Grand Performing Arts

01/21/2021

Hey FAM!
I have the absolute honor of working with my long time friend and co-creator Vanessa Knowles to hopefully bring a spark of awesome to the next few months for your pre-teen or teen. Have a young person in your life in need of a heart space with rad adult mentors and heart centered friends? Want to see their productivity and happiness level improve? Groups are small, for the purpose of connection, so it's FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE! Please click here to sign up on Free To Be Me's website.
https://app.jackrabbitclass.com/regv2.asp?id=531818

Big Hugs,
Ms. Kristi

12/27/2020

DEAR 2020

Dear 2020 is a National collaboration of a youth’s perspective, ages 7-18, of living, surviving and thriving in the year 2020.

I have had the honor over the past few months of discussing, processing, writing, meeting, laughing, crying, collaborating and creating with the some of the most inspiring young people I know. From individual meetings, group brainstorm sessions and intense creative writing assignments all of the writers have worked hard to create a poetry performance that gives a glimpse into their hearts and minds in this challenging time. As a fierce youth enthusiast, it felt necessary, if not urgent, to not only get their personal perspective of the year 2020 but to find a way to amplify their micro-collective voice.

Dear 2020 Co-Writers/Performers Acacia Tripplett, Tatiana Jonk, Ben Salazar, Aashi Sharma, Mayleen Sam, Marinn Cuda and Makenna Faddis you are a phenomenal group of young people. What an absolute privilege it has been to work beside you on this project. Your brilliance inspires me. Your honest and wise hearts motivate me, and I am confident in a better future with you on this Earth. To all of the featured performers; Grant Varin, Kayla Smith, Tatum Smith-Sherry, Finleigh Sirios, Nora Shucker, Bridget Werner, Cameron Werner and Nicco Pappalardo; Thank you for your time, talent and passion to make a difference. I will forever hold this project near and dear to my heart and am beyond grateful for the opportunity to document a little magic in all of 2020’s madness.

To the incredible Dave Werner, Editor Extraordinaire, I am so grateful for you. Your graciousness, your willingness to always be a YES FRIEND when my brain explodes with ideas. The generous and unconditional ways you continue to share your time and craft with me leaves me humbled every single time. Thank you for helping me bring this important message to life.

A big giant sound shout out to the multi-talented Mr. Trenton Torain for blessing this piece with your musical ingenuity! Music has the power to transform artwork and take it to higher levels and your work on Dear 2020 is no exception. I am in awe of your craft, beyond grateful for your time and proud to work with and beside you, always and forever. I love you and your grace in supporting your Mama’s crazy creative ventures. Thank you for bringing music magic to Dear 2020 and for the gift of creating with you.

In closing I just want to reiterate how very grateful I am to have had the opportunity to work with you all. I will forever be impacted by this project. To know all of you, to have the honor of hearing you and make magic with you is by far 2020’s greatest gift. From the deepest part of my heart and soul, I thank you.

May we all continue to ‘do the work’ and always remain open to knowing that there is always more to know.

Mad Love, Fierce Love and a Grateful Heart,
Kristi Grand

https://youtu.be/Ho7xAHexNQQ

Dear 2020 is a National collaboration of a youth’s perspective, ages 7-18, of living, surviving and thriving in the year 2020. I have had the honor over the ...

11/18/2020

Love and miss you all MADLY~ Ms. Kristi.

07/02/2020

07/02/2020

It is with great sadness and surreal disbelief that we write to inform you of Grand Performing Arts' decision to close as we enter our second season of great financial impact due to the Covid19 Pandemic.

Please rest assured that it is our intention to bring Grand Performing Arts back to the Bay Area once there is a solution and we can guarantee the health of our friends and families while also assuring the safety of our loyal audience supporters. Due to the unforeseen end of the current pandemic, we feel closing G.P.A. is the most responsible thing to do given the current and very challenging circumstances.

Our entire Family would like to take this time to thank you. Thank you for your continued support over the last decade and sharing and creating so many memories with us that no doubt will last a lifetime.

