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Collin E. Kreuzer - Founder and President of the Academy of Performing Arts
Principal Director on the Phoenix Theatre Stage
Collin has been passionately involved in the performing arts since the age of ten. He wrote, produced and directed his first play in elementary school and has been an active player and supporter in the arts industry ever since.
Collin to date has produced and directed over two hundred and fifty theatrical productions on the Phoenix theatre stage. Collin Is a talented playwright, and has adapted and written several, works from classic literature, such as: Bram Stoker’s, Dracula, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, Junglebook, The Phantom of the Opera, The Hobbit, Anne of Green Gables, Aladdin, The Red Lion and more! Collin has directed such favorites as Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, Nunsense, The Miracle Worker, and Frankenstein to name a few. His broad expertise and award winning titles include: leading actor, costume design, lighting design, sound design, set design, painting and construction, stage make-up, special F/X, Teacher, Mentor and friend.
Collin founded the Academy with a mission to Empower youth and the community through the performing arts. The knowledge and personal experience Collin has witnessed in his student’s fellow actor’s and in himself, can be measured by the positive, life changing impact the performing arts have on so many people’s lives. Collin strongly disagrees with taking performing arts programs from our schools. “Removal of these vital programs will have a negative impact on our culture with far reaching effects.” Several of Collin’s students have been featured at the Tony award winning Utah Shakespearean festival, and many other local theatrical venues. His students continue to find work in the film industry, commercial work, voiceover spots and print media.
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Rowland Butler- Dance Director
Rowland Butler, “Mr. Dance” as he is called, celebrates a half-century in the Arts. His many accomplishments include Charter Member of Ballet West, resident choreographer for the Pioneer Memorial Theater, assistant professor in both the Ballet and Theater Departments at the University of Utah, and owner of Butler Dance Academy. He has been a guest performer and instructor in the United States, South America, and Asia.
Mr. Butler’s credits as a director/choreographer are too numerous to list. They include all performing arts and entertainment fields. His students have performed in on and off- Broadway productions, movies, Las Vegas shows, and road companies in such productions as Cats, A Chorus Line, and Les Misérables as well as on TV. In the last five years he has taught at Tuacahn and Salt Lake High School for the Performing Arts. At Tuacahn, as Dance Director, he established a department that produced two Regional Sterling Scholars in dance, one in 2003-2004 and another in 2004-2005. In this capacity he was the first professional to be awarded an Eminence Teacher Certification by the Utah State Board of Education.
This year, fifteen of Rowland’s high school students can be seen in High School Musical 2 and one student was just selected to join Odyssey’s Junior Dance Company.
Rowland still performs occasionally. For the last two years he has performed with Odyssey Dance Company’s production, It’s a Wonderful Life, creating the role of Clarence.
Rowland will start teaching at the Academy of Performing Arts on September 10th. He will teach a limited number of classes Monday through Thursday. Students interested in
studying with Mr. Butler should contact the Academy immediately. |
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Ellen Adamson- Costume Designer
"Lady Ellen" lends her talents as designer for the incredible costumes that grace the Phoenix theatre stage. Her work has earned the Academy a reputation for producing visually stunning performances.
From the tender age of 7, Ellen has always been awarded the blue ribbon for her costume creations! She is a loving parent who loves to adorn her children, grand children (along with her extended family of students and actors) in “show stopping" apparel. She has dressed Parade contestants, Halloween contest winners, fashion show models, winter carnival players, championship dance teams and of course, Actors.
"Lady Ellen" got her start as a ballroom dance teacher at the age of Eighteen, and soon after, in the 1960’s, became a sought after “headliner” throughout the Western United States. She appeared regularly on television as a dance instructor at the popular Terrace Ballroom, and as a performer, she choreographed her own dances, designed her own sets, raised five children, and made her own costumes. Lady Ellen possessed the unique ability to capture an audience with an abundance of artistic talent and a presence that got her recognized. She was a featured, artist “favorite” on the popular Art Linkletter and Paul Harvey national "talk" radio shows. Years later, Ellen hung up her dance shoes and went back to school. She graduated into the nursing profession, born of a desire to help others, and soon discovered her talent in the Psychiatric field. Ellen co-founded a successful counseling program designed to rehabilitate, troubled teens. Years later, she volunteered for numerous charitable organizations, designed prize winning, parade floats and produced fundraiser events for critical needs and life changing causes.
Ellen joined her son Collin at the Academy of PA in 1997, and brought her abilities to the forefront with talented actors of every age, as her new medium. She continues to change lives by donating her talents to the Academy’s productions on the Phoenix theatre stage, such as: The Little Mermaid, Jungle Book, The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe, The Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, Robin Hood, Aladdin, as well as ancient Greek theatre, Shakespearean pieces, popular musicals, musical reviews and more. The Academy of .P.A and Lady Ellen want to continue to make a positive difference by providing a service that is accessible and fun, while fostering creativity, imagination and successfully promoting the arts in our community.
For more information on costume and accessory rentals, costume construction, consultation or prices, contact Lady Ellen at (801)688-3290, or send her an email at ldyellen@yahoo.com.
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