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What's your Inspriation?

Creative Exploration Programs for Arts, Culture & Leisure

Make Learning Fun

What is Inspirations?

Inspirations is new education program brought to you by the Harbour City Theatre Alliance Society. We offer students of all ages a variety of arts, culture and leisure courses facilitated by artists and experts dedicated to sharing their passions with you in person and online.

How does Inspirations work?

  1. Check out our courses and facilitators below.
  2. Choose which course matches your own inspirations and passions.
  3. Choose your method of instruction between In-Person, Online Instruction, Hybrid (Rotate between in-person and online), and Observation-only. 
  4. Register and pay online through PayPal.
  5. Receive a confirmation email with all the pertinent class supply lists, and further information about your preferred method of instruction.
  6. Join the facilitator at the prescribed course day and time for the 3 camera live-streaming of the class.
  7. Review each lesson online as often as you like until 2 weeks after your official course end date.

Please note: Hybrid Classes & In Person classes may become Online only, if the HCTAS Covid-19 Pandemic Response requires it for the safety of our patrons and facilitators.

Inspirations Logo

Our Facilitators

Inspirations is lead by a passionate team of instructors

Dean Chadwick

Dean Chadwick

Facilitator

As the General Manager and Artistic Director for both, Schmooze Productions and the Harbour City Theatre Alliance Society, Dean enjoys the creative process. Excitement and exhilaration abound when he starts the directorial process. 

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Jennifer Kelly, Instructor.

Jennifer Kelly

Facilitator

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Jennifer is delighted to have found roots on Vancouver Island. After graduating with a degree in Drama and Vocal Performance from Queen’s University, she enjoyed working as a theatre manager, actress and feature singer for several cruise lines.

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Miranda Murphy, Instructor.

Miranda Murphy

Facilitator

Miranda Murphy is a graduate of the Sheridan College Music Theatre Performance program where she studied theatre dance technique, jazz, tap and ballet, as well as vocal and acting performance.  She was one of 40 applicants, chosen from over 400 to attend the program.

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Jessica Downs, Instructor.

Jessica Atkinson

Facilitator

Jessica was born and raised on Vancouver Island. As a kid she grew up dancing and after graduation she attended Arts Umbrella Dance Company in Vancouver for two years working with various dance artists and traveling in the USA and Europe.
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Caroline Morrison, Instructor.

Caroline Morrison

Facilitator

Local artist and educator, Caroline Morrison, trained as an artist and fashion designer at The London College of Fashion Art & Design in 1973-76, and she continued her art education for many years following graduation and her move to Canada in 1977.
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Ashlee Sales, Instructor.

Ashlee Sales

Facilitator

Ashlee holds a dual degree in music performance and comparative literature from Indiana University, and enjoys sharing her love of the performing arts with youth theatre and music ensembles on Vancouver Island.
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INSPIRATIONS COURSE LIST

Acting Up For Stage

Acting Up For Stage!: A New Beginning For Teens & Adults

This 8-week class is designed for the beginning / amateur teen or adult actor, and will teach you the fundamentals of the craft. The class features quick and powerful ways to make your performance more natural and spontaneous. No experience is necessary.  A great start for the beginning actor!

facilitator: Dean Chadwick

For Teens & Adults
8 weeks
View Course

Discovering Broadway Dance

Discovering Broadway Dance
For ALL AGES

This course will be offered as an 8-week subscription. It would appropriate for new performers as well as experienced dancers. The class will be 60 minutes long, however there would need to be a 15 minute break in between in order to clean/sanitize the space properly.

facilitator: Miranda Murphy

For All Ages
8 weeks
View Course

New Adventures into Watercolour

Adventures into Watercolour
For Teens & Adults

Caroline Morrison is excited to offer a brand new beginner class in watercolours called New Adventures in Watercolour. Each interactive two hour video session will introduce the basic skills and techniques needed to get started in this medium.

