Academy Teachers
Trevor Barrette (he/him)
Broadway Stars, B&B Masterclass
Trevor Barrette is a queer theatre maker, performer, stage manager and teacher based out of Tio'tia:ke (Montreal). Upon graduating from theatre school, he founded the award-winning KaleidoscopeMTL, for which he directed their ten productions, including several of his original works and the Fringe hits: "Captain Aurora", "Captain Aurora II: A New Dawn" and "Memento Mori". His work has been presented at the Segal Centre's Academy, Centaur Theatre's Wildside Festival, Playshed Theatre's WRK'N'PRGRSS, CETM Inc.'s Next Wave Festival and the Montreal Fringe Festival. As a performer, he has had the pleasure of performing with the National Arts Centre, the Segal Centre, Centaur Theatre, Repercussion Theatre, Geordie Productions and Scapegoat Carnivale, among others. Trevor has proudly served his community as President of the Montreal English Theatre Awards and Vice President of the Quebec Drama Federation. Trevor has been working with Academy students for many years!
Dr. Edward Enman (he/him)
Broadway Stars
Dr. Edward Enman is a pianist and composer who thrives through the cultivation of creative musical environments. He strives to create encouraging collaborative environments through his performances, his teaching, and in the creation of new works. As a soloist and collaborative performer, he performs regularly across Canada, and his compositions have been performed around the world. Dr. Enman holds degrees in Solo Piano Performance from the University of Montreal (DMus), University of Ottawa (MMus), and Acadia University (BM), and is a dedicated educator and musical collaborator. He is currently based with his family in Montreal as a pianist, composer, collaborative musician, teacher, and adjudicator, and is thrilled to be returning for his 6th season with the Segal Academy. (edwardenman.com)
Eric Elliot Lee (he/him)
Broadway Stars, Broadway & Beyond
Eric is an up-and-coming musical theatre composer, lyricist, music director, and actor. Originally from Waterloo, Ontario, Eric has worked with dozens of companies including The Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre, Contact Theatre, and the Côte St-Luc Dramatic Society. He loves working with kids and has been the music director for the past two seasons of JPPS after school theatre program, and the resident music teacher for Willowgrove's Camp@Home summer program. Eric recently finished a BFA in Music specializing in Composition from Concordia University, and has studied the art of musical theatre writing with Jonathan Monro and the Canadian Musical Theatre Writers' Collective. Eric believes that musical theatre is the most all-encompassing art form in the world and is absolutely ecstatic to be teaching the next generation of Montreal musical theatre performers. This is Eric’s second year as a musical director for the Academy. (ericelliotlee.ca)
Laurie Dumont-Bal (she/her)
Broadway Stars
Laurie Dumont-Bal is a bilingual performer, director, writer and theatre teacher. She is a Performance Creation graduate from Concordia University (Theatre Department, BFA with Distinction) as well as an Acting graduate from John Abbott College’s Professional Theatre program. Her continuous love of storytelling inspires her work as a theatre teacher for children, teenagers, and adults across Montreal. When she isn’t teaching, Laurie is a playback theatre performer with Promito Playback, a form of improvisation in which audience members are invited to share personal stories and watch the performers play these stories back on the spot. Laurie is overjoyed to be returning for her second year with the Segal Academy!
Kyla Smith (she/her)
YAYA
Kyla Smith is a music educator, voice instructor, and theatre lover of all kinds. With a B.Mus and B.Ed in Music Education from McGill University and a BFA in Composition from Concordia University, she is currently the high school music teacher and musical director at St. George’s School of Montreal. Trained in both classical and jazz voice, Kyla has been teaching private voice lessons since 2014. She has worked as musical director for West Island Theatre Association (WISTA), Verdun Elementary School, Royal West Academy high school, and Broadway Academy Westmount. This is Kyla’s sixth year teaching the Young Actors for Young Audiences (YAYA) class at the Segal Academy.
Erin Berger (she/her)
Broadway Stars
Erin Berger is a Montreal-based performer, voice teacher, and performing arts educator, equally at home in both musical theatre and opera. Her performing career has taken her across Canada, the United States, and Europe. She holds a Masters of Music (Opera and Voice) and a Bachelor of Music (Voice Performance) from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, and has been teaching the performing arts to students of all ages since 2007. Erin has worked as a voice teacher and musical director for Overture with the Arts (OWTA), Hudson Theatre Works, and the West Island Theatre Association (WISTA). She is currently the voice teacher and musical director for Stagecoach Performing Arts, and has a private voice studio based in the West Island. Erin is thrilled to be returning to the Academy for a 3rd year!
Masha Bashmakova (she/her)
Broadway Stars
Masha Bashmakova is performer, creator, and arts educator, navigating the ways in which creative expression serves as a deep and necessary language. A graduate of Concordia’s Performance Creation program, Imago Theatre’s ARTISTA mentorship, and Mainline Theatre’s Propeller, her current practice spans visual and performing arts, with a specific focus in performance, theatre directing, and arts education. Masha is curious about the ways in which language, place, and worldview impact the ways in which we tell stories.
