ABOUT

Who We Are
Staff & Teaching Artists

Staff &
Teaching Artists

Administration

Staff

Guest Teaching Artists

ADMINISTRATION

NICOLE STRAWBRIDGE

Artistic Director

Choreographer:
Early Stages • Junior MT • Senior MT • Company

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, graduating in 2009 with a "Triple Threat" diploma.

Favourite stage credits include: Miss Honey in Matilda, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Julia in The Wedding Singer, the title role in Mary Poppins, 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 both Carmen Diaz 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!

DANI RITO

Creative Director

Stage Director:
Early Stages • Junior MT • Senior MT • Company

Dani discovered her passion for performing at a very young age when she took her first dance class. Dancing and singing her way through high school, she continued on into Sheridan College's Performing Arts Preparation program. While there, she directed her first full production; a self adapted script of Mean Girls. With everything she learned there, she went on to study at St. Lawrence College in their Musical Theatre Performance program where she graduated with an Advanced Diploma. While in school, she fell in love with directing, and has since directed over 15 productions.

Most memorable performances include: Gabrielle Jodoin in Les Belles Soeurs, Betty Rizzo in Grease, Mimi Marquez in Rent, Anita in West Side Story, Diana Morales in A Chorus Line and starring in the ensemble for many other shows including Mamma Mia, Rocky Horror, Matilda and many more!

Dani loves teaching and is very excited to share everything she has learned with this next generation of fabulous performers!

COLIN FROTTEN

Executive Director

Musical Director:
KIDS Stages • Musical Theatre • Company

Originally from Nova Scotia, Colin is a pianist, tenor, music director, vocal coach and educator who graduated from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. He performs regularly throughout Ontario and in the Atlantic provinces and has an active piano/voice studio. Colin also works as the Director of Communications for both Choral Canada and CAPACOA (Canadian Association for the Performing Arts).

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). Colin also recently acted as Music Director of First Act Productions’ Dogfight (2019) and their youth production of Theory of Relativity (2020).

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

BENJAMIN CONROY

Technical Director

Workshop Leader, Director, Choreographer
TINY Stages • Junior Company

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.

STAFF

ELIANA MAYA

2023-2024 Apprentice

Director/Choreographer:
Early Stages • Junior MT • Junior Company

Eliana started dancing at the age of three and danced competitively for four years in ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop and acro. At the age of ten, she joined Marquee Theatrical Productions and has performed countless musicals in the past eight years. Past roles include Simba in The Lion King Jr, Liz in Chicago, and Veronica in Heathers.

Eliana is now very excited to start a new chapter as a teacher at First Act Youth Company. She has a strong passion for musical theatre and hopes to continue pursuing this dream professionally in the years to come. Eliana strives to bring a safe and exciting environment for others to thrive in and find their passions. Musical theatre is a beautiful and fun outlet for expression, and looks forward to instilling these ideas at FAYC.

KIEVA STRAWBRIDGE

Dance Instructor, Workshop Leader
Adult Broadway Dance • Dance Technique

Kieva's extensive dance journey began at the young age of four. She followed her passion for dance and continued to study post secondary at George Brown College in the Dance Performance Program. Through her time there, she had the opportunity to work with industry known choreographers and perform at the Betty Oliphant Theatre in Toronto.

Since 2019, Kieva has been an integral member of the Toronto Argonauts A-team, assuming the role of captain in 2023. Her diverse dance repertoire spans from Modern, Jazz, and Hip-hop, to Ballet, and Irish Dance, reflecting a comprehensive understanding of various styles and genres.

Beyond her stage accomplishments, Kieva is passionate about sharing her profound love for dance through both performance and teaching, advocating that dance education plays a pivotal role in enhancing self expression, physical fitness, coordination, teamwork, and collaboration.

SAM VARONA

Choreographer, Workshop Leader:
36-Hour Musical Theatre Bootcamp

With over 25 years of extensive training in various forms of dance, Samantha is always looking for new ways to share her love of movement. She has had the fortune of working with top industry dancers, teachers and choreographers through her years in the industry. From commercial dance, cabarets, open air theatres to producing original shows and choreographing musicals, Samantha has done it all! She is so grateful that dance has taken her to NYC, LA, the UK and Europe.

Now back in her roots of Toronto, Samantha seeks to share her expansive experience of movement. Working with kids to adults of all ages and abilities, she believes that dance is for everyone! Whether it be on stage, on film or in a studio, Samantha finds a way to let the magic of movement shine through!

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.