Stephen Roberts
Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design
Degree: Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance
Year of graduation: 2006
Although he entered Sheridan with virtually no musical or dramatic training, Stephen Roberts proved to be a very quick study. In fact, in his third year he landed a ballet role in Stepping Up: Save the Last Dance II. The same year, Stephen also performed with the Stratford Festival in productions of Oliver, Coriolanus, and Don Juan. Clearly, sleep was not an option!
Since graduation, he has been part of such productions as Oklahoma!, My One & Only, West Side Story (Stratford Shakespeare Festival), Beauty & The Beast, and Anne of Green Gables (Stage West), Robin Hood (Elgin Theatre), and the Toronto Premiere of Altar Boyz as Abraham, in which Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star credited him with having “all the right moves”. He also and played the title role in Peter Pan at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax. Stephen returns to Halifax in November 2010 to play the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. This role follows his turn as Calvin in the Drayton Festival production of Guys & Dolls.
Aside from performing, Stephen has also pursued a career as a dance educator and adjudicator. He has taught across Ontario in studios, elementary and high schools, and a music theatre ensemble dance course and numerous choreography classes at George Brown College. Stephen also co-owns QUICK BALL CHANGE, Canada’s premiere agency for dance educators. In 2010, he came back to Sheridan as a guest teacher of jazz dancing.
“Returning to teach was both an honour and a pleasure,” says Stephen, who trained primarily in dance before attending Sheridan. “As a recent grad currently working in the industry, I was excited to share the connections I have made and to offer my encouragement.”
His Sheridan experience was an exceptionally positive and profound one, thanks to the support of faculty members and their belief in his potential, says Stephen. Although the hard work of auditioning and learning new material never ends, “so do the benefits and joys of a career in the arts.”
“Given the chance, I would tell Sheridan students to take risks in class and not to fear what people might think. You will only benefit from making mistakes. YOU decide exactly what you get out of your time at Sheridan.”
www.stephenrobertsonline.com