MEET OUR TEACHERS
Our diverse team of arts educators come from a variety of performance backgrounds. Read their bios below and get to know them!
Helen Wang
Hao (Helen) Wang is a theatre creator, arts educator, performer, arts manager, producer, and the Project Manager of the Intercultural Musical Theatre Project. Upon moving to Canada, she realized the disconnect between western and Chinese culture and decided her pharmacy job wasn’t healing people in the way she wanted. Helen left her pharmacy profession to rejoin U of T as an arts manager, and since then has been producing shows, managing international theatre tours, and travelling internationally to develop cross-cultural arts projects and build platforms to support arts educators locally and internationally.
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JACQUELINE GODBOUTJacqueline has over 10 years of experience performing in musicals, operettas, theatre, film, and TV. After studying classical voice at Acadia University, she went on to graduate from Randolph College for the Performing Arts' Triple Threat Program. Jacqueline brings her expertise and knowledge to her lessons, while also maintaining a fun and creative environment! She especially enjoys guiding beginner/ intermediate students in discovering their own healthy, authentic voice. She also brings her expertise as a certified yoga instructor to help students release tension, deepen their breath and find grounding in their body.
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CHRISTOPHER WilliamsChristopher (Chris) Is a Jamaican-Canadian university graduate from the University of Toronto. He has a keen interest in community engagement through the lens of arts and theatre/performance. With over 10 years of experience in various instructor roles, Chris has researched, planned and facilitated a variety of programs that led to inclusive, healthy and engaging programming for children and youth of many ages.
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Veronica yaoVeronica is a multi-disciplined professional with over 10 years of practical experience in vocal performance, plus a background running interactive educational programs for children. She loves working with young performers to help them find their singing voices and stage presence, and supports program development at Haois as well!
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ALY CARRIGANAly Carrigan is a Voice teacher and vocal coach from Calgary, Alberta. She has performed in musicals in both Canada and the US, including performances of New Works at the NYFA Professional Conservatory of Musical Theatre in New York City. She studied vocal performance at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and has been singing most of her life. Her specialties include opera vocals, aural/theory skills, and voice acting (both on stage and behind a mic). She’s taught both children and adults alike how to sing and speak properly so as to avoid tension and strain, while also instilling a joy for music through the process. Her favorite thing about teaching is seeing students find how music and the arts are core to their every day lives, even when not used as a career option.
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ARDYTH JOHNSONArdyth holds a B.A in Theatre Studies from the University of Winnipeg and a graduate with Second City Conservatory. Ardyth has toured throughout North America with Mime Unlimited, Theatre Beyond Words and many other professional companies. Ardyth performs, writes and directs. Ardyth since 1987 has regularly performed Classic Mime , Charlie Chaplin, “Beth Hickadilly” (a medieval character) at festivals, corporate events and many more venues. When Ardyth is not performing, she is busy teaching as an arts educator in physical theatre, plus workshops all over Canada and Internationally.
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