telsey + Company) for vocal placement within the program.

For more information, please visit www.mybroadwaydreams.com.

ABOUT THE BROADWAY DREAMS FOUNDATION
BDF has brought its unique program to Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, and San Diego, among others. In 2010, BDF will travel to more than one dozen cities. Former BDF faculty include Tony Award winners Alice Ripley (Next to Normal) and Jarrod Emick (Damn Yankees), Tony Award nominees Jodi Benson (Crazy for You), Laura Bell Bundy (Legally Blonde), Gavin Creel (Hair) and Broadway favorites Nick Adams (A Chorus Line), BDF Artistic Director Paul Canaan (Legally Blonde),
BDF alum Blake Daniels (Spring Awakening), Eden Espinosa (Wicked), Billy Porter (Miss Saigon), Nikki Snelson (Legally Blonde), as well as television personalities Diana DeGarmo ("American Idol"), Mark
Indelicato ("Ugly Betty") and Nicholas Rodriguez ("One Life to Live").

Over one thousand students have participated in the BDF program and some have gone on to perform in regional, national and Broadway productions including Disney's The Lion King and Spring Awakening, pursue careers in the arts or attend prestigious theatre programs in universities throughout the United States.

ABOUT THE COBB ENERGY PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, a $145 million, state-of-the-art facility, is located at 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway in northwest Atlanta, inside the Perimeter.

Cobb Energy Centre is a premier venue for opera, concerts, Broadway shows, ballet, educational performances, family shows and corporate meetings and events. The Centre hosts three resident companies: Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Broadway Series and The Atlanta Opera. The facility includes the 2,750-seat John A. Williams Theatre, the 10,000-square-foot Kessel D. Stelling, Jr. Ballroom , 1,000 parking spaces (including a 700-space parking deck), and full-service food and beverage capabilities. The Centre, part of the Cobb-Galleria complex, is governed by the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority. Additional information about the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is available at www.cobbenergycentre.com.

Photo credit: Carlos Gustavo Monroy

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