YADA MASTERCLASSES
MASTERCLASSES!
These incredible intensives offer students a more focused experience. Taught by YADA’s gifted staff - these workshops are designed to hone your skills and build your confidence in specific areas of discipline. Dance, Voice, On-Camera, Audition Technique, Acting, Scene Study, Scenic Design and more - find you your focus with YADA!
Our Masterclass curtain is down for now—
watch this space for updates!
SEE BELOW FOR INFORMATION ON YADA'S INCREDIBLE MASTERCLASS TEACHING ARTISTS
PIPER GILLIN
Piper grew up in the Pacific Northwest where she performed in community theatre and with the "Short Shakespeareans" acting troupe. She transplanted to LA and earned a BA in theatre from the University of Southern California. She was a competitive dancer growing up, which led to her job at Disneyland dancing down Main Street, USA as a Parade performer. Piper has studied improv and sketch comedy at The Second City, UCB, and The Groundlings, and has many years of experience teaching youth improv programs at the Second City. Piper is a working stage, screen and voice actor, and is excited to share her love for the arts with the talented kiddos at YADA.
ON-CAMERA
Learn to be a professional in the room while honing your on-camera commercial and theatrical audition skills.
CELESTE JONES
A recent transplant to LA from the east coast Celeste is thrilled to be joining the YADA team. Celeste is a proud member of AEA with years of professional theatre experience under her belt and she's always excited to bring her experience from the stage to her students. Some of her favorite roles have been Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, Nessa in District Merchants, Sophie in Ruined, and TiMoune in Once on this Island. Aside from theatre Celeste has had the opportunity to star in a few short films and web series and even produced one of her own. Alongside her own career, she's spent years teaching theatre, dance, and voice to students of all ages, cultivating a love for performance and creativity. She received her BFA from Howard University in DC and had the opportunity to study classical acting at the British American Drama Academy. She cannot wait to teach and learn from all of her YADA students.
SCENE STUDY: ACTING FOR THE STAGE
Step into the spotlight with our Scene Study: Acting for the Stage course! Over six thrilling weeks, your child will explore the world of stage acting, crafting characters, and mastering the method. Through dynamic classes, they'll learn script analysis, collaboration, and trust-building, creating captivating performances with fellow actors. From auditions to curtain call, they'll dive into scene work and short plays, showcasing their talent in an intimate performance for family and friends. With classes every Tuesday from 4-6pm for six weeks and a maximum of 16 students per class, they'll receive personalized attention and guidance. Ages 10 and up are welcome – no experience required, just a love for storytelling and a desire to shine onstage! Students will showcase their talent in an intimate performance for family and friends to celebrate their growth, and share their passion. Take your acting skills to new heights!
BETHANY BADERDEEN
Bethany is a southern California native. As a huge advocate for education in Theater, Bethany holds a certificate from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in LA and a Bachelor's Degree in Theater Performance from UC San Diego. After marking her Los Angeles stage debut as a finalist in LA's Next Great Stage Star, her most recent credits include Mamma Mia at Sierra Repertory Theater, and Grease at The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage, Alaska. Repped by ATB Talent Agency across the board, she continues to perform and is so passionately delighted to step on over to the creative side, joining the YADA directing team!
This 1-day two-hour masterclass will be focused on fine-tuning your child’s audition technique. In most cases, auditioning is how you “get the job!” This class is geared towards kids who want to practice their audition skills for future YADA shows AND BEYOND! We will explore their unique personality slates, how to properly walk in the audition room, and of course, DANCE!! The last half of the class will be transformed into a mock audition. The focus is on what it’s like being at a real dance audition in the style of a classic musical theater “cattle call”. We hope this masterclass sets your kids up for success and gives them the confidence to be at their best come audition day!
Vocal Mock Audition Class
This 1-day two-hour masterclass will be focused on fine tuning your child’s audition technique. In most cases, auditioning is how you “get the job!” This class is geared towards kids who want to practice their audition skills for future YADA shows AND BEYOND! We will explore their unique personality slates, how to properly walk in the audition room, and of course, SING AND ACT!! The last half of the class will be transformed into a mock audition. The focus is on what it’s like being at a real singer's musical theater “cattle call”. We hope this masterclass sets your kids up for success and gives them the confidence to be at their best come audition day!
