Acting Through Song & Audition Technique:
Vocal Storytelling and Belting Mastery
March 21st, 2026 | $50.00
Step into the world of professional musical theatre with this dynamic Stagelight masterclass, led by international musical director Michael Toolan and local professional performer & acting coach Heather Mayes. Designed for developing artists ages 12 - 18 ready to elevate their audition game, this class blends industry-level vocal technique with powerful storytelling skills—giving students the tools they need to shine onstage and in the audition room.
This masterclass offers an inspiring, high-level training experience rooted in real industry practice. Perfect for singers preparing for auditions, college prescreens, or performers eager to deepen their connection to material. In this class, students will:
• Strengthen vocal technique with a focus on safe, powerful belting
• Explore Acting Through Song methods used in top-tier musical theatre training
• Receive individual feedback on audition cuts and repertoire choices
• Learn strategies for making honest, compelling acting choices under audition pressure
• Develop musicality, interpretation, and professional readiness
This is a ONE DAY ONLY opportunity taking place on on March 21st, 2026 from 1-4pm at our West Chester location (19 Hagerty Blvd) for students ages 12 - 18. COST for the session is a $50 registration fee, which is NONREFUNDABLE. Space is limited to 30 students.
Click the hyperlink below to add to your cart. You will receive an email confirmation once your registration has processed. A reminder email and class info will be sent three days prior to the start date. You can email Chelsea Barnett, Stagelight’s Operations Manager, with any questions at cbarnett@saltpa.com.
Learn more about the instructors:
Michael Toolan is an international musical director and educator whose work spans the West End, Europe, and the United States. With a career that includes over 30 musicals, Michael brings a wealth of professional experience to the rehearsal room. In the UK, he has worked with leading institutions such as the London College of Music, Sylvia Young Theatre School, Goldsmiths University of London, and Pineapple Dance Studios, where he leads masterclasses in West End repertoire, conducting, ensemble singing, and acting through song. As Direttore Musicale at the Nuovi Orientamenti Musical Entertainment Academy in Marsala, Sicily, Michael has taught and performed across Italy, sharing his expertise with emerging talent on an international stage. Beyond education, Michael has collaborated with artists including Lucie Jones, Richard Hinds, and Sarah Harlington, and has conducted sessions at iconic venues such as Abbey Road Studios and the West End’s Arts Theatre. His international credits also include guest conducting for the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra’s My Fair Lady and serving as Musical Assistant for the West End production of Les Misérables. Passionate about inspiring the next generation of performers, Michael’s masterclasses fuse his professional expertise with a dynamic, collaborative energy—empowering students to explore their artistry, sharpen their technique, and connect with the heart of storytelling in musical theatre.
Heather considers it a privilege to tell stories through the magical art forms of theatre, dance, and song. It is a profound and extraordinary gift that she is blessed to continue to share with SALT, having directed Mamma Mia in 2019, judged Salt’s Got Talent, and taught for Stagelight Summer Camps, and the inaugural semester of Stagelight University. Her teaching resume includes: University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, Bay Theatre, Virginia Wesleyan College, Fairfax County Public Schools, and the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA where she developed the course “Enneagram for Actors.” She is also a coach for individual clients focusing on auditions and university entrance pre-screens. Primarily an actor/singer, Heather has performed and directed professionally for the past 25 years in the US and Japan. She is also a voiceover-artist, dialect coach, yoga instructor, SAFD certified fight director, and a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association since 2007. Ms. Mayes holds an MFA in Acting Performance from University of Virginia, and a BA in Theatre from Messiah College. She also studied acting at Temple University and The Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin. Most recent acting roles: Abigail Adams in 1776, Miss Jones in How to Succeed in Business, and Ursula in The Little Mermaid for Virginia Musical Theatre, and Encore at Tokyo Disneyland. She also performed an original solo cabaret Victory: Surviving Life, Love, and Other Mysteries at the Zeiders American Dream Theatre. She is former artistic director of The Veteran Artist Program where she directed Telling: Baltimore, and Baltimore on Broadway. She performs regularly with Triple Crossing Jazz Project, and leads worship for Galilee Church in Virginia Beach.
