Welcome to our monthly Spotlight, where we celebrate the incredible cast and crew members who make 20 Performing Arts Academy shine. Each edition will highlight someone who stands out for their talent, dedication, and positive impact on our community. These are the people who inspire us, onstage and off.
March 2026
| MATTHEW SKINNER – |
| Matt has been an integral piece of the 20 PAA team for every single Musical Theatre Intensive show. His passion for music, instruction and of course conducting is evident every moment of rehearsals, performances, auditions and the prep work in between. He is a phenomenal and invaluable member of the 20 PAA family and we are so incredibly grateful that he shares his skillset and time with us! We asked him some questions so we could get to know him a little bit better. |
| Question: What got you into theatre? Answer: My mother was the first to introduce me to musicals when I was in Grade 8. She took me to see Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables in Toronto, like many did in the 1990s. Then I was asked to help out with a youth theatre company in Hamilton while I was doing my Music degree at McMaster University. The company was doing a production of Little Shop of Horrors, and they needed a Music Director. It is here that I first met a wonderful actor named Theresa, who had been cast in the lead role of Audrey. Later, during rehearsals the director asked me to switch from being Music Director to playing the role of Seymour opposite Theresa. I had a blast! It was at this point I started to really love Musical Theatre. Question: What’s your favourite musical that you have been in? Answer: The school I teach at has done a number of different musicals, but my favourite has to be School of Rock. The music was so much fun to prepare, and we had a really tight cast that worked well together.Question: What’s your dream show? Answer: No question…Les Miserables, hands down. The greatest musical ever written. “Bring Him Home” will always bring tears to my eyes (especially when sung by Colm Wilkinson). Question: How did you get involved with 20PAA? Answer: My daughter Sophiah has always loved singing and dancing, so my wife was looking for a local theatre group for her to join. We signed Sophiah up for 20PAA’s production of Fame. I found out that 20PAA’s Director was the one and only Theresa…the wonderful actor that I had worked with so many years ago. It’s funny how life sometimes comes full circle! Question: What’s your favourite thing about 20 PAA? Answer: My favourite part of 20PAA is seeing the growth in all the actors we have the privilege of working with. To see the difference between the beginning few rehearsals to the end product that you see on stage makes me very proud of these amazing individuals. Question: Is Theresa hilarious? Answer: Need the question even be asked?!? We all know the answer is a resounding YES! |
| KAIE MCMILLIAN- Kaie is a veteran cast member of the Musical Theatre Intensive program. He is currently working on his fourth musical. In addition to being King Beast, he returns as Dance Captain for ‘Descendants’. For the second summer upcoming, Kaie returns as a Camp Instructor, focusing on Stage Combat and Acting. We are thrilled to have such a dedicated and talented member of the 20 PAA family! We asked him some questions so we could get to know him a little bit better. |
| Question: What got you into theatre? Answer: I got into theatre because I always wanted to be an actor on TV. Theatre was a great way to get started and to learn about acting and how to do it. Question: What’s your favourite musical that you have worked on? Answer: My favourite musical that I have worked on is definitely Footloose Question: What’s your dream show? Answer: I wouldn’t say I have a dream theatre show. But if you’re asking about movies or TV shows then definitely something Spider-Man related Question: How did you get involved with 20PAA? Answer: I got involved in 20PAA when my parents told me about Fame Jr and that it would be a great opportunity to get my foot in the acting door. Question: What’s your favourite thing about 20 PAA? Answer: My favourite thing about 20PAA is getting to meet my cast mates, the dancing and obviously the acting. Question: Is Theresa hilarious? Answer: Theresa is absolutely HILARIOUS. |
| AUTUMN WALKER- Autumn initially joined 20PAA as a double week Summer Camper and then returned as our Royal Runaway in the fall session of The Not So Basic, Basics’ production of ‘The Royal Runaway’. She quickly emerged as a strong leader with quiet confidence in every program she is involved in. This session of The Not So Basic, Basics’, Autumn brings the comedy with the hilariously evil Mega Croc in ‘Divine’. We are so delighted that she continues to choose us to hone her talents and grace our stages. We asked her some questions so we could get to know her a little bit better. |
| Question: What got you into theatre? Answer: My mom signed me up! Question: What’s your favourite musical that you have worked on? Answer: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Question: What’s your dream show? Answer: Harry Potter Question: How did you get involved with 20PAA? Answer: My mom signed me up! Question: What’s your favourite thing about 20 PAA? Answer: Dancing! Question: Is Theresa hilarious? Answer: Haha yep! |
