Young Singers Of The Palm Beaches Presents Award-Winning Guest Artists At Broadway Artists Studio

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - May 29, 2013 - PRLog -- Young Singers of the Palm Beaches is presenting Broadway Artists Studio from July 15 to August 3, 2013 and this year’s show stopping line-up of special guest artists is getting a standing ovation from area parents and their teens, ages 12-20.  Auditions for the three-week musical theater intensive are being held on June 1, 2013 at the Kravis Center of the Performing Arts.  

Last year’s inaugural Broadway Artists Studio was a sell-out success and the 2013 limited number of 100 spots is filling up quickly.  The summer intensive offers a select group of area kids a bite of the big apple with classes by professional faculty direct from Broadway, with combined experience of more than 50 shows.  All levels of voice, acting and dance will be offered.  

Created by venerable Broadway performers Jason Gillman, Jackie Bayne Gillman and Greg Graham, Broadway Artists Studio classes will be taught by the artistic directors along with guest faculty teaching this year, including Kris Koop and Cara Kjellman (please see below or visit  http://www.broadwayartistsstudio.com/faculty/ for all faculty bios).  Headlining master classes are special guest artists including Joshua Bergasse and Emily Skinner and New York casting director, Justin Huff.

Joshua Bergasse is the 2012 Emmy award-winning choreographer for NBC's musical drama “SMASH,” now in its second season, in which he also stars as “Josh.”  Bergasse also recently choreographed for Fox's “So You Think You Can Dance.” He has performed on Broadway and throughout the country in “Movin' Out,” “Hairspray,” “The Life” and “West Side Story.”

Emily Skinner was nominated for a Tony Award and received a Drama League Award as “Daisy Hilton” in the Broadway show, “Side Show.” She recently starred as “Mrs. Wilkinson” in the original Broadway company of “Billy Elliot” and has also starred on Broadway in the original companies of “The Full Monty,” “Jekyll & Hyde,” James Joyce's “The Dead,” and the revival of “Dinner at Eight.”

Justin Huff is a casting director at Telsey & Company and has cast the Broadway and national touring productions of “Newsies,” “Kinky Boots,” “Jekyll & Hyde,” “The Addams Family,” “Spider-man Turn Off The Dark,”” The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess,” “Bonnie & Clyde,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Rock of Ages,” “Legally Blonde” and “High School Musical,” among many others.

“We have students who often ask us, ‘How did you do it? How did you get to Broadway?’” said Jason Gillman. “The answer is simple: training, training, and more training. Even more important is the quality of the training. There is simply no replacement. We have found that the focus is often misplaced on "product over process." In other words, more emphasis is being placed on the final product, which is the show, as opposed to the process, which is the development of technique through classroom study. We felt the need to share our personal knowledge and experience as Broadway professionals and to pass along the importance of training as the most essential element to a successful career as a working actor through a special Broadway Artists Studio experience.”

The artistic directors, staff and guest artists of Broadway Artists Studio expect a high level of professionalism from every student regardless of age, experience and/or ability. This means that students are expected to arrive prepared, checked in and ready to begin class each morning at 9am sharp. Students are responsible for their own individual sheet music, scenes, dance apparel and any other studio-related materials. Each student must be committed to work as a team, regardless of the size of an individual’s role. Humility, respect, hard work, and a willingness to learn will be expected and valued. Broadway Artists Studio requires a supportive, non-judgmental environment where creative risks can be taken and art developed.

“We have developed a program for talented students who are highly motivated to improve their technique and who are aspiring to a career in the performing arts,” said Jackie Gillman. “Broadway Artists Studio exposes students to current high level industry professionals who share their knowledge and expertise acquired along their own path to Broadway. We want to instill a sense of professionalism and the work ethic needed to become a professional in the very demanding, fast-paced, and extremely competitive world of show business. Our goal is to foster the major talent in this area by arming our students with technique, self-confidence, creativity, the ability to improvise and work as an ensemble. Most of all, we want to stress ‘process over product’ to our students which is essential to becoming future Broadway professionals.”

For the second year, Broadway Artists Studio is produced by Young Singers of the Palm Beaches (YSPB) with special thanks to the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.   YSPB just celebrated its 10th anniversary as Palm Beach County’s youth choir -- an award-winning, world-class troupe of 350 talented singers who have not only performed at concerts all over Palm Beach County, but also at Lincoln Center in New York City, with Native Americans in New Mexico, and at international music festivals in Salzburg and Vienna. A multi-racial, multi-cultural arts education organization based centrally in Palm Beach County, its enrollment is comprised of singers in grades 3-12 from all parts of the county’s diverse racial, ethnic, geographic, and socio-economic communities.   Auditions for the 2013/2014 season will be held June 1st at the Kravis Center, Cohen Pavilion from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.  Visit www.yspb.org for more info.

Registration for the 3-week Broadway Artists Studio is $995 with an additional $50 non-refundable registration fee. All levels of voice, acting and dance will be presented, but placement auditions are required and limited to 100 students. Please call 561-659-2332 for June 1 audition reservations and general information or visit www.BroadwayArtistsStudio.com.