For the past month, Schaefer Engbrecht has been ending each day with a bow as Bruce, in Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s production of Matilda the Musical. What Theatre School student wouldn’t want to start their new year like that?

By night, Schaefer is a professional actor. By day, he is a Junior High School Student at Grant Park High School. We caught up with Schaefer last week to ask him about his experience and what sparked his interest in theatre. “I always like the idea of being on stage,” says Schaeffer. “I love making people laugh.”

Last spring, Schaefer took MTYP Theatre School’s Actor’s Workshop class. Actor’s Workshop trains young actors to build their own ‘toolkit’ and helped Schaefer prepare for his Matilda audition. “Auditions can be scary,” admits Schaefer, “but the people are always nice. They are your top supporters. They want you to be happy and want you to get in. It ends up being really fun.”

What’s been the most fun? “Being on stage,” says the young thespian. “And working with more experienced people from many different places.”

Schaefer will take his final bow tomorrow night as the curtain falls on the final night of performances.  When we asked him what’s next, he said, “continuing with what I’m doing. Traveling to other places for acting would be fun too.” No doubt he will be back on another stage again soon.

For MTYP students looking for performance opportunities, like Schaeffer, MTYP recommends enrolling in Actor’s Workshop, offered every spring at MTYP. For students interested in landing parts in plays, movies and TV shows, this is the class for you. Beginning on April 6^th, Actor’s Workshop is a great way to have fun and bring your skill to the next level.