Thank you for your support and magic, it has in turn enriched our entire family's lives with so much joy and creative explosions of happiness and celebration.

Your love has brought us a knowing that a world can exist in peace and harmony. Your children and all adult guest performers gave us the gift of trusting that with love and confidence ALL THINGS are possible!

Thank you for helping us to create such a beautiful village where everyone felt safe and celebrated no matter the culture, religion, sexual orientation, gender identification or age. The G.P.A. community is one like no other, and that is a representation of each and every participant and supporter. May we all continue to carry the G.P.A. spirit through and into our communities in this challenging time.

Thank you for your countless hours of volunteering, cheering and the blood, sweat and tears you gave so freely in the last 10 years. Grand Performing Arts could have never survived and thrived without you. The village we all created is one I wish I could recreate for everyone in the world to experience. The friendships and chosen family we have gained by this program is an irreplaceable gift that we treasure deeply for the rest of our lives.

Thank you for Impacting our worlds for the better. We will be in contact in the new year to update you on any changing plans for 2021. Until then my friends, please stay safe and sane in these unprecedented times.

Oh… and…

BLACK LIVES MATTER!

With Mad Love,
The Grand, Joslin, Torain & Perriman Crew

06/29/2020

CLICK HERE:
https://mailchi.mp/d33aebd11dfc/summer-master-series-final-call-1409536?fbclid=IwAR0FTf9nnhNlqsXV8XubFZV6CGIFQ8jeir0-BhXx3jZGgSgV7lANw0qjNn0

06/29/2020

Summer Master Series: Final Call!

06/28/2020

Grand Performing Arts's cover photo

06/28/2020

Last week for SIGN UPS! Secure your opportunity today!
https://www.grandperformingarts.com/master-series/

06/27/2020

Meet Kat DeLapp! ♥️

The ART of Auditioning (Intermediate/Advanced) $300 Master Series
(Mon. 3pm PST 7/6, 7/13, 7/20, 7/27, 8/3, 8/10)
Half of an actor’s job is auditioning it is part of the “business of acting” and we have to learn to embrace it! In this 6-week workshop we will be elevating your auditioning skills focusing on how to stand out in an audition, embracing our strengths as an artist, working on cold reading skills, and how to build your rep book to be poised, prepared and confident in any audition setting. At the end of the workshop you will participate in an audition that works these.

KAT DELAPP began teaching, directing, and coaching eight years ago after an adventurous 10 years working and performing in NYC. Kat is a proud alumni of both The Hartt School, where she received her BFA in Musical Theatre, and The City College of New York, where she obtained her MS in Educational Theatre. Her directing credits include Our Town, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Rumors, Into the Woods, The Pajama Game, and Sweeney Todd. Some of her favorite past performing opportunities have beenPirates of Penzance (Daughter), The Who’s TOMMY (Mrs. Walker), Crazy for You (Ensemble), The Music Man (Pick-a-Little Lady), and most recently in Mary Poppins (Mrs. Banks) and Beauty and the Beast (Mrs. Potts). In addition to being a teacher and director, Kat also works as an acting and vocal coach. She is passionate about creating an encouraging yet rigorous professional environment for emerging young artists. “The play is not in the words, it is in you!” (Stella Adler)

06/25/2020

Announcing the Ed100 Online Summer Academy for California Student Leaders - Application Deadline Extended to July 6 | ED100

GPA High School Leaders!
This is a free leadership conference for California high school students. They are trying to have at least one representative from each California high school present. Please pass this information along.

Calling all high school student leaders: Apply now for the Ed100 Online Summer Academy! Your insights and your voice are needed now more than ever. This new statewide conference will help you learn what you need to know to serve with distinction and make a difference. And yes, it's FREE.

