Orpheus Schoolhouse is Open!
At Orpheus, we believe that quality arts education should be available to all. The Orpheus Schoolhouse is specifically designed to provide advanced arts training by accredited and experienced instructors at the lowest cost. Our flexible rates include discounts for Orpheus Members, Pay What You Want options, and bursaries to ensure that every child has access to positive arts education.
Fall 2024 programming continues to be posted below. To get notified about all the classes and registration, sign up for our Learning and Development Emails below.
Is there a class you would like to see us hold for your young ones? Let us know at By Filling Out This Survey.
We're always happy to cater to your needs.
Want a class for yourself? Orpheus also offers recreational programming for adults. Let us know if there's a class you would like to take at Orpheus.
Current Classes
Acting Through Song Workshop
with Kyle Blair
Saturday November 30
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Participants: Ages 15 - 19 years
Observers: All Ages
Cost:
Participant: FREE
Participant PWYW Donation Option: $10.00*
Participant PWYW Donation Option: $20.00*
Observer: FREE
Observer PWYW Donation Option: $5.00*
Observer PWYW Donation Option: $15.00*
*All PWYW donations support continued low cost and free development programming throughout the year.
Orpheus Musical Theatre & Broadway Nights Ottawa join forces to bring you an exciting workshop from the St. Lawrence College Music Theatre Program: Acting Through Song with Kyle Blair
Join us for an exciting and immersive workshop focused on presence and play! Led by professional theatre actor Kyle Blair from the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, this session dives into acting through song in a collaborative and supportive atmosphere. You'll gain tools to help you stay active, present, and confident in your work as a singing actor.
Please come prepared with a memorized 32-bar cut of a musical theatre song and bring sheet music for our accompanist. Don’t miss this opportunity to grow your skills and connect with other passionate performers!
This course is aimed at ages 15 - 19 looking to study musical theatre in post-secondary training. All ages are welcome to join as observers. Participant registration is limited to a maximum of 10 to ensure concentrated focus, while Observer registration is open to 25.
About the Instructor
Kyle Blair (he/him) is a full-time professor at St. Lawrence College (SLC) in the Music Theatre - Performance program and has been working as a professional theatre artist for 25 years. His credits include 21 seasons between the Stratford and Shaw Festivals. Roles at Stratford include Frederic (Pirates of Penzance), Lucentio (Taming of the Shrew), Will Parker (Oklahoma!), Billy Lawlor (42nd Street) and Jack (Into the Woods). Roles at Shaw include Octavius (Man and Superman), Ragueneau (Cyrano de Bergerac), The Captain (Androcles and the Lion), Oscar (Sweet Charity), Pirelli (Sweeney Todd) and Jim (Holiday Inn). Toronto credits include Musical Stage Company (John in John & Jen and Robbie in A Man of No Importance), Crow’s Theatre (Pierre Laporte in Red Velvet), Young People’s Theatre (Bert in Mary Poppins), and Ross Petty Productions (The Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz). Other appearances include The National Arts Centre, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Neptune Theatre, Grand Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Talk is Free Theatre, and Drayton Entertainment. Kyle holds an MA (University of Guelph), a BFA (University of Windsor), and is a graduate of the Stratford Festival’s Birmingham Conservatory. He is the recipient of a Merritt Award (Best Actor) for his portrayal of Billy in Billy Bishop Goes to War, the Odyssey Award (Notable Career Achievement) from the University of Windsor, and the Maureen Forrester and Dora Mavor Moore awards from the Stratford Festival.
About the Pianist
With 20+ years of musical theatre experience under her belt, Wendy Berkelaar is a well-respected music director and pianist in the Ottawa region. She has worked with many musical theatre companies in the city, including Orpheus Musical Theatre, ASNY Productions, indie women productions, TotoToo Theatre, and Three Sisters Theatre Company. She is a local keyboard sub for Broadway Across Canada, and has performed with several touring companies at the National Arts Centre including “Wicked”, “The Book of Mormon” and “Les Misérables”. Internationally, she spent a year with Spotlight Theatre and Mixed Company Theatre in Australia, and toured Germany and Switzerland as Associate Music Director of a production of “Grease - Das Musical’. She is the co-founder of Zucchini Productions, which produces the very successful Ottawa franchise of the “Confidential Musical Theatre Project”.
When not working in theatre, Wendy teaches piano privately, and is the choral accompanist for OrKidstra, a Sistema-based organization that empowers children through music. Wendy holds a masters degree is 18th century performance practice.
