Classes

About


CYT offers classes for students ages 6-18 throughout the school year. Classes include drama, voice, dance, and behind-the-scenes training in makeup, costumes, tech, and more. Classes are held for two hours once a week and run for nine consecutive weeks in Fall, Winter, and Spring sessions. Class sizes are small and offer supervision both inside and outside the classroom. Each session culminates in a high-energy showcase to demonstrate to family, friends, and fellow students the skills acquired.
Parents send their children to CYT classes to learn, and that’s exactly what they will do! At the end of a CYT session, your student will come away with a new or improved skill in the area of emphasis. During the last week of class, a high-energy Showcase is presented by each class to show other students, family, and friends all they’ve learned.
As a theater arts training program, our new students are required to take core CYT vocal, dance, and theater classes before taking intermediate or advanced classes.  When signing up for classes remember you must crawl before you walk. Technique is the foundation of every aspect of theater. You must learn and understand the basics before you learn the harder elements. This is for safety and to help you grow into well rounded singers, dancers, and actors. 

All classes (from both locations) and auditions (ages 8 and up) for our Fall production will be held on Thursday, August 30th, at Bethany United Methodist Church. Classes run from 5:00pm - 7:00pm, and auditions will run from 7:15pm to 8:30pm. We combine all students from both of our locations for our new parent introduction meeting at the beginning of class and auditions for our MainStage show, following directly after classes. This allows for students to be part of and hear all the auditions. Auditions are open to all students and their families to watch.  Students who do not wish to audition or watch, may leave after their class is over at 7:00pm. Monday classes will resume on Monday, September 10th, due to the Labor Day Holiday. All classes conclude with a showcase/recital on Thursday, November 1st at Austin Baptist. 
You must be enrolled in a class to audition for the show.  

***Audition song options can be found HERE. All students are provided the same song options.***

SET CREW OPPORTUNITIES
Are you a student who is 11-18 and super responsible and want to be part of the production, but not sure if you want to perform on stage? Then ask us about being on set crew! It's super fun and exciting, and you only have to commit to  the last two to three Saturday rehearsals and production week.  Contact us at austin@cyt.org for more information! 
 
Production Information

Current Classes:

Class: Age: Chapter: Location: Day: Time: Start: End:
Dancing With The Stars 14-18 Austin
(Fall 2018)		 Bethany United Methodist Church Thu 5:00pm - 7:00pm Aug 30 Nov 01
Let's Act - Core Theater 8-18 Austin
(Fall 2018)		 Austin Baptist Church Mon 5:00pm - 7:00pm Aug 30 Nov 01
Let's Act - Core Theater 8-18 Austin
(Fall 2018)		 Bethany United Methodist Church Thu 5:00pm - 7:00pm Aug 30 Nov 01
Let's Dance - Core Dance 8-18 Austin
(Fall 2018)		 Bethany United Methodist Church Thu 5:00pm - 7:00pm Aug 30 Nov 01
Let's Sing - Core Voice 8-18 Austin
(Fall 2018)		 Bethany United Methodist Church Thu 5:00pm - 7:00pm Aug 30 Nov 01
Musical Theater - The Greatest Showman 10-18 Austin
(Fall 2018)		 Austin Baptist Church Mon 5:00pm - 7:00pm Aug 30 Nov 01
Musical Theater - The Greatest Showman 10-18 Austin
(Fall 2018)		 Bethany United Methodist Church Thu 5:00pm - 7:00pm Aug 30 Nov 01
Our Gang 6-7 Austin
(Fall 2018)		 Austin Baptist Church Mon 5:00pm - 7:00pm Aug 30 Nov 01
Our Gang 6-7 Austin
(Fall 2018)		 Bethany United Methodist Church Thu 5:00pm - 7:00pm Aug 30 Nov 01

Teachers

A CYT Teacher’s mission is to train and instruct students in such a way as to promote the development of character, self-esteem, and confidence. CYT teachers are qualified and experienced in the area in which they teach. They have been trained in the CYT methods of instruction and agree with the CYT values and outcome goals. All CYT teachers have been background checked and adhere to our CYT Mission and Values. Our teachers truly care about their students and provide a constructive and fun environment for them to learn.

Current Teachers:

Alicia Barron

Hi Everyone! My name is Alicia Barron and this is my third session teaching at CYT. I am originally from Little Rock, Arkansas where I spent my childhood performing, choreographing, and singing in amazing places such as Carnegie Hall and The White House. I am a graduate of St. Edward's University's Theater Department where I currently serve as a Board Member for the Alumni Association. Post graduation, I lived in both Los Angeles and New York City and gained experience as a performer and choreographer. I have had the pleasure of spending the past five years choreographing musicals at St. Stephen's Episcopal High School for productions such as "Cabaret," "The Addams Family" and "Pippin", "Chicago" nominated for 6 Greater Austin High School Musical Theater Awards including Best Production! I am looking forward to choreographing their next production starting in December of this year. I am also guest teaching in one of their theater focus Musical Theater classes for Aug 2018-May 2019. I had a blast co-choreographing "Mary Poppins" for CYT this past spring and look forward to working on productions in the Fall and Spring. I am excited about this opportunity and I fully believe in the CYT mission and values!

