Student from Italy learns more than Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream

The cast of PCYT's A Midsummer Night's Dream, playing tomorrow at
the Patel Conservatory's TECO Theater.

Wrestling with the old English of a Shakespeare play is difficult for anyone. For Italian actor Lorenzo Tonelli, understanding the story was only half the problem.

Lorenzo plays the fun-loving Puck in tomorrow’s PCYT production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Patel Conservatory.

The 13-year-old from Bologna, Italy, speaks moderate English. So understanding the director and his fellow classmates for the past two weeks was as challenging as understanding the text.

“This is the first time I’ve done Shakespeare. I have some problems what I’m reading, but my father and the director help me to translate,” said Lorenzo.

The show will be the culmination of PCYT’s theater intensive program, during which students have learned vocal and acting techniques as well as an understanding of classic Shakespeare.

Lorenzo Tonelli, middle, joined us from Italy
to study theater this summer. Aaron Phillips,
left, plays Oberon, and Sasha Hollenbeck
plays Helena.

Lorenzo attends a performing arts school in Italy, where he has performed in many musicals including Jesus Christ Superstar. He sings, acts and plays piano, and recently had a role in a television movie to be broadcast in Italy.

His father Marco Tonelli works for an American company based out of Lakeland that manufactures commercial juice extractors for orange juice companies. He travels from Bologna to Lakeland about every other month.

Last summer, Lorenzo joined him in Lakeland and attended YMCA summer camps. This summer, in searching for some performing arts camps, a co-worker referred Marco to the Patel Conservatory.

“I visited in March, and found it extremely exciting,” said Marco. He says in Italy, when people think about the performing arts in America, they imagine the excitement of Broadway.

Marco finds the Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center, “exactly matching with this ideal we have,” he explained.

Staying at the Howard Johnson’s across the street, Lorenzo goes to classes at the Conservatory while Marco goes to work in Lakeland.

“I tried all that Patel Conservatory has to offer,” said Lorenzo, who also took voice and piano lessons at the Conservatory during his stay in Tampa. “It has been a good experience...it’s fun.”

Lorenzo says his instructor and Midsummer director Giles Davies has helped him learn more about character.

“I feel my character inside of me,” said Lorenzo. “I am not so much of a jokester as Puck, but I love it because he’s my favorite character.”

As director, Davies has a keen instinct. “He finds the right movements in the right place... he can do that...few people can.”


See Tonelli and all the talented cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream tomorrow night, Fri., July 27, 2012 at 7 p.m. For tickets or more information, click here.

Summer Fantasy featured on national television

Daytime hosts Lindsay MacDonald and Cindi Edwards with brothers Ethan
and Colin Fuller, who will perform in NGB's Summer Fantasy on Friday.

Next Generation Ballet’s summer dance production, Summer Fantasy, will be featured on the national television morning show Daytime tomorrow.

Dancers Ethan and Colin Fuller joined NGB’s artistic director Peter Stark on the show to talk about the production and show off a preview.

Longtime students of Stark, Ethan and Colin are training at the Patel Conservatory in Tampa for four weeks this summer as part of NGB’s summer intensive program.

“It’s been great, very challenging,” said Colin, 18, who has trained with the School of American Ballet for the past two years and will attend Julliard this fall. Colin recently made it to the top 35 contestants on the popular television show So You Think You Can Dance.

His younger brother Ethan, 14, started dancing because he was always in tow for dance classes and competitions.

“We have an aunt who dances in New York City, so we both got into it because of her,” said Ethan.

Ethan toured last year from January through December with the Broadway musical Billy Elliot. He played the coveted lead role of Billy.

Playing the lead in a major Broadway musical was both fun, and emotionally and physically taxing, said Ethan.

“It was stressful on my body and mind, but I loved performing the show,” said Ethan.

Ethan’s background is predominantly in ballet and contemporary, so he hadn’t done any tapping or much acting or singing prior to being cast in the show.

“It amazed me what a good actor he was, it was a really dramatic role,” said Ethan’s mom Camille.

Though rehearsals were tough, and he toured six cities, including three months in San Francisco, CA, “I always had enough energy that it was still fun.”

The brothers are from Melbourne and have trained with Stark on and off for years, both in Orlando and at the Patel Conservatory. Ethan also trains with New Dimensions Dance Company in Titusville.

