New York, NY– Four students from the Asheville Performing Arts Academy will land in New York City a month from today for the iTheatrics Mary Poppins workshop. Ellie Hewitt-Corzine, Hogan McLamb, Cory Silver, and Ceili Taft will join other young actors to rehearse with musical theatre professionals throughout the week. The workshop will culminate with a Friday performance of MARY POPPINS JR.
Ellie and Cory were awarded the opportunity to attend this camp through their ALL-STAR performance at this year’s Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. The ALL-STARS performed during the closing ceremony at the Junior Theater Festival for the 4,500+ festival participants and attendees. Amanda Wilson, high school senior and Academy Intern, was selected as one of the eleven 2015 technical theater All-Stars and led technical elements during the JTF awards ceremony. The Asheville Performing Arts Academy received the award for Excellence in Ensemble with their 15 minute piece from Disney’s PETER PAN JR. Ellie and Cory were cast as Wendy and Captain Hook (respectively). Ceili took the title role of Peter Pan. Hogan played Smee and was a member of the ensemble. Ceili received a golden-ticket at the 2015 Junior Theater Festival to participate in a dance audition for choreography DVDs.
Ceili and Hogan applied for the 2015 iTheatrics NYC workshop through an audition process that included sending in video footage. Ceili and Hogan were selected as ALL-STAR performers at the 2014 Junior Theater Festival, where the Asheville Performing Arts Academy was also awarded Excellence in Ensemble for their 15 minute performance from Disney’s ALADDIN KIDS! Hogan played Aladdin. Ceili was Iago and a member of the ensemble. As 2014 ALL-STARS, Ceili and Hogan went to NYC last year to workshop MADAGASCAR JR. through iTheatrics.
In addition to participating in the incredible workshop opportunity, Ellie, Hogan, Cory, and Ceili will take time to see Broadway shows and explore New York City. Parents and Asheville Performing Arts Academy instructors will be accompanying the young actors in New York.
Ceili, Cory, and Ellie all attend local elementary schools and are members of the Preparatory Academy Training Program at the Asheville Performing Arts Academy. Members of Prep Academy take dance and acting classes in addition to rehearing and performing in community shows at the Academy. This fall, intermediate prep students will also have the opportunity to take music classes with Lenora Thom, Music Director at the APAA.
Hogan, a student at the Buncombe County Early College, is a member of the Academy Training Program at the APAA. Academy students take acting, dance, music, and technical theatre classes. In addition to often participating in the APAA community shows, students in the training program also participate in an exclusive Academy-only production. Hogan will also be an intern for Summer Camps at the Asheville Performing Arts Academy.
This summer, the Asheville Performing Arts Academy is working with iTheatrics to workshop a pilot production of PETER PAN JR. (based on the 1954 Broadway production with Mary Martin). As a pilot, this will be the first (world premiere) performance of this edition of PETER PAN JR. To audition for the PETER PAN JR. workshop or to register for any of our musical theatre summer camps, contact the Asheville Performing Arts Academy. Registration and auditions are also open for the Prep Academy and Academy programs.