Angela Bennett

Angela Bennett is a member of ACTORS EQUITY and SAG – AFTRA. She has over 18 years of professional experience as an actress. Some of her stage performances include “Night Mother”, “Crimes of the Heart”, “Bee-Luther-Hatchee”, “The Miracle Worker”, “In Preparation of Eden”, “In the Blood” and “Spell #7”. She has won ATAC Awards for her roles in Spell #7 for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama; and for her role in, In the Blood for Lead Actress in a Drama. Some of her TV credits include “Friday Night Lights”, “ER”, “Sisters in Spirit 2” and “The MC Hammer Story”. Some of her film credits include “Façade”, “Between Kings and Queens”, “Glass of Water”, and “Road 2 Damascus”. She has Improv training from the groundlings in Los Angeles, and years of Commercial and Film training from teachers in Los Angeles and Texas. Her most recent credits include “Nike” national commercial, and “Love Land” an independent feature film. She is currently teaching acting classes at 4Reelz School of Film and creative writing classes for Paramount Theatre. She is also a Writer, Director and Producer.

Chris Barfield

I have been dancing since the age of 9, and have trained in jazz, tap, hip hop, ballet, contemporary, modern, and salsa. I attended the Art institute of Orange County, in Buena Park, CA. While attending school in California I was the choreographer for a youth performance group. In my time there I choreographed 3 main stage performances (Guys and Dolls, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Tom Sawyer). I look forward to being on the CYT team!

Emily Calasopa

I am no stranger to CYT having been a student myself in WA State and going on to teach, direct, musical direct and choreograph over 50 classes, camps and shows! CYT is a huge passion of mine and I absolutely cannot wait to be involved in this amazing organization once more. I am now a mommy to two sweet little girls who love to sing and dance just like me!! I have travelled the World singing with The Continental Singers and been in many musical theater productions. I have formal training in Cabaret and belting, as well as acting for film and auditioning on Broadway. I truly believe that there is a place for everyone within the theater community. I was a shy, homeschooled introvert until my mom put me in CYT at 15. I credit all I learned through CYT with helping me find my voice. I so look forward to working with you all!

Julie Novak

Julie Novak has been teaching and directing theater in a school and community setting for over 20 years. While teaching at the renowned Valley Christian Conservatory, in San Jose, California, she developed her own theater arts curriculum for students 6-8 grades and a curriculum for students 6-12 grade while teaching and directing at Summit Christian Academy in Austin, Texas. Julie has directed plays, musicals, one acts, musical reviews, competition scenes, concerts and benefit shows too numerous to count! She has been trained in a multitude of acting techniques, such as the Wheeler Recording Method, On Camera Acting, Improvisational Acting, various vocal genres and public speaking. Outside of her teaching career she has worked as an acting coach, speaker, ghostwriter, vocalist and done voice over studio work. Her greatest love is working with young people in the arts and helping them develop confidence and belief in their personal gift set. Julie began CYT Austin a year and a half ago after she felt called to take her passion to speak life and encouragement into young people through the arts, outside the walls of a school and into her community.

Lauris Blackwell

Lauris Blackwell grew up singing and dancing! After high school she attended Austin College, and then went on to New York, where she was a scholarship winner to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She stayed in NYC for eleven years performing professionally on and off Broadway and on many National and European tours. Some of her favorite roles are the Narrator in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, Rose, in “Bye, Bye Birdie”, Amnesia, in “Nunsense”, Lily, in “Annie”, and Rhetta, in “Pump Boys and Dinettes”. She has performed at the White House and the Kennedy Center for both the Bush and Clinton Administration in conjunction with the Children’s Literacy Program. She performed in the Natchez Opera for ten years and was fortunate enough to be the soloist for then Governor George Bush’s Inauguration. Since moving home to Texas, she has performed and Choreographed with Waco Children’s Theater, Temple Civic Theatre, the Public Domain, and River City Pops and many others. She has choreographed for Buzz Productions, Akins High School, River City Pops, Austin Summer Musicals For Children, as well as served on the RCP and ASMC Boards. She teaches tap, ballet, jazz, and musical theatre to all ages. She is the dance instructor and Choreographer for Christian Youth Theatre. When not dancing about, she spends time with her husband, James, and their wonderful son Dustin. She is so grateful and blessed to be a part of all of her work “families”