Both have enjoyed taking classes this summer with NGB’s guest instructors, including Jeremy Blanton, Dylan G-Bowley and siblings Jeff and Lia Cirio of the Boston Ballet, and look forward to performing in Friday’s Summer Fantasy.

For a preview of Friday night’s show, check out Colin performing a contemporary piece on Daytime this Wednesday morning, July 25, 2012, on WFLA Channel 8 at 10 a.m.

Summer Fantasy will be Fri., July 27, 2012 at 7 p.m. in Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center in downtown Tampa. For tickets, click here.

NGB's Summer Fantasy features talent from around the country

When Tanner Bleck was little, he wanted to be on Blues Clues.

“I always wanted to be Steve from Blues Clues, it used to be my favorite show,” said Tanner.

So when he was six years old, he asked for acting lessons for his birthday. From then on, he’s loved performing.

Now an accomplished dancer, the 14-year old from Lexington, KY will perform this Friday along with nearly 150 advanced ballet students from around the globe in Next Generation Ballet’s Summer Fantasy.

The show will be a culmination of NGB’s summer intensive and will include performances from professional guest artists including Jeffrey Cirio and Lia Cirio of the Boston Ballet, and Dylan G-Bowley of Ballet Memphis.

When Tanner was seven years old, through his acting classes, he learned about the concept of the triple threat (an actor, singer and dancer), which piqued his interest in dance. A fan of the television show So You Think You Can Dance, he thought he'd take ballroom dance. But he couldn't find any local classes. He wasn’t immediately sold on the idea of ballet, but his mom told him that ballet was the basis for most other dance styles.

"She told me, 'if you can do that, you can do anything,'" he said.

So he decided to take the plunge and signed up for lessons at Bluegrass Youth Ballet.

“Every since I took my first ballet class, I fell in love with it,” said Tanner, who went on to the School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Lexington, and continued lessons at Bluegrass Youth Ballet.

Now, instead of dreaming about being on TV, he dreams of becoming a professional dancer. 

Earlier this year, he took first place in the junior classical dance category at the Indianapolis regional Youth America Grand Prix competition.


"At competitions, I like that feeling of seeing other kids do really good, and I want to be as good as them."


He went on to the YAGP finals in New York in April and has since had invitations to study at some of the best ballet schools.

He has chosen to join us this fall at the Patel Conservatory to train full-time in NGB’s pre-professional program.

“I kept hearing everyone talk about how Peter [Stark] would be a good fit for me. I had this gut feeling to come here,” said Tanner. “Then I started working with Peter, and I knew this is the one [school] I wanted to go to...

“He’s helped me so much with my technique, and helping me build strength.”

In addition learning how to jump higher and land his double tours, Tanner’s also enjoyed getting to know dancers from around the country these past few weeks. And, he’s earned the privilege to perform a solo in this Friday’s show.

“No one’s really asked me to do anything like that before, my own solo,” he said.

He’s thrilled to be able “to dance with other amazing dancers from around the world.”

Other guest performers include NGB alumni Drew Nelson and Skyler Martin. Nelson currently attends Royal Ballet School (RBS), and Martin is a recent graduate of the RBS (2012) and new company member with Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.

Check out Tanner and 150 other talented dancers this Friday at Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center in downtown Tampa for Summer Fantasy at 7 p.m.

Spotlight on Caleb Quezon

Ever since Caleb Quezon saw Wicked on Broadway when he was six years old, he knew he wanted to perform.

The thirteen-year-old from South Tampa plays the debonair Lumière in this weekend’s PCYT production of Beauty and the Beast, Jr. at the Straz Center.

“This was probably one of the most difficult characters for me to play because he’s a ladies man and hits on all the girls, but it’s a fun character,” said Caleb.

As soon as Caleb began taking classes at the Patel Conservatory at the Straz shortly after he saw Wicked, he knew it was the place for him.

“The people here always accepted me and were always so nice,” said Caleb. “My first director was Miss Ami [Sallee] and she’s always fun to be around.”

Over the years, he’s been in several of our PCYT (Patel Conservatory Youth Theater) productions, from Music Man to last summer’s hit Seussical, the Musical, Jr. He even had the opportunity to perform in the 2008 Broadway tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the Morsani theater as an orphan.

“A hundred kids auditioned, and they only chose six,” said Caleb. “It was pretty difficult..we had three days to learn our lines and blocking and then it was the night of the show.”

