with Joe Ayers

July 5-9, 1pm-3pm EST

Are you a dancer? A mover? Neither? Join us and find your It Factor! In this innovative online class, Young Artists connect movement, improvisation, and emotion, bringing life and style to choreography. Explore with performer, choreographer, and teaching artist, Joe Ayers, how acting, dance, and creating choreography bolsters confidence onstage and in life. All experience levels are welcome and encouraged! 

with Danyel Fulton

July 12-16, 1pm-3pm EST

Deepen your acting skills! In this one-week class, young artists will study character, break down circumstances, and get specific with the story they are telling through monologues and songs. Work with professional performer and teaching artist Danyel Fulton to develop a sturdy foundation of storytelling onstage. 

Newer to performing? Join us! All experience levels are welcome.

with Levin Valayil

July 19-23, 1pm-3pm EST

How do performers tell a stroy with their bodies? How can you become a character? Students will learn how to connect text and different theatrical movement methods, building and defining their skills and confidence onstage. This unique and active class, taught by professional performer and teaching artist Levin Valayil (he/him), is great for beginners discovering theatre and for the young performer looking to deepen their skills. All experience levels are welcome and encouraged!

with Evan Tsitsias

July 26-30, 1pm-3pm EST

Tell your story! In this dynamic one-week class, Young Artists learn how to dive into and deliver monologues, and will have the opportunity to build their own piece based on their stories and experiences. Hone your audition skills and strengthen your creative muscles with professional director, teaching artist, and playwright Evan Tsitsias (he/they) as you create, write, and perform a piece that is truly you.

Joe Ayers is an actor, choreographer, director, and teaching artist originally from California. Before relocating to the east coast, he lived the San Francisco Bay Area where he had the pleasure of working on and offstage at many companies such as ACT, San Francisco Playhouse, Cal Shakes, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley Playhouse, Center REP, PlayGround SF, Contra Costa Musical Theatre, and Bay Area Children's Theatre. Joe holds three BA degrees from UC Berkeley in Theater and Performance Studies, Dance and Performance Studies, and English. He is currently an MFA Acting candidate at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training in Sarasota, Florida.

Danyel Fulton is a Brooklyn born and bred actor and singer. She's been seen performing in Tokyo, Zurich, Off Broadway, regionally, and touring the U.S. Some of in her credits include Off Broadway in Broadbend Arkansas and Jasper in Deadland.  Dorothy in The Wiz at The Muny, Dionne in the 2nd National tour of Hair, and Sarah in Ragtime at 5th Ave, TUTS, and Asolo Rep. You can hear her as the Birthday Fairy on the PBS Children's show Pinkalicious, and as Ruby on the Broadbend Arkansas cast album. For Ruby, she received a fourth Audelco nomination, and a Drama League and Antonyo nomination. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with playwriting and performance honors from The City College of New York. www.danyelfulton.com

Levin Valayil is a performing artist, educator, and lifelong learner.  He holds his B.M. in voice/piano performance and music therapy from Berklee College of Music and his Masters of Fine Arts in musical theater from Boston Conservatory. Levin has trained with Steppenwolf Theater company in Chicago on Viewpoints, Meisner, and voice, with clown training from Christopher Bayes (Yale Drama School.) He is currently in training to become an Alexander Movement Technique Teacher and a Feldenkrais instructor. Favorite theatrical roles include: Mowgli, Jungle Book (US/Canadian Tour,Asolo Rep); Dharun Ravi, Craig Carnelia’s Poster Boy (Public Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival); Raj, Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding (Berkeley Repertory Theatre. New Musical Workshop: Bhangin It (LaJolla Playhouse). Film: “Lipreaders” dir. by Erick Spink, “Click Next to Continue” dir. by Abdul Jackson.  www.levinvalayil.com  

Evan Tsitsias (he/they) is the Co-Artistic Director of Directors Lab North, a sister program to the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, of which he is an alum and now partnered with Luminato Festival. He is also the Co-Founder of the World Wide Lab, an International Directors collective. With that company, he has co-directed/created festivals in New York, Italy, Greece and Taiwan. In Germany he’s co-created/directed several immersive, site-specific pieces. Highlights include We are the Play, for the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall at the Berlin Wall Memorial, Berlin Bound with Sisyphos Der Flugelefant and I am Invisible with Bluespots Productions in Augsburg. In New York, he's worked with Fundamental Theatre Projects, Irondale, Fordham University and the New York City Centre Encores Series as well as numerous shows around Canada.

Evan's plays include Aftershock, Strange Mary Strange, The Murmuration of Starlings and Unstuck (Frank Theatre Company). His short film Bagged, aired on the CBC, WIFT, DC Shorts and NSI. He's trained at York University, Sheridan College and has his Professional Training Certificate in Theatre of the Oppressed from London, England where he studied with Augusto Boal. He is a member of the Chicago Directors Lab, Playwrights Guild of Canada, Tarragon Playwright’s Unit, an Associate Member of SDC and a resident artist at Robert Wilson's Watermill Center. He’s been nominated for a Dora Award, the John Hirsch Directing Prize, Tom Hendry Award, Herman Voaden National Playwriting Prize, Broadway World Awards and was a finalist for the Charles Abbott Directing Fellowship with the SDCF.

He currently divides his time between Toronto and Houston, where he’s worked with Houston Grand Opera and spent the last 7 years at Theatre Under the Stars where he's directed, acted as Artistic Assistant and been Head of Acting for the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre. He is also the AD of Eclipse Theatre Company in Toronto, a site responsive musical theatre company. His work has been published in Germany, Canada and the USA and most recently his book, The Directors Lab was published by Playwrights Canada Press.