FINAL PERFORMANCE
PRESENTED BY PERFORMING ARTS BRAMPTON
MARCH 29, 2023
WELCOME TO CENTRE STAGE 2023
It’s usually danger that makes our hearts beat faster and stronger. It’s often adversity that sharpens our minds and heightens our senses. But sometimes, like the precious hours we have spent with the students who comprise our 2023 Centre Stage Conservatory, our hearts and minds are similarly exhilarated as we share in the positive growth of young people.
On behalf of the Donors, Sponsors and Performing Arts Staff whose generous support make this program possible, please accept these heartfelt thanks to each of our 2023 Conservatory students. You gifted us your trust, rewarded our workshop leaders with your dedication, and given all of us the honour to be a part of your lives.
Yours sincerely,
Steven Schipper Executive Artistic Director, Performing Arts Brampton
Congratulations to all of the artists presented though this year’s 2023 Centre Stage Conservatory!
From the moment we started auditions, we were so impressed with the array of talent in our group. From Bollywood and contemporary dancers, dancers with original choreography, to actors with huge stores of passion and emotion, to comedy acts, and original writers, to singers in all styles who make us smile and feel the messages in your songs, to pianists and violinists and more...there are so many skills and gifts here! And the more we get to know you, the more surprises and hidden talents emerge!
It has been a real pleasure to work with you this year! I’m sure the guest artists we worked with feel exactly the same. As you keep going on your creative path, whether you’re still learning or you’re ready to show the world what you’ve gotkeep connecting with like-minded people, keep practicing, and know that you can use your voice as an artist to hep bring about a bright future and make change in the world.
Keep in touch with us! We have a lot of opportunities here. Summer co-op, internships, Youth Outreach Team, a slew of new performing arts education programs for all ages starting in September, and chances to perform as well. You’ll hear all about the excitement going on with us as part of the Youth Alumni Network of which you have now become a member.
Thank you for being part of Centre Stage Conservatory this year. Keep creating!
Christina Akrong & Nereé Morgan Education & Outreach Team,
Arts Brampton
Performing
Nereé Morgan Education & Outreach Team, Performing Arts Brampton
Christina Akrong Education & Outreach Team, Performing Arts Brampton
Steven Schipper Executive Artistic Director, Performing Arts Brampton
TONIGHT’S PERFORMANCE
Master of Ceremonies: Jesus E. Toutounji Prychodczenko
Isabella Almeida performing Kevin Krisen’s choreography to the song “Bruises” by Louis Gapaldi, covered by Genevieve Linkowski
Gobiraam (Gobi) Singarajah performing Cory’s monologue from Fences
Shamita Arali performing the song “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran
Stephen (Stevie) Ferreira performing the song “Let it Be” by The Beatles
Neriah Sheli Shimshon performing the monologue “Happy with a Failure” from Music Maybe by DM Larson
Eashani Wadhwa performing a monologue from The Secret to Modeling by Antonia Lassar
Anaya Payne performing the song “Good Days” by SZA
Alana Kubu performing Rose Maxson’s monologue from Fences
Madhav Pataudi performing the song “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X
Simran Matharhoo performing the song “Love Story” by Taylor Swift
Jesus E. Toutounji Prychodczenko performing an original monologue entitled, “Comic at Therapy”
Padma Cherukuri performing the song “On My Own” from Les Misérables
Madelyn Mariyanayagam performing the song “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri, accompanied by the violin
Amaria Dass performing Jim Quinn’s monologue “Someone Saw Me” from Prodigal Son.
Sharleen Verma & Yashita Singh performing original chorography to “Sweety Tera Drama” by Tanishk Bagchi and “ODHANI” by Darshan Raval and Neha Kakkar
Mackenzie Prine performing the song “Love Takes Time” by Mariah Carey
ALANA KUBU
Alana Kubu is a 15-year-old girl who is currently attending St. Roch CSS as a Drama Major in the Regional Arts Program. She has been in three school plays and several class plays. She is an aspiring actor who is passionate and great at what she does. As she goes through her drama program in school, her skills for acting keep developing. Alana is looking for more experiences to improve her acting skills and this program is doing just that!
AMARIA DASS
An immense lover of the arts, Amaria has played main roles in musicals such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, and is currently in The Beauty and the Beast. She currently trains in dance and theatre with Power of Performing Arts, and Long and McQuade for vocal. This is her second year with the Center Stage Conservatory, and she has had the great opportunity of learning from wonderful, gifted, and talented individuals within the arts. Amaria enjoys playing the saxophone and piano in her spare time. She continues to work with her peers for the Arts Culminating Presentation at school, where she will be performing. Amaria and a peer were chosen to sing at graduation coming up this June. She was accepted into the drama program beginning September 2023 at Mayfield Secondary School. Amaria looks forward to her new endeavours and what the future holds for her.
ANAYA PAYNE
Anaya has performed at the Brampton Civic Centre and Oakville Centre for Performing Arts. She took online acting lessons with the NYLA Talent Scout & Marketing program, dance lessons with A New DAEI, and piano lessons with Long & McQuade. She is also currently learning how to play the baritone.
