Our rehearsal studio and office is located at 45898 Victoria Avenue, Chilliwack
REGISTRATION FOR THE 2024 – 2025 SEASON OPENS MAY 14TH FOR RETURNING STUDENTS AND JUNE 1ST FOR NEW STUDENTS!
Click here to register
SENIOR MUSICAL THEATRE | Ages 14 – 19
$1305 for year, Thursdays 5:00-8:30 P.M. Sept 2024 – May 2025
The Senior Musical Theatre program is a performance-based class for students aged 14-19. It expands and develops on the knowledge base from the teachings of the Intermediate Musical Theatre Program, while preparing students for future theatre study, such as CSOPA’s Mainstage Program. The first part of the course will focus on performance technique in acting, singing and dance. Once a strong performance base has been established, students will then rehearse and prepare a small-scale musical theatre production to be performed at the annual CSOPA Spring Festival.
The Senior Musical class will perform in our Spring Festival. Students must be available May 15-26, 2025 for dress rehearsal and 3 performances.
SENIOR DEVISED THEATRE | Ages 13 – 19
$1215 for year, Wednesdays 6:15-9:00PM, September 2024 – May 2025
For our collaborative and creative teen writers. Senior devised will build on the skills developed in Junior/Intermediate Devised and spend a lot of time exploring different theatre practices, performance methods, and more experimental theatre styles. This class explores more complex Ideas and a more in-depth show. This program is designed to expand the vision of what is possible in theatre, to foster a collaborative process in which the whole cast with the support and guidance of their director, develop a show together and decide how they want to perform it. The class will practice scenes and improvs in various styles like commedia dell’arte, viewpoints, and other alternative methods of performance along with the traditional style. This program prepares students for further study in the performing arts, particularly our Senior Stage and Mainstage Programs. The end result is a show performed at CSOPA’s May Spring Festival that has been built from the ground up by the cast and director complete with any necessary props, costumes, set, lights, and sound. Come create something wonderful with other performers and expand your understanding of theatre.
The Senior Devised program will perform in our Spring Festival. Students must be available May 15-26, 2025 for dress rehearsal and 3 performances.
SENIOR STAGE THEORY | Ages 13 – 19
$550 for term, Mondays 4:00-8:00 P.M. Feb 2025 – May 2025
Calling our teenage theatre enthusiasts! Senior stage is a spring term skills and learning class. This workshop style class invites experts from all different fields to lecture and facilitate hands-on demonstrations and activities in all aspects of theatre. Senior Stage offers an array of weekly workshops in Dance stylings, Theatre Technology, Acting history and text-work, Costuming and Makeup, and more! This class is about exploring all the branches of theatre as a craft beyond just performance. During CSOPA’s annual Spring Festival, Senior Stage students will work backstage, enabling other classes in the school to show off their amazing shows. Students are given the opportunity for hands-on learning of sound and lighting, moving sets, props, headsets, and makeup and costumes. We believe that understanding all the time and effort that happens behind the curtain is vital to cultivating a deeper respect for all aspects of theatre as an art.
TECHNICIANS IN TRAINING | Ages 14 – 19
$310 for term, Tuesdays Feb 2025 – May 2025
More information coming soon!!
MAINSTAGE | Ages 13 – 19
BY AUDITION ONLY FOR CURRENT STUDENTS
Sept 2024 – Jan 2025, Inquire for schedule, $1740 per year Auditions will be held June 22, 2024
Lovingly compared as “the rep hockey of youth theatre programs,” by some of our previous students, the MainStage program is a high intensity, pre-professional musical theatre program by audition only. This class is a performance/educational hybrid designed with both Theatre career and life launching skills in mind.
Each year CSOPA mounts a professional musical theatre production giving focus and real life training to our senior students ages 13-19. Prerequisite to auditions, students must have taken a performance-based class at CSOPA within the past year. Students learn all aspects of performing in a professional theatrical production on a full scale stage.
Participants rehearse and prepare the acting, choreography and vocal components of the show for five months with our professional directing team in acting, vocals and dance. They will work with industry professional technicians for lighting, sound, set design, and costumes.
The Mainstage program promotes excellence in performance as well as teaches teamwork, confidence and a commitment to work ethics. Students in Grade 10 to 12 may potentially apply to their high school for credits in performing arts. The students must commit to 12 – 20 hours per week in the fall to rehearsals. Students must be available Mondays and Fridays from 4-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. as well as holidays in November, December and January. There are a few days of school in January students must be prepared to miss.
It is also noted that for our highschool students, our rehearsal and show schedule often runs directly through exam dates. Speaking to your teachers in advance about alternative exam arrangements is recommended.
After a short break in February, MainStage students can continue to work on their musical theatre skills during the Senior Stage program. There is a lot to theatre we don’t always get the chance to teach about during our busy 5 mainstage months. The Senior Stage class offers an array of weekly workshops in Dance stylings, Theatre Technology, Acting history and textwork, Costuming and Makeup and more! This class is about exploring all the branches of theatre as a craft beyond just performance. (More information about Senior stage can be found above).
Our Mainstage productions have a reputation of excellence in theatre. In 2024 CSOPA’s annual Mainstage production ran for 15 public performances at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre (a 575 seat theatre) and over 5,875 people attended the performances. Over 50 community volunteers, parents and work experience students provide the work force to build the set, props, costumes and work the show as crew.
The Mainstage program has a 16 show run spanning January 10-26, 2025. Students MUST be available every day within these dates for dress rehearsals and shows. The program fees include all costumes, script, music and a show t-shirt. Students will need to purchase specific undergarments, their own basic stage makeup kit and dance slippers or dance shoes.
THEATRE PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG ADULTS | Ages 18 – 24
$650 for term, December – June
(INSUFFICENT ENROLLMENT. THIS CLASS WILL NOT BE RUNNING THIS YEAR. PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE BY EMAIL IF INTERESTED IN THIS PROGRAM)
CSOPA’s first adult only class, TYA is designed to meet the needs of those students who want to explore design opportunities and show building, as well as those wanting to try something new. This class focuses on both technical theatre design and performance. In December class members will choose backstage skills they wish to learn and in January they will physically learn those skills backstage on our full-scale Mainstage production. Students will not pay for January, as their work backstage will be serving the studio and the show. From February to April the class will build their own show and perform it at CSOPA’s Spring Festival as well as have the option to perform at the Harrison Festival of the Arts in July. Students will be responsible for all design elements of their production including set, lights, costumes, props, and stage management as well as advertising and publicity. This course deals with mature subject matter!