Brayah Pickard is a Kingston-based artist with a Bachelor’s Degree in Musical Theatre from Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College. This collaborative program allowed for her to hone her practical, hands-on skills in all aspects of performance, and then deepen her knowledge in all things performing arts! With a decade of private vocal training and an in-depth university education on healthy vocal technique, she is passionate about learning to sing in a way that is both fun and healthy for our voices. She has been involved with theatre, especially musical theatre, from a young age, and has previously enjoyed working with Blue Canoe on projects such as the Juvenis Festival, Voulez Zoom, Land of Zoom, Viva Voce, and The Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane. She has most recently played Christabel Pankhurst in the new Canadian musical “The Lancashire Lass”, as a part of the Watershed Festival. Brayah is so excited to be joining the team at Blue Canoe’s Launchpoint Acadamy, as it has been her longtime goal to teach drama and music to younger generations, just like the teachers she admired and appreciated so much while growing up.

Katie is originally from Newmarket, Ontario but has settled in Kingston after graduating from Queen's University with a Bachelors in Film and Media and Art History. She is continuing her studies and is currently pursuing a Masters in Arts Management and Leadership at Queen’s. Katie is an avid singer and performer and has worked both on and off stage for a number of productions within Kingston and the Queen's community including Evil Dead: The Musical (Juvenis 2021), Little Women (Queen's Musical Theatre, 2022), A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (Juvenis 2022) and Footloose: The Musical (Blue Canoe, 2022). She most recently played the role of Marion Cunningham in Blue Canoe’s Happy Days (2023). Katie is also a member of the Cantabile Choirs of Kingston. She loves working with the next generation of storytellers and performers in the Kingston community!

Juliette is a Concurrent Education student at Queen’s University. She has been studying drama and education at Queen’s for three years in preparation for her future career as a drama teacher. In addition to her education at Queen’s, Juliette has participated in community theatre productions and trained in musical theatre performance for ten years. Her achievements include winning the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition in 2016, being selected as a provincial finalist in musical theatre performance for 8 years through Kiwanis Music Festival, and receiving an Integrated Arts Award and Theatre Arts Award in 2019. In her free time, Juliette enjoys reading, writing, songwriting, and visual arts. She has thoroughly enjoyed her experience leading drama programming, teaching drama classes throughout her Education program placements, as well as planning, choreographing and directing for theatre camps and productions at Blue Canoe!

Laura is a third year student at Queen’s University. She has 16 years of training in SRB Vaganova-style ballet as well as CDTA tap dance. Laura’s vocal experience has primarily been in provincial-level choirs (most notably the Cantatrice Ensemble Honour Choir and Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo Choir) and she has travelled across the country performing in music festivals. She also directed the choir and band for Canada’s largest cadet corps. Laura has choreographed for over a dozen productions, including award-winning choreography for Shrek the Musical and Legally Blonde with Quick As A Wink Theatre in Nova Scotia. Her favourite shows to choreograph have been Chicago and Mamma Mia!. Laura has performed with professional theatre companies, with highlights including Frozen Jr. and Les Miserables Jr. during her membership with Neptune Theatre’s Youth Production Company. Laura directed summer programming at Quick As A Wink Theatre for 4 years, and is inspired by the resiliency of youth she has worked with. Her favourite musicals are The Rocky Horror Show, Spring Awakening, Falsettos, and Next to Normal (or as her students say, ‘the dark and/or risqué ones’). Laura is delighted to be working with Blue Canoe as a performing arts instructor and choreographer.

Taylor Sabourin is originally from Kemptville, Ontario, but moved to Kingston this past summer. She is a graduate of York University with an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre, specializing in performance, creation, and research. Taylor first got involved with theatre in high school, both acting in, and directing student-written plays. Throughout her university career, she was involved in multiple school-affiliated productions, including two shows for the 'Playground Festival', a student-run theatre festival. She has worked backstage as an assistant stage manager in addition to her experience in stage acting. Taylor is very excited to join Blue Canoe and work with youth to explore their love for theatre and the arts.

Sarah is a third year student at Queen’s University, studying Theatre and Education, allowing her to receive an in-depth understanding of theatre and performance. Sarah has over 10 years of acting experience, involved in productions such as Heathers: The Musical and Whistle Down The Wind (Singers Theatre), along with various hometown productions, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and RENT. She has also spent time developing performances, including playwriting, stage managing for One Act productions, and most recently, constructing costumes for Not Wanted on the Voyage (Queen’s University). Additionally, Sarah has worked as a Theatre Camp Counselor over this past summer, teaching and developing performance abilities, working with students ages 4-14. Sarah is incredibly excited to be joining the Blue Canoe team, given the opportunity to inspire and encourage the love of theatre and performance in others.