EASHANI WADHWA
Best known for her original musical, Eashani is a primarily self-taught actor and playwright who got her start through living room plays in her childhood. After years of performing stand-up comedy to small audiences, Centre Stage Conservatory marks her second major acting performance, but hopefully not her last.
GOBIRAAM (GOBI) SINGARAJAH
Gobi is a 16-year-old aspiring actor who attends Louise Arbour Secondary School. He has performed at a school play as both an MC and an actor, along with a mini-performance performed online for The Ottawa Children’s Theatre.
ISABELLA ALMEIDA
Isabella Almeida is 13 and has been dancing professionally for the last eight years. She specializes in hip-hop, ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, lyrical, and pointe. With contemporary being her favourite category, she has placed first at the Shock Dance Competition in 2019. When she is not dancing, she enjoys traveling, experiencing art, and dabbles in fashion! “Don’t give up” is her personal mantra. She uses it as motivation when rehearsing, performing, and experimenting with new challenging choreography.
JESUS E. TOUTOUNJI PRYCHODCZENKO
Jesus Toutounji is a creative writer, actor, singer, and content creator. His favourite hobbies are building Lego and playing video games. Jesus joined Centre Stage to try to get better at singing and acting, but through the workshops learned that creative writing is one of his strongest skills.
MACKENZIE PRINE
Mackenzie got into Mayfield Secondary School for vocals, and through this she showed the teachers at Mayfield her voice in many different ways with all types of colour options and ranges. She has won first place for competitions like Toronto’s Kiwanis Music Festival. She has been training for vocals and piano since she was four. Mackenzie is also interested in things other than music, such as architecture and interior design, as she has played The Sims four to six years.
MADELYN MARIYANAYAGAM
Madelyn Mariyanayagam has a passion for music and wants to share it with others. She is taking Royal Conservatory lessons in violin and vocal. She is trained to sing in English, French, and German. She joined Center Stage last year to improve her performing skills. It gave her the confidence to start her own YouTube channel called HymnGarden recently. She is looking forward to enhancing her skills by combining violin and singing at this year’s Center Stage.
MADHAV PATAUDI
Madhav is a young performer in pursuit of acting, singing and dancing. His favorite hobby is acting. He only acts at home because he is sometimes too shy to do it in front of other people. He is also a very good dancer with quite some talent, considering he is a quick learner. He is currently singing because he has realized that he has a wonderful voice; he sings in the car as if he is the person who created the song.
NERIAH SHELI SHIMSHON
Neriah Sheli is a warm-hearted, ambitious individual who is passionate about acting. She danced in the musical The Little Mermaid at The Rose under the production of Synergy. She enjoyed helping out other young actors in the Great Big Theatre Company while also performing there. She loves to express herself and have fun while learning new things. Neriah Sheli is very thankful to Centre Stage Conservatory for allowing her to have this amazing opportunity and experience of a lifetime.
PADMA CHERUKURI
Padma has been singing since she was a toddler and began formally performing at ten years old in choirs, school talent shows, and other solo singing performances. These include recitals for singing academies and school events like Black History Month, Remembrance Day, and school graduation. Padma loves makeup and dogs, and she is a fan of and inspired by the actor Gaten Matarrhazo and the band Little Mix.
SHAMITA ARALI
Shamita Arali is grade eight student at Earnscliffe Public School of the Arts, and French. Shamita is passionate about singing, and is an alumni of the Centre Stage program. Last year, she presented “Dandelions” by Ruth B and blew the crowd away! This year, she returns to refine her singing and further develop her performance skills. Shamita has been trained in Carnatic Music for nine years and continues to use her skills in classical music and apply them to other genres.
SHARLEEN VERMA
Besides dancing, Sharleen does many other things like singing, writing, basketball, badminton, painting, skating, playing guitar, and much more. Sharleen loves learning and exploring new things like different forms of dance or how to play an instrument. She loves to perform Bollywood dance.
SIMRAN MATHARHOO
Simran Matharhoo is a trained pianist, playing for the last eight years. At only eleven years old, Simran has already performed piano in front of a variety of audiences at recitals all over the Greater Toronto Area. Recently, she has dedicated her time to developing her acting skills, taking the initiative to audition for Centre Stage.
STEPHEN (STEVIE) FERREIRA
An avid singer and runner, Stevie has his own YouTube channel where he sings and reacts to songs from the 1950’s to the present. He also helps others feed their mind, body, and soul through various activities as a weekly Co-Host of an online Health & Wellness show at Life Lessonz Inc.
YASHITA SINGH
Besides dance, Yashita loves writing songs, singing, playing volleyball, choreographing dances, making different types of art, and more. She enjoys performing her cultural dances, which are Bhangra and Giddha.
ABOUT CENTRE STAGE VISION
Centre Stage exists to nurture young Brampton artists through professional development workshops and an annual showcase presentation.
By creating space, resources and opportunities for student artists in Brampton, Centre Stage nurtures our City’s artistic community, now and into the future.