06/24/2020

Meet Ms. Dawn L. Troupe! 💞
DIVERSITY in Theater with Dawn L. Troupe $150 Mini Series
SESSION ONE (Sat. 10am PST 7/11 & 7/18)
SESSION TWO (Sat. 10 am PST 7/25 & 8/1)
Dive into 'Diversity in Theater' with Dawn L. Troupe!
Producers and Directors routinely bend, twist and break all kinds of rules to create the imaginary world they bring to life on stage. However, diversity in casting has remained a very real issue for many actors across the United States. We've started to see American theaters step into change to meaningfully address questions of diversity and inclusion, however there is still room for growth. This course is designed to empower and educate young theater artists of all nationalities to discuss and offer tools, experience, opportunities and guidance on how to push forward as a diverse young artist in today’s theatrical world.

DAWN L. TROUPE is excited to join GPA this summer for an exciting theater experience. Her most recent credits include: Off-Broadway: Moby Dick World Premiere production at American Repertory Theater and Concert at The Museum of Modern History, Brothers ParaNormal (Delia) Theater Row, Anne of Green Gables (Mrs. Lynde) – Fingerlakes Musical Theater, Year of The Monkey (Igloo) – The Tank. Regional: Black Odyssey (Alsendra/Carib’dis/Diana Ross; BATCC nominee) – CalShakes, Pool of Unknown Wonders (Principal) – Ubuntu Theater Project, Sister Act (Delores Van Cartier – Hillbarn Theater; BATCC nominee), Death of a Salesman (Linda Loman) – Ubuntu Theater Project, S***k (Blues Speak Woman) – CalShakes, Aida (Aida) – , Ragtime (Sarah) – Broadway By The Bay, Memphis (Ensemble) – TheaterWorks, The Color Purple (Shug Avery) – Hillbarn, Big River (Maid) – TheaterWorks, Once On This Island (Mama Euralie) – TheaterWorks, Caroline, or Change (Radio 2) – TheaterWorks. Workshops: Memphis, Little Princess, Funkentine Rapture, The Giver, Rebel Genius, Anne of Green Gables, Moby Dick.

06/22/2020

Watch the Trailer for the Film of Broadway's Hamilton, Heading to Disney+

We can’t WAIT for IT! ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼
#immigrants #wegetthejobdone

06/21/2020

Happy Fathers Day G.P.A. Dads!
🤟🏿🤟🏽🤟🏾🤟🏼

06/19/2020

Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth with Kids

Happy JUNETEENTH (freedom day)! Here is a link resource for families wanting to help in the awareness and celebration of this historical day.
🤟🏿🤟🏾🤟🏽🤟🏼

Juneteenth (also referred to as Freedom Day) has a rich history and a special meaning. The end of slavery in America is still celebrated today, in the form of the Juneteenth celebration. The name comes from the melding of June and Nineteenth, or June 19th. This holiday marks the anniversary of

06/19/2020

Meet DAVE WERNER:
Illustration /Animation
(Animation video in below comments!)

Dave Werner is the Senior Experience Designer for the Emmy award winning Character Animator team at Adobe. His past projects include the portfolio website Okaydave, indie video game Atmosphir, and Extraneous Lyrics video series. He posts regular cartoons, music videos, and tutorials to his Okay Samurai YouTube channel, garnering over 8.3 million views. Dave's work has been featured by Wired, The Verge, Entertainment Weekly, TechCrunch, Kotaku, College Humor, and Sesame Street. He is a frequent presenter and instructor at creative industry conferences such as Adobe MAX, SXSW, NAB and IBC.

ILLUSTRATION BASICS
Armed with a pencil and paper, we'll draw some imaginative characters and worlds together, learning tips and tricks along the way. From concepts like texturing and shading to the little details that help you stand out, every week we'll be tackling a different project (like creating an inventive robot or drawing an epic treasure map) and having a ton of fun. Everyone has a unique illustration style, and this class should help you develop that, no matter what your age or skill level!

ANIMATION BASICS
Animation may seem time-consuming and difficult, but this class hopes to change that perception. Using the free Android/iOS app Flipaclip, we'll break down the animation process and learn foundational techniques like squash and stretch, anticipation, and more. We'll also take a look at popular cartoons frame-by-frame to better understand certain professional techniques. If you've always wanted to see your static creations come to life, this is the class for you!

