Get to Know Your Summer Acting Workshop Teachers

Louis Lotorto and Diana Burbano in
Bunnicula.

Ready to meet your child’s teachers for South Coast Repertory’s Summer Acting Workshop? You probably already have! Our teachers are leaders in their field, and they can be seen on screen and on stages all over Southern California, including right here at SCR.

Diana Burbano, who will be teaching 5th- through 8th-graders in the workshop’s first session, has a long history with SCR’s Theatre for Young Audiences program, having appeared in The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Bunnicula, Imagine and The Emperor’s New Clothes. She has been a working actress since the age of 12, and has appeared on television in “The District,” “Cold Case,” “What About Brian?” and many others. Burbano has contributed her time and talent to SCR’s Theatre Conservatory programs for four years.

Tom Shelton and Brenda Canela in
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.

SCR regulars will probably also recognize Tom Shelton, who will instruct those taking part in the Musical Theatre Workshop. He has been a part of more than 15 productions here since 1980 when he appeared in Hotel Paradiso. Recently, he has appeared in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, several productions of A Christmas Carol, and most recently in the musical Lucky Duck.

Other teachers helping to guide aspiring actors this summer include: Erin McNally, who provided musical direction for several SCR Conservatory productions, including Cinderella and Into the Woods;  Richard Soto, who has been in more than a dozen productions of A Christmas Carol, plus television shows such as “The West Wing”;  Joe Alanes, another The Emperor’s New Clothes actor and director of the Jr. Player’s production of The Jungle Book; Jr. Player’s Sleeping Beauty director Mercy Vasquez, who also appeared on stage in Our Town; Amy-Lousie Sebelius, who received a Drama Logue Award for her work in American Holiday at The Attic theatre in Hollywood; Chris Sullivan, who held a small role in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”; and musician Bobby Nafarrete, who provided orchestration for Into the Woods.

Learn how our team of professionals can train your rising young star in our Summer Acting Workshops.