Accustomed to putting a show together quickly, he and more than 50 cast members have been working for Beauty and the Beast, Jr. for nearly three weeks. In the first week, it was a crash course of lines and choreography, and they’ve been polishing and practicing ever since.

“Line learning has never been that much of a challenge for me, but choreography is hard for me,” he admits.

Today the group endured mic checks and sound checks as they went through technical rehearsal in Ferguson Hall. The incredible, professional sets and production team give the kids invaluable experience.

The long rehearsals and challenges are all part of the fun, says Caleb.

“It’s what I love doing. I want to be doing this my entire life,” he said. “Whenever I’m on stage...I’m what God made us to be, which is unique.”

Bring the kids out to see the wondrous Beauty and Beast, Jr. at 7 p.m. this Thurs., July 19 and Fri., July 20, 2012. Click here for tickets.

Enter our scholarship contest!

Have you ever thought about being on stage? Have you ever dreamed about performing in front of an audience?

Now is your chance to get free training in the performing arts with the Patel Conservatory’s scholarship contest!

In the hopes of inspiring talent and motivating young artists to find their inner performer, the Patel Conservatory is awarding scholarships for classes in dance, theater and  music*

As part of the Straz Center in downtown Tampa, the Patel Conservatory offers classes for adults and children of all ages, from beginning to advanced pre-professional training in the arts. We offer acting classes, musical theater, dance, vocal arts, and instrumental lessons in rock and classical music. Most of our classes include a final performance in one of the Straz theaters, so you can live that dream!

To enter to win, all you have to do is submit a two-minute video showing us your talent in dance, theater or music. Perform a monologue or favorite scene from a play or movie... show us your dance moves...play an instrument or sing a song!

Here is your opportunity to show us what you've got!

The deadline for video submissions will be August 17th, 2012.

Winners will receive a scholarship for a class at the Patel Conservatory for the 2012-13 school year!*

For details and instructions on how to enter the scholarship contest, please visit our website.

Break a leg!

*A limited number of scholarships will be awarded at the discretion of the Patel Conservatory faculty. See website for details and contest rules.

Students show off our summer camps on Good Day Tampa Bay

Next Generation Ballet students with Fox TV's Charley
Belcher (top middle)

Charlie Belcher with Fox TV's Good Day Tampa Bay visited the Patel Conservatory this morning to feature some of the amazing talent in our summer camps.

Students from Next Generation Ballet's summer intensive, Beauty and the Beast, Classical Voice Intensive and Making a Short Film camp represented our dance, music and theater programs.

Ballet intensive student Ethan Fuller performed a soulful contemporary solo, How He Loves, which recently won him a second place title at the Starbound National Talent Competition in Orlando. Fuller, who played Billy last year in the national Broadway tour of Billy Elliot, performs in the upcoming production of Summer Fantasy on July 27 in Ferguson Hall.

Students in our PCYT production of Beauty and the Beast showed off “Be Our Guest”. After only a week and a half in rehearsal, they were fantastic! The show will be July 19 and 20, 2012 in Ferguson Hall.

The incredible vocals of Carlos Santelli gave us a preview of what’s to come in the Classical Voice intensive concert on July 20, 2012.

Finally, students working in front of and behind the camera gave us a glimpse of what kids can look forward to in the upcoming Making a Short Film Camp.

To check out this morning’s performances, click here.

Placement for fall Youth Orchestra

The Patel Conservatory Youth Orchestra (PCYO) will soon have placements for its 2012/13 season.

Our youth orchestra features the Patel Conservatory Chamber Orchestra (PCCO) for advanced string, woodwind, brass and percussion players, the Intermezzo Orchestra for intermediate violin, viola, cello or bass players, and an extensive Chamber Music program.

Through PCYO, students learn to apply skills from private lessons or school music programs as they gain orchestral ensemble experience.


PCYO has performed twice at Carnegie Hall in New York City and at other prestigious institutions such as the New World Symphony in Miami.


PCYO performs both the classics as well as original music. Last season, PCCO premiered an original work by London-based composer Martin Gaughan.


All auditions will be heard by Gregory Ruffer, Music Department Chair, Stephen P. Brown, Principal Conductor, and Catherine Michelsen, Associate Conductor.

String, wind and percussion students will receive feedback on their performance from music faculty and placed in the ensemble that best suits their skill level.

Placement auditions will be:

August 13, 14 and 15

5:30-8 p.m.

To schedule an audition appointment, please e-mail music@strazcenter.org or call 813.222.1002.