Having worked in many different kinds of learning spaces over the years, Masha knows that in the theatre classroom anything – truly anything – is possible. Weaving acting exercises with approaches adopted from her training in movement, music, puppetry, and devised work, she believes in learning through play, curiosity, radical honesty, awkwardness, world-building, and imagination. This is Masha’s first year teaching at the Academy after a few years of being an amazing assistant.
Michelle Heisler (she/her)
YAYA
Michelle’s performance career has taken her across Canada, the United States, and Europe. A graduate of McGill University and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, she has worked on the stage, and on the big and small screens in English, French, and Yiddish. She played opposite Fyvush Finkel in Fineman’s Dictionary (Place des Arts, Montreal), and appeared in Nikila Cole’s award-winning NFB short, My Father Joe. She has lent her voice to such cartoons as Caillou, Mona the Vampire, Arthur, and Miss Mallard Mysteries (Cinar). Michelle expanded her career into the realm of directing at the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts where she worked alongside former Artistic Director, Bryna Wasserman. Their production of No More Raisins, No More Almonds, was the recipient of the 2010 Virginia Beach CAB Award (Communities Against Bigotry). In 2017, she directed her first DWYT production of A Bintel Brief. She has also toured as lead singer of the klezmer-funk band, Magillah. Michelle continues her work at the Segal Centre today as a teacher and director for the YAYA program. In 2017, she earned a Master’s degree in teaching and learning and is currently a Drama, English, and Ethics teacher at Miss Edgar’s and Miss Cramp’s School. Michelle has been working with Academy students for over 14 years!
Zoe DuPont-Foisy (she/her)
Broadway Stars
Zoe is a versatile Montreal pianist, singer, conductor, and composer / arranger. She has a Bachelor of Music in Performance (voice) and a Master’s in Conducting from McGill University. As a singer, she was a member of the McGill Opera and the Université de Montréal Musical Theater Troupe. She now works as a professional chorister and freelance soloist. From 2013 to 2017, she was the musical and artistic director of the Phoenix Musical group. Her accomplishments as a pianist / musical director include Wicked, Once Upon a Mattress, Beauty and the Beast, The Wedding Singer, Next to Normal, the Festival des comédies musicales de Québec, as well as several children's musicals she has performed. Zoe is also a piano and voice teacher. She currently directs the Ciné-Jazz Choir and is an assistant for the McGill Conservatory Choirs, and the South Shore Children's Choir. This will be Zoe’s 2nd year with the Segal Academy.
Madeleine Scovil (she/her)
Broadway Stars
Madeleine Scovil is an actor, director, singer and theatre educator based in Montreal. She has a B.A in Theatre Studies and a B.Ed with a specialty in Artists in the Community from Queen’s University. She has taught and directed youth for over a decade at various educational institutes such as the Stratford Shakespeare School, Queen’s University, Launch Point Academy and in schools and libraries across Ontario. She believes that children are natural performers and focuses on guiding their impulses as a way to increase their confidence and abilities. She’s currently completing her final year in the Acting Program at The National Theatre School of Canada. After getting to know this community over the summer, she is thrilled to be returning for her first school year as lead theatre instructor with the Segal Academy!
Naomi Krajden (she/her)
Broadway & Beyond and Broadway & Beyond: Movement, Dance and the Body Workshop
Naomi Krajden is an actor, dancer, singer, clown and educator. She works as a therapeutic clown with the Dr. Clown Foundation, bringing joy to clients in a variety of healthcare settings including hospitals and long-term care centres. When taking a break from clowning, Naomi is a guest educator, director and choreographer with national and local organizations, universities and schools in their youth and adult programs. She was previously an instructor for the youth programs at Montreal Children’s Theatre, Le R.E.C. Room, Toronto’s Randolph Academy and Vaughan’s City Playhouse Academy. Musical theatre performance credits include Rebecca in It Shoulda Been You (DWYT and The Segal Centre), the title role in Fancy Nancy The Musical (Côte St-Luc Dramatic Society and The Segal Centre), The Producers (DWYT and The Segal Centre) and multiple Dora Mavor Moore Award nominated, Elly’s Emotions (Fringe, Theatre Collingwood, Solar Stage). Naomi earned a B.A. Honours in Theatre Studies at York University, specializing in theatre creation. She has been working with the Segal Academy students for many years and is thrilled to be back again this year!
Anna Chuprun (she/her)
Broadway Stars
Anna Chuprun is a theatre teacher, director, and performer. She is in her final year of McGill’s English Drama and Theatre program. She has participated in theatre since she was young and continues to explore her passion within the theatre community of Montreal. She believes that children learn best through play and positive encouragement, all while giving them the space to challenge themselves. She can’t wait to create a safe space for children to increase their confidence and find a love for theatre performance. This is Anna’s first year of teaching at the Academy after working here for 5 years as a class assistant, counselor, head counsellor and summer camp Theatre Director.