Arts Umbrella is hosting its annual Theatre and Music Expressions Festival, extending the duration of the event this year so that students have more opportunity to showcase their hardwork and talent for the public. We had the opportunity to talk to the Director of Theatre and Music with Arts Umbrealla, Paul Moniz de Sá, about his acting career, his connection to Arts Umbrella, and the upcoming festival.
Hi, Paul! What can you tell us about Arts Umbrella and the upcoming festival?
Arts Umbrella is an art school for students up to basically 21 years old. There are classes in dance, visual arts, media arts, theatre, music. It’s a cultural hub for arts training for young people. What we are doing is the Theatre and Music Expressions Festival. It is Arts Umbrella wide, but [this festival] specifically focuses on theatre music. Looking at work done by students in our year-long program. Arts Umbrella has classes for 2 – 19 year-olds, but also more intensive in-depth programs that are year-long – that is what they are doing now. They also have a pre-professional theatre program, [and] they are producing 4 shows consisting of 4 separate theatre troupes: Musical Theatre, Senior Troupe, Junior Troupe, and the Laboratory Theatre Troupe. A young directors program helps to direct these shows and [the students] are learning about the direction side, working with actors, working with designers – a big undertaking.
Big undertaking for everyone, especially for all young actors; some members are also touring shows to high schools across the Lower Mainland leading up to the festival.
What is special about what Arts Umbrella is doing?
Students are working with professionals – great practical experience with professional actors, directors, as well as sharing experiences and skills with the young people. Performing for the general public and sharing their heart with everyone as well. Their work is at par with the professional work that is happening in the world.
What is your own history with the program?
I was a student in early 90s with the program, which has grown since then. I wanted something more than what high school could offer – a friend decided she wanted to audition for the Tea and Theatre Troupe, and I wanted to as well. I wanted to work with actors of my age that were more dedicated than what I saw at school. I met students from across the Lower Mainland and found that these other students taught me so much – I still keep in touch with them as friends or colleagues. I was challenged as an actor and this sparked an interest in pursuing [acting] as a career. Working professionally as an actor since mid-90s – large testament to the work that I started off with at Arts Umbrella and the drive and confidence to pursue it.
The key: I had no idea what this would do for me and where I wanted it to go. It challenged me as an actor and person to grow, learning about empathy, what does it mean to be more than just saying a line? “What does this character mean? Want? Need?” Being able to pursue [acting] as a career has been very tremendous.
Students take a strong look at what it means to become an actor/artist and take this seriously, beyond the surface of the script, what they have in themselves to present.
From Paul’s personal website.
What does it mean to be an actor or artist to you?
It’s for every individual to discover; it’s up to the actor in the end to find out what it means to them and how to connect with it. Certain exercises will work better for others. For one performance, the lead would come three hours early to do tai chi to get to “that place” for that show, while another would clear his throat and light a cigarette and be ready to go!
For students, especially older ones: It is put it on them to use the tools/techniques to bring characters to life. The needs and personal journeys are all different. We want them to explore that for themselves as opposed to being told to “just do this or that. I’m not a puppet master and you are not my puppet – I don’t want to tell you move here and there.”
It isn’t my job as a director, it is [their] job as an actor is to make offers and offer up what [their] choices are as a character, and we can work together to deovelop this even further.
We treat them as professionals in the end.
There is lots of personal growth in a safe way, by putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. It is exciting, a risk, I applaud all young actors who allow themselves to go there and take those risks during a difficult period of a student/young person’s life. Musical theatre troupe is doing amazing work – young boys are discovering their voices in different ways while putting their confidence and skills out there.
Anything else?
We extended the shows’ run this year – we think the work the young actors are doing should be shared and to have more of a chance to see what it is like to develop over the course of 15 shows. Audiences will really enjoy it! For young audiences, there is the fairy tale review – good family time. [Young people] seeing young actors on stage doesn’t feel like they’re being “talked down to.”
Auditions for the pre-professional program take place on June 12th!
A new program is starting in September for students just out of high school that want a gap year. Theatre Conservatory: A full-time program (30h/week) of in-depth theatre training – next step for students that want a year off before university or something else
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Purchase your tickets to one or all of the shows at the Arts Umbrella Theatre and Music Expressions Festival online! Thank-you to Paul for opening up and sharing his own story and that of his students during this extremely busy and exciting time of year for the Arts Umbrella program.