Spotlight Theatre School has been part of Newmarket’s growing arts community for 24 years. The original mandate of the dance and theatre school in 1985 (The Newmarket School of Dance and Theatre Arts) was to provide hands on performance experience and appreciation for the arts. The school continues to educate children, teens and adults in the performing arts offering classes in musical theatre, drama, scriptwriting and workshops in television and film acting. Students have the opportunity to participate in traditional, contemporary and original works. Spotlight Theatre’s focus is to teach theatre enthusiasts to increase their knowledge of the arts and literature while improving memorization, leadership, public speaking, presentation skills and increasing self confidence.
Students prepare for Speech Arts competitions and have the opportunity to perform at established festivals and competitions in Ontario and the United States.
Former students are studying performance and technical theatre at Colleges and Universities in Canada and the U.S. Some currently working in the film and stage.
Spotlight's non-profit division: The Voice Impact Project Theatre Troupe (V.I.P.) is very active in the York Region community. Non profit shows are performed at Schools of musical theatre and historic shows, birthday party shows, corporate events, family show days and festivals. Performances include Canada’s Wonderland 2006, African Aids Relief, Violence Against Women Awareness, TV Ontario’s Don’t Sit Still Tour, The Toronto and London, Ontario Fringe Theatre Festivals and the VIP Children’s Theatre Festival. The Voice Impact project is supported through fundraising, local business and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Merlene Samuel-Cephas
Founder and Director
Kathy Solluch
Vocal Coach and Musical Director