TRAINING
Beginning in December 2022, performers have been working with professional artists to further develop their artistic techniques and understanding. Much appreciation to our instructors who shared their valuable insights and experiences with participants.
DARRYN DE SOUZA VOICE
Coming from a musical family, Darryn began his training at St. Michael’s Choir School in Toronto, a one-of-a-kind music school with deep training in choral and solo singing, as well as instrumental music. In 2009, after working as a performer and music director in professional theatre, Darryn took on the role of Music Director for vocal group The Tenors. With them, he has performed as their live pianist, collaborator, arranger, and full time touring artist. Through this experience, Darryn has shared the stage and worked with many legends: Paul Anka, David Foster, Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Harry Connick Jr., Kenny G, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, and Stevie Wonder, to name just a few. He also has performed for many world and creative leaders, including Barack & Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.
IAN KETEKU ENTREPRENEURSHIP
2022-2023 CENTRE STAGE INSTRUCTORS
ALEXIA VASSOS JUROR
Alexia Vassos (she/her) is an actor, writer and consultant currently based in Toronto. An alumna from the Theatre and Drama Studies joint program between the University of Toronto and Sheridan College, she holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours and an Advanced Diploma in Acting. Since graduating, she’s appeared both on stage and screen in a variety of theatre productions, commercial campaigns (Amazon, PetSmart, and McDonald’s) and TV/film ventures (Under the Christmas Tree, Pink Is In). In her recent endeavours, Alexia has been able to combine her love of the arts with her passion for disability advocacy, moderating events (Canadian Film Centre, ReelAbilities Film Festival Toronto) and facilitating workshops (Thatz Showbiz) that feature disabled artists and focus on accessibility within the industry. Presently, Alexia is in the process of creating a solo show centred around growing up disabled in a family that overshares and a world that underserves.
Ian Keteku is the 2010 World Poetry Slam champion. Ian is also a multimedia artist who has produced work for TVO, CBC and Sesame Street. His work has been translated into French, Slovak, Russian, Danish, ASL, and others. His debut book of poetry Black Abacus is published by Write Bloody North. Ian teaches creative writing at OCAD University in Toronto.
JADE JAGER CLARK MOVEMENT
Jade began teaching, choreographing, and dancing at the age of 14 when she created a non-audition-based dance team at her school. From there she began teaching at the YMCA, eventually opening her own studio, Jade’s Hip Hop Academy. She has become known for her intricate choreography, innovative concepts and the ability to turn her own visions into spectacular reality. She has successfully managed to raise the profile of authentic hip hop dance and created a successful Performance Company and student teacher program that continues to build, develop, and drive the next generation of creative thinkers, performers, and leaders.
SHARADA ESWAR STORYTELLING
Sharada Eswar is a South-Asian-Canadian curator, community arts, storyteller, arts educator, and theatre artist. Sharada first trained in South Indian classical voice. She further developed her craft with notable artists such as the Bombay Sisters, and the renowned Mallika Sarabhai at the prestigious Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, India. Since immigrating to Canada, she has garnered artistic credits with the Toronto Festival of Storytelling, the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto District School Board, Theatre Direct, Tarragon Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre, National Arts Centre, and others. Sharada has recently received significant support from the Trillium Foundation to continue her “Border Crossings” project in partnership with the Art Gallery of Mississauga.
YOLANDA BONNELL ACTING
Yolanda Bonnell (She/They) is a Bi/Queer 2 Spirit AnishinaabeOjibwe, South Asian mixed performer, playwright and multidisciplinary creator/educator. Originally from Fort William First Nation in Thunder Bay (Superior Robinson Treaty territory), her arts practice is now based in Tkarón:to. She is Co-artistic leader of manidoons collective. In February 2020, Yolanda’s fourtime Dora nominated solo show “bug” was remounted at Theatre Passe Muraille, and in 2022 her piece White Girls in Moccasins was produced at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Yolanda was the Indigenous artist recipient of the Jayu Arts for Human Rights Award and the Tom Hendry Drama Award for her play, “My Sister’s Rage.” Yolanda has taught at schools including York University and Sheridan College and proudly bases her practice in landbased creation, drawing on energy and inspiration from the earth and her ancestors.
SPECIAL THANKS
Since its inception as a Youth Awards Gala Performance in 2006 and evolution into a conservatory training program in 2019, Centre Stage has been generously supported by Performing Arts Brampton’s wonderful Donors. Without their enthusiastic support for arts education and access for youth in our community, this program would not be possible.
Many thanks to Mayor Brown and Council for their enthusiastic support of Brampton’s youth, and arts and culture initiatives. Special thank you to Nereé Morgan, Community Programming & Outreach Associate, and Danny Harvey, Artistic Programming Coordinator, for sharing their expertise as Centre Stage Jurors. Lastly, Performing Arts Brampton gives thanks to all the family members of the Centre Stage participants for nurturing and encouraging their love of the arts.
Sincere appreciation to the entire Performing Arts team for supporting Centre Stage and our incredible instructors who shared their wisdom and passion.
