WaterTower Theatre Announces Details for the New Summer Performing Arts Conservatory

WaterTower Theatre Artistic Director Joanie Schultz, and Managing Director Greg Patterson today announced details of the 2017 Summer Performing Arts Conservatory. In past years, the Conservatory for children and teens, held at the Addison Theatre Centre, was structured for students to present a fully-realized performance of a published play or musical at the end of the two-week program. In the new restructured two-week Conservatory, students will be cultivating their skills in three intensive courses, each led by a different professional theatre artist. This training will offer a more well-rounded experience, and will provide the students with a strong artistic foundation that can be used in the classroom or on the professional stage. The students will also gain valuable interpersonal communication skills that will benefit their day-to-day lives. The Conservatory will culminate in a performance showcase for friends and family focused on utilizing the skills and crafts learned over the two-week program.

Conservatory enrollment is now open. The cost is $500 per student (tuition assistance and scholarships are available). For more information or to enroll contact Kyle Eric Bradford, Patron Services & Community Engagement Manager, at 972.450.6228,kbradford@watertowertheatre.org or visit www.watertowertheatre.org/education_programs.aspx.

The 2017 Summer Performing Arts Conservatory introduces children 8-16 years old to others who share their love of acting, singing, and dancing! The two-week Conservatory offers a unique, non-competitive, nurturing program that caters to students who want to immerse themselves in all aspects of theatre arts.

Classes are held Monday-Friday (9am-5pm) and are taught by highly skilled, local professionals including M. Shane Hurst, Kyle Igneczi,Kelly McCain, and Jeff Swearingen. Concentrations include acting, dance, voice, and puppetry taught in an intimate classroom setting - guaranteeing that each student receives the individual attention necessary to learn theatre skills, as well as life skills: confidence, self-esteem, and a passion for creativity.

The Conservatory is made possible, in part, through the support of The Town of Addison, The Civic League and The Texas Commission on the Arts.

About the Teaching Artists

M. Shane Hurst (Music)

M. Shane holds four degrees in music from the Eastman School of Music, Southern Methodist University, and the University of North Texas and serves on the music faculties of Dallas Baptist University and Cedar Valley College. He has been active in DFW theatre for over two decades as an actor, director, and music director. Three of his projects from 2016-Onstage Bedford's Jekyll & Hyde, Theatre Frisco'sThe Last Five Years, and Greater Lewisville Community Theatre's Master Class-were represented with various nominations in the recent Column Awards. Shane has worked with children throughout his career, teaching voice for the Dallas JCC and directing music at theatre camps, including NM Productions, Rover Dramawerks, Camp Broadway, and WaterTower's Conservatory. He resides with his wife and two children in Oak Cliff, where he is also Music Minister at Chapel in the Woods Bible Church.

Kyle Igneczi (Puppetry)

Having toured the world with some of the biggest names in family entertainment (Sesame Street Live, The USO, Curious George Live) Kyle has garnered an assortment of skills and unique experiences that help him as a successful theatre artist. In addition to his work onstage as an actor he has puppetry and performance credits with the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Puppetry Conference, John Tartaglia, Chuck E. Cheese, and Sesame Street Live. Locally, his puppetry skills have been seen in The Spark (WaterTower Theatre, "Best of Loop 2015" - Out of the Loop Fringe Festival), Hershel and the Hannukah Goblins (Amphibian Stage Productions, "Best Puppets 2015" - TheaterJones), and as an actor at WaterTower Theatre, Stage West, Casa Mañana, Dallas Children's Theater, and Uptown Players.

Kelly McCain (Dance)

Kelly is excited to be back again for the summer working with this talented group of young actors. Favorite performances include Shirley in The Producers (Uptown Players); Tess in Crazy For You, The Drowsy Chaperone (Theatre Three); The Boy From Oz, Hair, Tommy, Victor/Victoria, Closer to Heaven (Uptown Players); Uncle Thomas in The King and I, Carousel (Lyric Stage); Carmen (Dallas Opera). Choreography credits: Enron, Pippin, The Hot Mikado, Memphis, The Wedding Singer (Theatre Three); Chicago, Curtains (MainStage Irving); Bonnie & Clyde, Putting It Together, Creep (WaterTower Theatre); Peter Pan, Singin' in the Rain, 9 to 5, How to Succeed in Business..., Nice Work If You Can Get It, Hello, Dolly (Garland Summer Musicals); Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Wishing Star Productions); The Nance, Breathe (Uptown Players).

Jeff Swearingen (Acting)

Jeff has almost twenty years of experience teaching theatre and improvisation to children. He is the Creative Director and one of the founding partners of Fun House Theatre and Film, a local arts education and Production Company. He was recently named Best Theatre Teacher by Dallas Observer in the "Best of Dallas" Awards. His students have worked professionally from regional and Equity theaters to film and national sitcoms. He is represented by the Mary Collins Agency.

About WaterTower Theatre Education Programs

WaterTower Theatre's education mission is to nurture the academic and emotional education of young people through theatre; and to make the rich benefits reaped from the experience available to all socio-economic levels and all traditionally underserved populations in Addison and Dallas. WaterTower Theatre strives to further these three key elements: Audiences, inspiring current and future audiences to discover theatre and its connection to their lives; Artists, investing in training, support and development of emerging young arts professionals; Arts Education, contributing to the community-wide efforts to improve the quality of life and the scope of arts education in North Texas.

About WaterTower Theatre:

WaterTower Theatre, celebrating its 20th Anniversary Season, is one of the leading regional theatres in North Dallas and Texas. It is consistently recognized for its artistic excellence by the Dallas Theatre League, DFW Theatre Critics Forum, The Dallas Morning News, The Dallas Observer, D Magazine, and The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, among others. WaterTower Theatre has a subscription base of more than 2,000 subscribers and serves an audience of over 28,000 patrons annually.

WaterTower Theatre gratefully acknowledges the support of The Town of Addison, TACA, Texas Commission on the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, and the Shubert Foundation. WaterTower Theatre is supported, in part, through the generosity of Atmos Energy, The Canterbury Family, Don and Barbara Daseke, Ben Fischer and Laree Hulshoff, FastSigns Carrollton, Frost Bank, Liberty Capital Bank, Mary Kay Inc., Janiece and Jimmy Niemann, Nissan Foundation, Pinnacle, Rainmaker Advertising, Slalom Consulting, Table 13, the WaterTower Theatre Board of Directors, and Women of WaterTower Theatre.

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