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Anju has had a passion for teaching forever, forcing her 3 siblings to play school from an early age. Was she always the teacher? Yes. She’d say it was because it was her calling. They’d say it’s because she was bossy. Of course she’s right. After having 2 amazing kids Anju completed her Bachelor of Community Studies and then her Bachelor of Education at Cape Breton University. She spent 10 years in elementary classrooms learning how to build relationships, develop meaningful curriculum and learning experiences, and helping students find their own passions. During a particularly bleak winter she stumbled into a Resident Company class at the HAT Academy and finally claimed her Leo birthright and fell in love with showing off. This led to an unlikely mid-life stage turn with Tell your Story, Comedy of Errors, Christmas Carol and Cheers to 10 Years. These wonderful stage experiences were underpinned by further HAT Academy classes, including Creative Writing, where she wrote her own play which will debut in October 2024. And now, with this new position as Interim Education Director of the HAT Academy, her twin passions of education and showing off have merged perfectly. Anju must stress that her family, Randy, Ivy and Wyatt, have never wavered in their love and support of every adventure she has dragged them on and everyone deserves a team like this in their corner.

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Suzanne Doane currently teaches the music/singing skills component of the Jr. Resident Company, as well as Music Directing with various HAT mainstage projects from time to time. Apart from holding a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Dalhousie University, she has been teaching vocal music, playing and teaching many instruments, writing musicals, and arranging/writing songs for over 40 years (all of which she enjoys very much). Working with the staff at the HAT Academy and with so many students interested in music and musical theatre is very rewarding, and an exciting part of her week. She also has three amazing children and two wonderful cats.

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Ashley Buckingham is a Voice and Musical Theatre Instructor with over 20 years experience as a professional performer in Cape Breton. In 2020 she joined the HAT Academy faculty as a music instructor, leading a variety of vocal skill based classes and workshops, as well as providing musical direction for several JR Productions. Most recently, she has added Private Vocal Lessons to her repertoire, offered exclusively through the HAT Academy.

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Rachael currently serves as our Broadway Roulette instructor. She is lucky to be able to offer the kind of programming and classes that weren't available when she was young, and is excited every day to watch the youth (and adults!!) in our community grow in skills and confidence.

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Mark Delaney is an award-winning Cape Breton actor. Though trained in Montreal at Concordia University, Mark owes much of his love of theatre for the vibrant scene right here in his native home. Mark has performed in over 50 productions and is a regular figure on Cape Breton stages.

HAT patrons may recognize him from shows like Billy Bishop Goes To War, Every Brilliant Thing, She Loves Me, Glace Bay Miner’s Museum, and many more. He’s also directed mainstage shows like The Glass Menagerie and Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors.

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Alex studied Comedy Writing and Performance at the Humber School of Creative and Performing Arts in Toronto, Ontario, earning an Excellence Award from the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation in recognition of "outstanding academic achievement, service to the community, and interest in innovation." He has been teaching both young and old alike at the HAT since 2019, with a focus on acting and improvisation, though his favourite class to teach is Scriptwriting and the Fundamentals of Storytelling — part writing workshop, part media studies, covering films, TV, comic books, and video games. The most rewarding part of his work at the HAT Academy has always been showing the ropes to those who might never have set foot on stage or had a script produced, but who have a passion and an interest and the courage to show up and play.

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Hey dancers! My name is Sasha, and I am a dance instructor at the academy. I have been teaching dance at different studios for 5 years now, and have a plethora of experience in different styles of dance. I am so lucky to have a spot at the academy, and cannot wait to see you in class.