Talent Avenue

07/22/2026

Even Donald Duck can’t book the gig every time… hang in there and keep at it!

07/18/2026

Super proud of all the students in MEAN GIRLS with FW Summer Music Theatre! But as always, I am especially proud of MY students. Jae Haynes as Cady Heron absolutely killed it- she sang like a million bucks and is a great actress as well. Sam Walker as Damian is singing so well and is so funny but ultimately is the best example of what your friends should look like. In the ensemble: Carter Jagger, Marshall White, Delaney Ott, and Maddie Hoos are bringing the high school energy to North Shore High - the dancing is intense!

Don't miss out on your chance to see Fort Wayne's best high schoolers take the stage at Homestead High School, tonight at 7:30 and tomorrow at 2. And TODAY at 2, I get to go watch Delaney Ott kill it as Karen in the Understudy performance. These understudies have been working hard and I'm so glad they get a chance to shine!

07/15/2026

Spooky Season will be here before you know it- it's not too late to plan a magical fall getaway!

06/23/2026

It has been an exciting couple of weeks for my students! Emily Potter was selected to be a member of the acclaimed Purdue University Purduettes! As Ambassadors of Purdue, the Purduettes perform alongside the Glee Club at several events including the Christmas Show and other touring events! This is a highly selective group of talented young women, and I am so proud of Emily!

Next up is Katherine Green, who competed in the Miss Ohio's Outstanding Teen pageant! Kat was named 1st Runner-Up and was also the Interview Award winner! She will continue to serve this year as Miss Chillicothe's Teen!

And the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre's Anthony Award for Best Juvenile Performance went to not one, but TWO of my outstanding students! Halle Parker and Lilly MacDonald won the award for their roles as Young Anna and Young Elsa in Disney's Frozen the Musical at the Civic. Not only are these two ridiculously talented, they are also good friends.

Congratulations to Emily, Kat, Halle, and Lilly!

05/21/2026

Another great summer opportunity to be on stage! I know the people behind this program, and I promise you will enjoy the process!

🌳 It's official — we're going Into the Woods! 🌳

We are thrilled to announce the Excelsior Arts Academy 2026 Summer Musical:

🎭 INTO THE WOODS
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

✨ Show Dates: July 9–11, 2026
📍 Performance Location: Northrop High School

We are so grateful to Northrop High School for generously providing rehearsal and performance space for this production!

🎤 AUDITIONS will be held at two locations:
📅 Wednesday, May 27 — Auburn Presbyterian Church
📅 Thursday, May 28 — Northrop High School

Rehearsals will also be split between Auburn and Northrop. We appreciate everyone's flexibility as we make this exciting production happen!

🔗 Sign up for auditions & complete registration here:
Into the Woods Registration Form → https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCFhYNTjeKH945TVaAFY9ryXvbfwm9_xHmjoZYrYtZoO1RyQ/viewform
Audition Sign-Up Genius → https://m.signupgenius.com/ #!/showSignUp/10C0C49A4A92DA3FEC52-64216361-into

📋 Audition materials & more info: www.excelsiorartsacademy.org

Questions? Contact Shelley Johnson:
📞 260-414-1866
✉️ [email protected]

05/04/2026

Congratulations to Jae Haynes, who will be studying Musical Theatre at Bowling Green State University this fall! This summer, you can catch her in the lead role of Cady Heron in Fort Wayne Summer Music Theatre's production of Mean Girls!

05/04/2026

Big congratulations to Carly Bair from Northrop HS! She will be atttending Roosevelt University in Chicago next year in their prestigious BFA Musical Theatre program!

04/16/2026

I am always proud of ALL my students for the commitment and hard work they put in. But sometimes they get acknowledgment of that work from other sources, and that is always worth celebrating! Carroll Show Choirs had their end of the year awards this week, and big congratulations go to Sam Walker and Kennedy Harrell, named as the two Outstanding Sophomores! Emily Potter was also acknowledged as a four year member, and was awarded the National School Choral Award for Carroll!

02/26/2026

Proud of Jae for her Grand Champ win at Northridge this weekend! Now waiting to hear back from more schools about acceptance... Big things ahead!