Musical Theater Boot Camp: Summer 2026  | 

Taleen Shrikian is an Armenian-American performer, choreographer, and educator who was born and raised in Southern California. Taleen attended Boston College where she was a member of the BC Dance Ensemble and earned her BA in Theatre Arts and Minor in Education. After graduating from BC, Taleen returned to Southern California and has been working consistently as an LA-based performer in the Theatre/TV/Film industry, represented by Bloc talent agency. As a performer, some of Taleen’s favorite credits include the National Tour of Evita and regional productions of Grease (La Mirada/McCoy Rigby Entertainment); The Wizard of Oz (Musical Theatre West); Saturday Night Fever and Kinky Boots (Moonlight Amphitheater); Mamma Mia and West Side Story (5-Star Theatricals); Legally Blonde (Candlelight Pavilion); Cabaret (Anchorage PAC); In the Heights (Lewis Family Playhouse); The Madwoman of Chaillot, A Christmas Carol ‘15-‘19 (A Noise Within); an episode of Nickelodeon’s “The Thundermans”; and the short film “Give Me an A” (selected for Cannes Film Festival last year). As an educator, Taleen has taught dance and theatre at schools, studios, theatre companies, and arts enrichment programs across LA and Orange counties. As a choreographer, she has choreographed over 25 dance concerts, plays, and musicals at the middle school, high school, and college level. Taleen is currently a member of the Arts Faculty at Sage Hill School in Newport Beach and can be seen next onstage performing in The Prince of Egypt at Moonlight Amphitheater in San Diego, CA.

Will Pellegrini received his BA in Theater from UCLA and his MFA in Directing from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Will has had an extensive television career; he’s worked in a variety of roles and on numerous TV shows, including Fox’s musical hit, Glee. Outside of television, Will has worked as both a director and as a designer at a number of LA theaters, including The Actors’ Gang and Theater of NOTE. Will is adjunct faculty at East LA College, Mt. San Antonio College, and Ventura College – where he teaches courses in Acting, Musical Theater, Stagecraft, and Directing.

Adam McDonald received a Bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and a Master’s degree from The Boston Conservatory, both in classical piano performance. He has been a part of five national tours, most notably spending eight years with WICKED, where he eventually took over as music director. Making the move to Los Angeles to pursue both theatre and film, Adam has continued his theatre work at The Pasadena Playhouse, The Pantages, La Mirada Theatre, Pageant of the Masters, and was the rehearsal accompanist for Lion King Live at the Hollywood Bowl. He has scored short films, co-composed, orchestrated, and vocally arranged a musical – MOMologues the Musical, and scored a documentary play for The Boston Public Library, amongst other commissioned compositions. As an educator he serves as Music Director for Marlborough School, music directs the junior high and senior high summer programs at The Pasadena Playhouse, has a private voice studio, and is a vocal clinician at Disney’s Imagination Campus.

• We review and accept applicants on a rolling basis until the program is at capacity. We recommend students interested in joining the program turn in their audition as soon as possible, preferably before their Spring Break.

“What is Your Cancellation Policy?”

• If participants cancel at least ten (10) days before the start of that class or camp, they may receive a full refund.
• Participants cancelling between 9 -1 days before the start of class or camp may receive a 50% refund.
• No refunds for classes cancelled the first day of a class or camp, or anytime after the class or camp has started.
• Students should have no more than 1 planned absence from their class or camp.
• Refunds are issued through our Education Registrar by email (education@pasadenaplayhouse.org) or by phone (626-344-8979).

• No – all campers should come with a packed lunch and snacks!

• We will open our doors at 8:50am. Until then, we are not responsible for supervising your camper. Pick up is at 3:30pm. There is no aftercare available at this time.

• Musical Theater Boot Camp is an advanced training program designed for high school students who want to pursue musical theatre in college, professionally, or in their communities. Your student must have completed their freshman year of high school to be eligible for the camp. Musical Theater Boot Camp is by audition only. If your 14 or 15 year old is newer to theatre or would not want to undergo an audition process, we recommend enrolling them in Playhouse Players: CATS Young Actors Edition.

• There will be 25 students admitted.

• • Camp is from 9:00am to 3:30pm, Monday through Friday.
  • Week 1 of Boot Camp will comprise of audition workshops – from the 32-bar song cut, to cold readings, to mock dance calls. Students will also attend panels on musical theater history, the professional world of theater, and the college and training landscape.
  • Week 2 of Boot Camp will comprise of rehearsals for the final performance project. Students will receive a performance assignment (a song, scene, and/or dance number) within a musical revue and work on it with their instructors, as well as rehearse large group musical numbers with their entire cohort of campers.

• Every day, your camper should come with:
  • A lunch and snacks
  • A water bottle
  • Closed toed shoes and shoes they can dance in
  • Clothes they can move and dance in comfortably

• Yes, Boot Camp students will perform a musical revue on the last day of the program- Friday, July 31st – in the Carrie Hamilton Black Box Theater at the Playhouse. Showtimes at 2pm and 4pm. There will not be tickets to purchase, but seating allows for each student to have a maximum of 3 guests in the audience per showtime.