Triple Threat Boot Camp

Ideally students will have at least 1 year of tap dance experience. However, if you have tap shoes and are willing to try, learn, and grow, we will make it available for the student to develop over the course of the week.

There is no audition needed to be accepted to the program although we will be asking for a video before the program begins to assess experience level. Please note that this video will not impact your child’s admission to the program; this is an open-admission program for students of all skill levels.

Before the program begins, we will send a link to all enrolled students to submit a video including the following video files (approximately 60 seconds each):

• Video 1: A recorded video of you singing approximately 16 bars, or up to one minute, of a song from a published musical of your choice. If possible, you should use a backing track with no other vocals on it.
• Video 2: Tap Dance – A 1 minute video showing your level of tap dance. If you have no tap experience there are many Youtube tap dance tutorials that demonstrate simple steps you can easily learn and demonstrate.

• Water bottle (very important to stay hydrated)
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray
• A backpack or bag to carry your script and personal items to and from rehearsals
• TAP SHOES
• Closed-toed shoes/tennis shoes to rehearse in (no flip flops, sandals, or Crocs)
• Black/dark dress or skirt, or black/dark leggings, pants, and/or jeans
• Black dress, character, or jazz shoes, closed-toe dress shoes, or black sneakers
• Black socks
• Comfortable clothes you can move in
• Hair ties or clips for long hair
• White tank tops/undershirts/tee shirts

This is an anticipated list of items needed for this theatre workshop. You may be required to bring additional items for the specific production. We will communicate with enrolled students on those needs prior to the program.

Each day, you will come together as an ensemble to do group warm-up work. We will then have various breakout sessions of tap dance, vocalization/singing, and acting development. At the end of each day, we will come together to debrief the day’s work.

Jeanette Knight is an award-winning actor, director, choreographer, playwright and producer.
As a member of SAG/AFTRA and Actors Equity Association, she has portrayed over twenty roles, ranging from Rose in The Woolgatherer at the Tony award winning Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, to Shen Te/Shui Ta in Bertolt Brecht’s Good Person of Szechwan to Roberta in Going to a Place Where You Already Are. But her most demanding role was Louise in Always, Patsy Cline, which played to sold out audiences in 2011 and 2013.

She began her stage career as a dancer, garnering adjectives like “superb” from Variety and studying with icons like the legendary Broadway tap choreographer Henry LeTang. She has been teaching acting, directing and improvisation at the Idyllwild Arts Academy since 2006, where she has also directed several highly-lauded productions, including “Stepping Out” and “A Chorus Line.” Previously, she was the Education Program Director for the McCallum Theater, supervising a faculty of fourteen teaching artists, working as a master teaching artist, and developing the Aesthetic Education Program partnering with New York’s Lincoln Center Institute. During that same period, she served as the Executive Director for the cutting-edge Beaumont Actors Studio. Other theaters/venues she has directed for include the Indian Wells Theater, California State University San Bernardino in Palm Desert, Arthur Newman Theater, Palm Canyon Theater, Truckee Meadows Community College, Brewery Arts Center, and Coachella Valley Repertory.

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Northwestern University, Jeff Bell has over 30 years of experience in musical theatre as a music director/vocal coach/arranger/accompanist/keyboardist. His career started in the Chicago Area, continued in the Pacific Northwest and now continues in beautiful Idyllwild. Jeff is thrilled to be part of the Idyllwild Arts community of artists and students.

Check out our Kids & Teens FAQ’s to learn more about our summer programs