Marion Abbott

A Star is Born

Marion Abbott grew up in Scarborough, Ont. Her mother is a teacher and her father is a professional pianist. Marion began studying piano at the age of eight and in August of 1996, realized her dream by completing RCM's Performer's ARCT; then in the fall, realized another dream by studying musical theatre at Sheridan, graduating in May 1999. 

While at Sheridan, Marion was taken under the wing of Christina, a Music Theatre teacher, who recognized Marion’s abilities and potential as an accompanist and afforded many opportunities to play for various performances, assessments, and eventually, entrance auditions. Marion’s classmates may remember her “10 min. For A Toonie!” sign up sheet—10 minutes of accompaniment time for $2. Needless to say she made a fortune. 

Some favourite memories of her time at Sheridan include laughing at Tim Hortons with Scott, tap classes with Stephen, performing her dance critique dressed as Wonder Woman and playing Rosa Budd in Drood. 

Upon graduating, Marion was hired to play for auditions, assessments and to sub in for MVP Classes, then was hired part-time in 2000 as part of the vocal faculty. 

Meanwhile, Marion had been teaching musical theatre to children since she was 16 years old; she started in various schools and churches in the Scarborough area and eventually ended up in Brampton. After teaching privately and working for The Brampton Theatre School, she realized yet another dream in January 2003, when she became the proprietor of Marion Abbott's Performing Arts Studio (MAPAS) . 

The studio’s main goal is to provide as many performing opportunities as possible for kids of all ages; it has grown from a 100 square-foot space with three staff members (apart from Marion) offering five classes a week, to a 2,000 square-foot space with 19 staff offering over 10 classes a week in just four years. There are classes in musical theatre, dance, acting, and private lessons. The studio has produced five productions, 12 studio recitals, a Music Marathon that raised over $3,000 for cancer research and numerous student concerts. MAPAS has its very own band (made up of kids aged 11 to14) and a comedy improv troupe called The MarionEttes! 

Sheridan Memories

Marion credits Sheridan with teaching her all about performing, immersing her in musical theatre repertoire and teaching her to search her soul, inside and out. Mary holds a special place in Marion’s heart due to her generosity and positive spirit. And without a doubt, it was Christina who had the biggest impact on Marion’s life at Sheridan and career afterward—an incredible woman. 

Marion lives in Brampton with her husband Giancarlo, a visual artist, and her son Giancarlo (it’s easy to keep their names straight this way). In her spare moments, she enjoys watching any version of CSI and scrapbook making. 

"Life is fantastic – I have the best job in the world, my husband speaks Italian and my son is pretty cute – what more does a Sheridan grad need?" 

Proprietor, Marion Abbott's Performing Arts Studio