06/18/2020

Meet Ms. Jessi!!!

Register at www.grandperformingarts.com

Jessi Rodriguez has been studying, choreographing and performing dance for more than 30 years. She began her professional training in the San Francisco Bay Area and competed nationally in all styles of dance. In college Jessi joined the Pulse Dance Ensemble in Sacramento, performing in shows collaborating jazz, hip-hop and contemporary. After graduation, Jessi moved to Los Angeles to study dance at the EDGE Performing Arts Center where she trained under industry professionals. While in LA, Jessi then joined the Dunham Dance Company and added a few things to her dance resume including appearances in a Papa Roach music video, and a Denise Austin Fitness video.
Jessi went on to study and earn her Pilates certification while teaching dance at local studios in the Bay Area. Since 2006 Jessi has been training competitive dancers for local and national competitions and performances. Her choreography has earned countless awards, and dancers under her training have been accepted to highly ranked college dance programs and exclusive dance companies. She now choreographs all over California and Arizona, setting pieces at studios, High School dance teams, and theater companies. She is passionate about teaching and using dance to inspire and motivate the young to be strong, independent, and confident individuals.

06/18/2020

If Math and Science Are Required in School, the Arts Should Be Too — OnStage Blog

The ARTS should be supported AND fully funded in our education system. The Arts change and saves lives. It is time to start honoring the education and power Arts education. 🤟🏼♥️

“I’ve heard from people who claim that arts education should not be compulsory is that the arts are not as important to a child’s education as other subjects are. This could not be further from the truth.”

06/17/2020

Meet Jonathan Lankin!

Register today at www.grandperformingarts.com

Jonathan Lakin (Master Teacher) is a Bay Area based performer and teacher with over 25 years of professional industry experience, Member of Actors’ Equity and graduate of Baldwin-Wallace Musical Conservatory. Lakin has had the privilege of performing on the most prestigious stages in the United States. While sharing the stage with Tony Award winners Sutton Foster and Director Kathleen Marshall. Along with Grammy Nominated singer/songwriter Kate McGarry. While originating roles for on and off broadway, Disney Cruise Lines and Walt Disney World Entertainment. In 2012 Lakin established his own acting studio and became an active board member on several non profits in the Tri-Valley which help support local art programs. He is also a Founding member and Co Director of Panther Players which is an exclusive Traveling Drama Group for Teens.
To get more information please see Mr Lakin’s website www.thejonathanlakin.com or follow him on instagram @thejonathanlakin

06/16/2020

Musical Theater with Neil Starkenberg.

Sign up today at grandperformingarts.com

BROADWAY: Mamma Mia! (Pepper; u/s Sky)
NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL TOURS: Mamma Mia! (Pepper; u/s Sky), Peter Pan (Pirate/Indian)
VEAGAS: For the Record: BAZ (Rowdy; u/s Romeo, Christian, Gatsby, Scott), TOP ROCK at The Space
TELEVISON: “Instinct” (CBS), “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS), The Today Show (NBC), and premier of The Meredith Vieria Show (NBC).
REGIONAL: Ren in Footloose (Fulton Theater), Brad Majors in Rocky Horror Picture Show (Rockwell Table & Stage), Danny Zucko in Grease, Sky in Mamma Mia! (Maine State Music Theater), Gideon in Seven Brides…Seven Brothers (Ovation Award Nominee), Lo in Grumpy Old Men, Hans in Cabaret (McCoy Rigby Entertainment), Link in Hairspray (Moonlight), Showboat/Sugar (Sacramento Music Circus), Hello! My Baby: World Premier (Rubicon Theater Company), to name a few. As well as performed alongside artists such as Earth Wind and Fire, The Steve Miller Band, The Radio City Rockette’s, Frankie Grande.
Neil also received his BFA in Musical Theater from Cal State University of Fullerton.
For more charming nonsense follow @njstarkenberg