| WHITNEY WALKER- Whitney is a bonafide spotlight grabber by simply walking into a room. Her dedication to the craft and her talent often surpasses the standards of artists with twice her experience. Whitney puts her all into everything she does from rehearsals, performances to camp games. This makes us all the more excited to watch her save the world as Nina in the upcoming Not So Basic, Basics’ performance of ‘Divine’. We are so incredibly grateful that we get to be apart of her artistic journey. We asked her some questions so we could get to know her a little bit better. |
| Question: What got you into theatre? Answer: I always liked singing and then my mom mentioned 20paa theatre class and I said I wanted to try it! Question: What’s your favourite musical that you have worked on? Answer: Mamma Mia Question: What’s your dream show? Answer: Gilmore Girls! Question: How did you get involved with 20PAA? Answer: I always liked singing and then my mom mentioned 20paa theatre class and I said I wanted to try it! Question: What’s your favourite thing about 20 PAA? Answer: Acting! Question: Is Theresa hilarious? Answer: Most days! 😉 |
February 2026
| LYDIA SMITH – |
| Since joining 20 Performing Arts Academy in 2024, Lydia Smith has truly been a shining star, growing from dedicated student and performer into a choreographer for Descendants. She is the company’s new Program Director for Not So Basic, Basics, even writing the script that brings the program to life. Cast as leading roles in two of our Musical Intensive Programs, she is also returning for her second year as a camp instructor. Lydia’s dedication, talent, and work ethic make us so proud to watch her continue to flourish. We asked her some questions so we could get to know her a little bit better. Question: What got you into theatre? Answer: When I was 6, my mom signed me up to do a homeschoolers drama class which I did for a long time, but when I encountered bullying it made it unenjoyable for me so I quit for awhile. I had also always done dance classes and I had always loved singing but I was too scared to sing in front of people. When I was in grade 7, I wanted to do musical theatre because I thought I was a good singer and I wanted to be in a professional company and get more comfortable with singing in front of people, so my mom looked up theatres near us and Theatre Ancaster popped up, and they were doing Frozen Jr so I signed up for that. (Theresa was the director) Now most of what I do is musical theatre. Question: What’s your favourite musical that you have been in? Answer: My favourite musical I have been in is probably Footloose because it was my first time being a main character in a musical and I met some really cool fun people. Question: What’s your dream role? Answer: My dream role is 100% Penny from Hairspray and Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. Question: How did you get involved with 20PAA? Answer: The director Theresa had messaged me telling me about the musical Fame she was putting on with her new company, and I was actually struggling to find a place to do theatre at during that time, so it was perfect timing. Question: What’s your favourite thing about 20 PAA? Answer: My favourite thing about 20paa is that I am so involved in not only the intensive program, but the basics program as well. It feels very cool and accomplishing that I’ve made it this far in the theatre world, and 20paa has been a huge part of my life since I first joined. I also really love the friendships I made, especially one of my closest friends Kyleigh. Question: Is Theresa hilarious? Answer: No. Jk jk yes yes (don’t hurt me) |
LAURA HUNTER-
| Laura Hunter, our incredible Costume Designer at 20 Performing Arts Academy, brings creativity and heart to everything she does. Always thinking outside the box and generously volunteering her time to ensure our costume department runs seamlessly. Her unwavering support of our students and readiness to jump in and help the entire crew makes her truly special; her talent, dedication, and spirit are such a gift to our company. We asked her some questions so we could get to know her a little bit better. |
| Question: What got you into theatre? My daughter, Myla. Question: What’s your favourite musical that you have worked on? Answer: Well I have only been fully immersed with theatre for the production of Footloose Jr. It was a learning experience and just the start of of my theatre journey. Question: What’s your dream show? Answer: Unfortunately at this point I have no idea of a specific show title. I am still learning and don’t keep up with movies/theatre that are out there. Once I gain more experience, I think a show that has flashy or historical costumes elements would be fun. Like a masquerade….. Question: How did you get involved with 20PAA? Answer: Myla’s dislike of repetitive dance instruction and an ad for 20PAA intensive program was the beginning. It lead to a conversation that started with Theresa complementing a dress and learning that I sew ” like on a machine.” Then I did some alterations for Beetlejuice Jr and was invited to be head of costumes for Footloose Jr and up coming shows. Question: What’s your favourite thing about 20 PAA? Answer: In my role I am able to observe youth find their place in society where athletics is usually dominate. The theatre process brings a variety of youth and adults together to accomplish a big task: the final show. By closing night the air is filled with excitement, familiarity, exhaustion, pride and community. The youth leave with memories of acceptance and celebrated uniqueness. Question: Is Theresa hilarious? Answer: Who ever says she isn’t doesn’t know Theresa. |