Staff &
Teaching Artists

NICOLE STRAWBRIDGE

Founding Artistic Director

Director/Choreographer:
• Musical Theatre
• Company

Private Coaching
Audition Prep + Dance

Nicole started training in classical voice at the young age of 7. After completing her voice exams with the Royal Conservatory of Music, Nicole contemplated auditioning for Opera Performance programs or Musical Theatre. Ultimately, her passion led her down the musical theatre path and she ended up studying at the Randolph College for the Performing Arts.

Favourite stage credits include: Catherine in Pippin, Narrator in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Miss Honey in Matilda, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Julia in The Wedding Singer, the title role in Mary Poppins, Serena in Legally Blonde, Laurey Williams in OKLAHOMA!, Cosette in Les Miserables, Sarah Brown in Guys & Dolls, Natalie Haller/Ed in All Shook Up, Maria in West Side Story, Sister Mary Leo in Nunsense II, Audrey in Little Shop Of Horrors, Jo March in Little Women and Serena Katz in FAME! The Musical.

It's a dream come true for Nicole to be able to share her knowledge and passion with young artists, preparing them for the crazy world we call theatre!

COLIN FROTTEN

Executive Director

Musical Director:
• Musical Theatre
• Company

Private Coaching
Audition Prep + Vocal

Originally from Nova Scotia, Colin is a pianist, tenor, music director, vocal coach and educator. He performs regularly throughout Ontario and in the Atlantic provinces and has an active piano/voice studio. Colin also works as the Programs and Communications Manager with Choral Canada.

Favourite operatic roles include Camille in The Merry Widow and the title role in Händel's Acis and Galatea (Maritime Concert Opera), Don Basilio/Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro (Opera York), and Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni (Opera by Request). Recent musical theatre credits include Anthony in Sweeney Todd (First Act Productions), and George in The Wedding Singer (Curtain Call Players). MD highlights: Dogfight (First Act Productions, 2019), and with FAYC: Theory of Relativity (2020), Edges (2021), and The Mad Ones (2024).

Colin looks forward to working with FAYC students and helping to propel the organization into a new generation!

BENJAMIN CONROY

Technical Director

Director/Choreographer:
• Musical Theatre
• Company

Private Coach
Acting + Dance

Benjamin is a First Act Youth Company alumni and is excited to now be a part of the staff as Technical Director. Benjamin first collaborated with FAYC completing a high school co-op program. He attended the specialized arts program at O’Neill C.V.I. while also taking voice lessons and participating in many productions at First Act. Prior to that Benjamin took 2 years of intensive dance training at Hoofers Performing Arts in Oshawa, ON.

In 2019, Benjamin moved to Victoria, BC to continue his post secondary studies at the Canadian College of Performing Arts where he spent his days studying acting, dancing and singing. While absolutely loving studying away from home, he was always eager and excited to come back during school breaks to share his knowledge and passion with the young artists at FAYC. Now that he is officially a graduate of the program, he can’t wait to continue his work with these incredible young artists as both theatre technician and workshop leader.

Charlotte is thrilled to join the FAYC team! She is has been singing and performing since the age of 6. She’s been in musicals such as The Lion King Jr. (Sarabi) and Beauty and the Beast Jr. (Ms. Potts). She joined FAYC in 2024, playing Beverly in The Mad Ones and receiving the very first Cabaret Project award. This past year, she performed in Hadestown (Eurydice) and Rent (Joanne) at FAYC. Charlotte attends the Vocal/Drama program at O’Neill CVI and was in their 2025 production of Something Rotten (Bea). She’s grateful for the mentorship of FAYC, and excited to share her passion and inspire talented young performers.

CHARLOTTE SHARKEY

2025/2026 Apprentice

We regularly invite guest teaching artists (who are currently working in the industry) to offer workshops in various disciplines. Some of our past artists include:

Guest Teaching Artists

Interested in teaching a workshop?

We would love to hear from you!

Send us your ideas and let us know what you’re thinking. Get in touch with Artistic Director Nicole Strawbridge at nicole@firstactyouth .ca or give us a call at (905) 431-7164.