Kelowna Actors Studio is the Okanagan’s only licensed dinner theatre and voted ‘Best Theatre Company’ by the readers of Okanagan Life for eleven years running including Editors Choice in 2010 for ‘Best Multi- Talented Group of Actors.’
The 2013/14 Season marks the 11th year for Kelowna Actors Studio producing top-quality live musical theatre and drama for the cultural enrichment of the Okanagan community.
Actors Studio maintains a subscription audience of over 2,000 and an annual attendance of over 35,000. The theatre is committed to encouraging the next generation of theatre-goers through its educational programs and entertainment opportunities.
Kelowna Actors Studio
Our History
Kelowna Actors Studio Inc. (KAS) was formed in May of 2003 to: produce vibrant, exciting presentations of the worlds best loved Broadway productions, present fun, challenging and enriching learning experiences for students of all ages, become the premiere forerunner and prime example of a high quality theatre company and enrich the cultural landscape of the Okanagan valley.
The studio located at 1379 Ellis Street (across from the Kelowna Public Library) offers an approximately 11,000 square feet of space divided into four main areas; 230-seat theatre including 91 dinner seats with full table service, mirrored rehearsal/dance studio, set and props construction/storage; kitchen, licensed bar and a general office area.
KAS positions itself in the local cultural scene as a comprehensive home for the theatre arts, offering educational, volunteer and performance opportunities for children and adults in all aspects of a theatre production.
KAS’s mission statement, “Providing quality education, entertainment and enrichment for all ages through the performing arts” is showcased by their strong contribution to the Kelowna Cultural District.
Over the past 10 years, Actors Studio has successfully produced over 56 major productions, grown to accommodate over 150 students a semester and won civic and regional awards for their contribution to the arts.
Randy Leslie - Co Founder
Randy is the Artistic Managing Director of Kelowna Actors Studio and the driving force in KAS’s educational programmes. with many of his students going to Sheridan College in Toronto, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in L.A. and the Juilliard School in New York City.
Randy has over 150 directorial credits in Toronto, Ottawa and Kelowna. He was the Director of Programming and Marketing for the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto for 13 years.
He has directed, produced, and starred in various local productions as a professional actor in Toronto for over 10 years and held positions on various local cultural boards before focusing 100% of his attention to KAS. Randy was the recipient of the first ever Okanagan Angel Award for his contribution to the local arts scene and received the Civic Award for Honour in the Arts - City of Kelowna in 2009. His home theatre group in Toronto, Ontario has an award named in his honour.
Randy has an incredible rapport working with both children and adults and is known for getting people to perform to their highest level. He is the central force behind the implementation of our creative and challenging drama and music programs for all ages including the Broadway Jr. Series with such shows as, Music Man Jr. , Winnie the Pooh, Les Miserables and Aladdin Jr.
His specialties include acting, musical theatre, improv, voice, mask work, script writing, scene study, choreography and directing. In Kelowna he has directed such productions as ‘My Fair Lady’, Evita, Nunsense, AStreetcar Named Desire, Into the Woods, Miracle Worker, Sweeney Todd just to name a few.
He is looking forward to 2013 when he performs the role of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables.
Nate Flavel - Co Founder
Recipient of the Young Entrepreneur award with Kelowna Chamber of Commerce for his work with KAS, Nate is also the recipient of the 2012 Okanagan Arts Award for Theatre and the 2011 City of Kelowna Civic Award for the Honour in the Arts.
Besides maintaining his role as General Manager and the Tourism Kelowna Board Representative for Arts and Culture, Nate has directed and choreographed numerous productions, taught the ever popular Glee performance troupe and performed in over 20 productions for KAS totalling about 375 performances over the past 9 years. He is known for his tenor voice, tap dance and comic characters. Notable performances include Donkey in Shrek the Musical, Don Lockwood in Singin in the Rain, Jesus in Godspell, and the title role in Joseph and Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Prior to KAS he was involved in the local groups MASK and Encore performing 4 summers at Grey Monk Estate Winery and numerous conventions, meeting and concerts.
