KRAVIS CENTER TO DEBUT NEW “JUNIOR” PROGRAM FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS INTERESTED IN BROADWAY-LEVEL PERFORMING ARTS TRAINING
(West Palm Beach, FL) – The littlest Broadway hopefuls will get their chance to shine this summer when the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts hosts a new performing arts training program, The Broadway Artists Intensive Junior.
The workshop, for ages 9-13, will be held July 5-9 and is a one-week introductory session based on The Broadway Artists Intensive three-week program. From 9 am to 5 pm, students will study all areas of the performing arts, with daily classes in ballet, jazz, tap, vocal technique, acting and improvisation. The Broadway Artists Intensive Junior does not require an audition, and is led by faculty who are all Broadway industry professionals.
For older students, The Broadway Artists Intensive returns with its three-week, advanced musical theater training program to be presented by award-winning faculty who have all done multiple Broadway shows. Auditions are ongoing via online video upload and a live audition will be held on Saturday, April 16 at 9:30 am at the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. A limited number of students ages 12-20 will be selected for the program. The Broadway Artists Intensive is sponsored by Marcie Gorman-Althof.
The Broadway Artists Intensive, to be held July 11-30 at the Kravis Center, will immerse the students in the three major musical theater disciplines: acting, voice and dance. Created by Broadway professionals Jason Gillman, Jackie Bayne Gillman and Greg Graham, The Broadway Artists Intensive classes will be taught by an all-Broadway faculty, including special guest artists. This year’s guest artists include Tony Award-winning Director/Choreographer Jerry Mitchell, creator of Kinky Boots, the Best Musical of 2013, and Broadway star Laura Osnes, nominated for a Tony Award for her starring role as Cinderella on Broadway.
Previous guest artists have included TV star and Tony winner Christian Borle of NBC’s Smash, Tony-nominated actress Laura Bell Bundy, Emmy Award-winning and Broadway choreographer Josh Bergasse (On the Town, So You Think You Can Dance), Broadway casting director Nora Brennan (Matilda, Billy Elliot) and TV/film/Broadway casting director Justin Huff of Telsey and Company (Newsies, Kinky Boots).
Gillman, a graduate of the University of Florida, starred opposite John Lithgow and Jonathan Pryce in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on Broadway and has also performed in such Broadway productions as Chicago, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Never Gonna Dance, Annie Get Your Gun, Hello Dolly and Legally Blonde The Musical. Gillman relocated to Jupiter, FL, with his wife and Broadway veteran actress Jackie Bayne Gillman, who most recently was seen on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center.
Ms. Bayne Gillman’s additional credits include: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Ragtime, White Christmas and performing the starring role of Sugar in Some Like It Hot opposite screen legend Tony Curtis. She has worked at Goodspeed Opera (Connecticut), Pioneer Theater in Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, the El Portal in Los Angeles, ArtPark (Buffalo), Marriott’s Lincolnshire Theater (Chicago), Virginia Musical Theater, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre and the Pittsburgh Symphony. Favorite roles include Amneris in Aida, Z’s Favorite in The Will Rogers Follies, and Charity in Sweet Charity.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with the Artistic Directors of The Broadway Artists Intensive to offer this new ‘Junior’ program to our community’s younger artists,” said Tracy C. Butler, Kravis Center Director of Education. “They’ll have a unique opportunity to see how professional-level Broadway training can enhance their study and they’ll be inspired and challenged along the way.”
For more than 20 years, the nonprofit Kravis Center for the Performing Arts has helped students of all ages fuel their imaginations and expand their lives through comprehensive arts education programs. Last season, more than 60,000 children from Palm Beach, Broward, Martin, St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties attended numerous performances through the Kravis Center S*T*A*R (Students and Teachers Arts Resource) Series. More than 3,000 adults attended ArtSmart continuing education classes and lectures – with topics ranging from Marilyn Monroe to Cuban folklore music.
Centrally located in West Palm Beach, the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is one of the premier performing arts centers in the Southeast with a renowned national and international reputation. Established as a leading force in the social fabric of the community, its many outreach programs are as broad and varied as the community itself. To date, the Center has opened the door to the performing arts for approximately 2 million school children.
The Broadway Artists Intensive Junior is $399 before April 1, $450 beginning April 2. The Broadway Artists Intensive is $1,500. For additional information on either program, please call 561-651-4376 or visit www.TheBroadwayArtistsIntensive.com.