FAITH KNAPP
Faith is originally from Florida but grew up in Kansas city, she graduated with her BFA in Acting from the University of Central Florida in 2020. Faith has previously directed and choreographed at Apex Theatre Studios in Saint Augustine Florida and has been a private acting and audition coach for the past few years. Faith has performed across the country at many theatres, some of her favorite credits include Street of Crocodiles (Maria/ Movement Captain), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia), Vanities (Kathy), A Chorus Line (Val), Twelfth Night (Feste), I and You (Caroline). She is currently pursuing her film career here in Los Angeles and is represented by The Wayne Agency and Managed by Scot Reynolds. Faith is so excited to be part of the YADA team and help the next generation find the same love for this art that she has.
POINT OF VIEW THROUGH SONG MASTERCLASS:
A 1-day two-hour masterclass focusing on character development, point of view, and making strong acting choices within song. Students will choose between two 16-bar cuts of musical theatre pieces. The first half of class will focus on warmup techniques and an exploration of beat changes/character thoughts within the selected songs. Students will collaborate and talk through their character’s objective and focus on creating a strong sense of story. The second half of the class will allow students to perform their piece using their new skills, with the support of their new friends.
STORYTELLING THROUGH DANCE MASTERCLASS:
A 1-day, two-hour dance masterclass designed to improve a dancer’s technique, stage presence and storytelling through through their sense of character. The first part of class will involve a strong dance warmup and a beginning musical theatre technique lesson that will help students in future dance calls. Later, students will learn a one-minute beginner-level dance combination and will be encouraged to choose a strong character. Our main focus is to tell a story through the quality of movement and to find intentionality in character choices. Students will perform their dance combo in groups near the end of class, allowing them to combine dance retention skills with storytelling.
KALEN GARNETT
Kalen recently moved to Los Angeles from New York City after graduating from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, New Studio on Broadway with a BFA in Drama. While in New York Kalen was last seen in: Grab Bag at the Midtown International Theatre Festival, Le Blanc at The Pit Loft, Tornadoland at Studio 54, and has worked on new musical readings at GMTW and Dixon Place; Kalen also recently shot a short film, Older Brothers. Kalen grew up in a community theatre where she gained her love for the arts, and eventually was afforded the opportunity to choreograph for the theatre's education program. She is excited to be joining the YADA team, and is excited to work with some brilliant kids and staff.
DANCE MOVEMENT QUALITY AND GROOVES MASTERCLASS:
This 1-day two-hour masterclass will focus on building an understanding of how the body moves. We will work on basic grooves crucial to understanding the root of many dance moves – and how to include textures into your movement to make movement quality more dynamic. The end of class will be putting the skills to work in a short combo!
VOCAL CHARACTER MASTERCLASS:
This 1-day two-hour masterclass focus on why and how an actor transitions from dialogue to song. Kids can bring in any song they would like to work on, we will find a moment before and then work through why the character is needing to sing within the context of the scene. Vocal quality and technique will be sprinkled in when needed, but the main focus is on character.
WILEY JONES
Wiley Jones (he/him/they/them) is an award winning actor, director, and movement coach. While growing up in Seattle, Wiley discovered their passion for theatrics at 7 years old when stepping on stage for the first time to play John Darling in Peter Pan. Since then he has gone on to perform Off-Broadway, across the country, and internationally. He has worked on Showtime, HBO, Travel Channel, Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu productions. His improvised hijinks have been featured on stage at The Groundlings. Their production company produces films, live shows, and commercials. As a Suzuki and Viewpoints practitioner, under the tutelage of SITI Theatre Company, he often approaches new works using his background in movement and modern dance. He utilizes his experience puppeteering and devising experimental theatre in collaboration with fellow company members in The Czech-American Theatre Company. Wiley earned his B.F.A. from New York University's Tisch School of Drama; he has trained with The Atlantic Theatre Company, The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, and New Studio on Broadway. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA and AGVA, certified by the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat. His teaching journey began at Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre and Stonestreet Studios in New York. Since 2014 Wiley has been an arts educator with Village Theatre, focused on uplifting youth voices in the development of ensemble-based theatrical works and new musicals. He is currently on the managing team of the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
AUDITION MONOLOGUE:
In this exciting workshop, students will bring their 1-minute memorized monologues and dive into the world of big character choices, dissecting acting beats, and crafting performances that sizzle! Get ready for an unforgettable journey as your child walks away with a dynamic monologue that's bound to steal the spotlight!
SCENE STUDY MASTERCLASS:
Join us as we dive into the exciting world of breaking down acting scenes. Young actors will learn the art of dissecting beats, making bold character choices, and being stellar acting partners in everything from comedic capers to heartfelt dramas!