facilitator: Caroline Morrison

For Teens & Adults
8 Lessons - 16 hour duration
View Course

Further Adventures into Watercolour

Further Adventures into Watercolour
For Teens & ADults

Caroline is a local artist and teacher and she has been teaching watercolours to students of all ages for twenty-five years. She is passionate about sharing her love of her favourite medium with the beginner painter, and gets no greater pleasure than seeing her students be successful and thrilled with their newly learned skills.

facilitator: Caroline Morrison

For Teens & Adults
8 Lessons - 16 hour duration
View More

INTRODUCTION TO BALLET AND CONTEMPORARY MOVEMENT

INTRODUCTION TO BALLET AND CONTEMPORARY MOVEMENT
For All Ages

Whether you are 8 or 80 this class is designed as an open and fun experience for anyone who has never danced a ballet or contemporary class in their life.

Facilitator: Jessica Atkinson

For All Ages
8 weeks
View Course

Owning Your Health

Owning Your Health
For All Ages

Are you tired of being stuck at home and uninspired to move? Have you had previous or current injuries and don’t know what to do about it? Do you wish you had a better understanding of your own anatomy and how to achieve goals for your own personal sport or activity? Then this is the course for you.

Facilitator: Jessica Atkinson

For All Ages
8 weeks
View Course

Writing Through the Senses

writing through the senses
For Ages 9 -12

Not your typical writing class, Writing through the Senses takes homeschoolers on an adventure in creative writing. Inspired by authors Karen Benke and Julie Bogart, participants will engage in open ended writing experiments. Each class will incorporate mindfulness practices to explore our senses, collaborative writing exercises to encourage, and poetry and prose from famous authors to inspire.

facilitator: ashlee sales

For All Ages
8 weeks
View Course

Acting Through the Senses

Acting Through the Senses (and the 5w's)
For Ages 9 - 12

New to acting? An old pro? No fear, this class is for all levels of experience. Through mindfulness practice, theatre games, and improvised skits, we will discover how actors use the five senses and the five W questions to develop their character and tell their story. Inspired by Viola Spolin and the book, Kids Take the Stage, students will develop foundational acting skills in a fun and collaborative setting.

facilitator: ashlee sales

For Ages 9 - 12
8 weeks
View Course

Speech & Dramatic Arts

Speech & Dramatic Arts
For Teens & ADults

This course is for students wishing to develop and improve public speaking and communication skills in a fun and creative way. Students will learn about using the actor’s/speaker’s tools: breath, projection, articulation, inflection, gestures, eye contact, and body movement in order to gain confidence when speaking in front of an audience.

facilitator: Jennifer Kelly

For Ages 9 - 12
8 weeks
View Course

Introduction to puppetry

Introduction to puppetry
For Teens & ADults

This course will introduce students to the the art of puppetry. A combination of lecture and lab classes will lead the student through an exploration of puppetry design, construction, manipulation and dramaturgy. as it applies to puppetry in contemporary theatre. Each student will build their own table top puppet using simple materials.

facilitator: Heather Kent

For Teens & Adults
8 weeks
View Course

View
Inspirations Demo Classes
Here

Get
Gift Cards
Here

Choose How You Learn

In-Person

$ 160 for full course.
Limited spacing available.
Availability subject to change for Covid-19 Safety.

Online Instruction

$ 160 for full course. Live-streamed lessons & live feedback through
at-home learning.
$ 240, available for all 2 hour courses only.

Hybird

$ 160 for full course. Features in-person and
live-streamed at-home learning.
Availability subject to change for Covid-19 Safety.

Observation-Only

$ 40 for pre-recorded video access only.
No direct feedback provided.
$80 for 2 hour Courses Only.

Harbour City Theatre Alliance

  • Office Hours
    Wednesday & Thursday
    12:00pm - 4:30pm
  • Info@hcta.ca
  • 25 Victoria Road,
    Nanaimo BC V9R 4N9

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