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Musical Theatre Vocal Performance
with Stacey Ingrey & Wendy Berkelaar
Sundays Sept 29 - Dec 15, 2024 (10 Sessions)
*No classes on October 13 & November 10
Ages 8 - 13 years: 10:00am - 11:00am
Ages 14 - 18 years: 11:00am - 12:00pm
Cost:
Regular: $180.00
Orpheus Members: $160.00
*PAY WHAT YOU WANT 1: $100.00*
*PAY WHAT YOU WANT 2: $50.00*
This unique course offers participants a one on one style voice class in a group setting. Over the span of 10 weeks, students will learn how the voice works, why vocal hygiene is important, about the various registers, how to navigate vocal changes, and healthy warm up techniques. By learning a minimum of one piece, with sheet music, to use for future performances and/or auditions, students will also develop the valuable skill of how to work with an accompanist. Additional focus will be placed on how to prepare for auditions.
Each student will perform their piece in front of the class, take direction, and work to edit their performance. Students are encouraged to come with some idea of a piece they would like to work on, but will absolutely be supported if they do not. To maximize individual attention for each student, this class has a limited capacity of 8 students.
This course is a great opportunity for students looking to develop key skills of vocal performance at an early age, led by two of Ottawa's finest practitioners.
Click Below for More Information
About the Instructor
Stacey Ingrey has been teaching voice from her Kanata studio for over twenty years. She has performed extensively in classical, pop, and musical theatre. Former and current students have gone on to perform internationally in film, musical theatre, pop and country, and classical singing. She is a registered voice and theory teacher with the Ontario Registered Music Teacher's Association (ORMTA), the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Association (CFMTA) and the Musical Theatre Educators' Alliance (MTEA). Stacey is an Advanced Voice Specialist and Theory Specialist, and has her Associate Diploma (ARCT) with the Royal Conservatory of Music. Stacey currently teaches voice for the Musical Theatre Diploma program at Saint Lawrence College, Brockville Campus. Stacey believes all singers can learn to sing in a healthy way without compromising their story.
About the Pianist
With 20+ years of musical theatre experience under her belt, Wendy Berkelaar is a well-respected music director and pianist in the Ottawa region. She has worked with many musical theatre companies in the city, including Orpheus Musical Theatre, ASNY Productions, indie women productions, TotoToo Theatre, and Three Sisters Theatre Company. She is a local keyboard sub for Broadway Across Canada, and has performed with several touring companies at the National Arts Centre including “Wicked”, “The Book of Mormon” and “Les Misérables”. Internationally, she spent a year with Spotlight Theatre and Mixed Company Theatre in Australia, and toured Germany and Switzerland as Associate Music Director of a production of “Grease - Das Musical’. She is the co-founder of Zucchini Productions, which produces the very successful Ottawa franchise of the “Confidential Musical Theatre Project”.
When not working in theatre, Wendy teaches piano privately, and is the choral accompanist for OrKidstra, a Sistema-based organization that empowers children through music. Wendy holds a masters degree is 18th century performance practice.
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DROP IN DANCE CLASSES
with Laura Merani
Wednesdays Oct 16 - Nov 13, 2024 (5 Sessions)
All Ages
Cost:
$10 Cash*
Pay at the door for each class. (No registration required)
Musical Theatre Jazz - Beginner: 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Step up your audition game with this beginner jazz class! We’ll start with a full-body warm-up to get you energized, followed by exercises to build your jazz technique. You’ll then learn a short combination set to some of your favourite musical theatre tunes! This class is perfect for building confidence and working on performance quality in a fun and upbeat atmosphere.
Tap - Beginner: 8:00pm - 9:00pm
This class is perfect for those with little to no tap experience who are eager to dive into the world of rhythm and sound! We’ll start with the basics—working on fundamental tap techniques and rudiments to build a strong foundation. From there, we’ll explore different rhythm patterns and learn how to bring steps together into fun, short combinations. No prior experience needed—just bring some tap shoes, your enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn!
*If you require any accommodations with the cost of admission, please reach out to jt@orpheusmusicaltheatre.ca for bursary information.
About the Instructor
Laura, originally from the UK, trained in the performing arts and holds a degree in Professional Practice in the Arts from Middlesex University. Her passion for dance has taken her to work professionally in England, Germany, India, and Canada. For the past 10 years, she has been a dedicated dance instructor in Ottawa. As the Founder and Owner of Union Studios, Laura is committed to providing welcoming, inclusive, and professional dance classes for adults and youth in Ottawa.
Most recently, she was the choreographer and dance lead for Passages, a filmed stage production, and choreographed Mary Poppins with Orpheus in 2023. Laura loves working in the community theatre space, helping everyone feel successful and confident onstage.
*Orpheus Schoolhouse courses are intentionally the lowest priced in town to ensure affordability and accessibility for all. PAY WHAT YOU WANT options are intended for those who require the accommodation. If you can afford the full price, we ask that you be honest and leave the PWYW options for those in need. If the PWYW options are still out of reach for you, we have bursaries available. Please contact J.T. Morris at jt@orpheusmusicaltheatre.ca or by phone at 613-729-4318 for more information on bursaries.
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