Avery Sommers to Lead Cabaret Camp at Burt Reynolds Institute, 6/17-7/29

The Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre (BRIFT) will offer a six week Cabaret Camp beginning June 17 and continuing through July 29. Cabaret Camp, which will be taught by well-known Broadway star and cabaret singer Avery Sommers, will be held at the Lake Park Mirror Ballroom.

In announcing this summer offering, BRIFT Managing Director Donna Carbone said, "She's back and we are thrilled! Avery, who has been a big part of the BRIFT family for many years, taught a ten-week workshop in 2013. I am still getting phone calls from people who attended the closing showcase and now wish to study under her excellent tutelage. "

On Broadway, Sommers starred in two highly-regarded and much loved shows -- Ain't Misbehavin', Chicago, and Showboat. She has been featured in national tours of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opposite Ann-Margaret and Chicago with Chita Rivera and Joel Grey. Earlier this year, she appeared in Dividing the Estate at Palm Beach Dramaworks in West Palm Beach.

Sommers is equally comfortable on the big screen and on television as she is on stage. She appeared on Miami Vice and in many episodes of B.L. Stryker, which starred her mentor and friend, Burt Reynolds. In a recent interview, Sommers talked about her with the man who is known for dedication to the performing arts -- "I met Mr. Reynolds when Charles Nelson Reilly cast me in Whose Life Is It Anyway, a play being done at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater. He was so supportive and came to all of our rehearsals. He has been a great mentor to me. I think he is a wonderful actor and I am so happy to call him a dear friend."

Avery Sommers recently completed work on the new television series Tweet, bringing the role of Prudence Wildflower to life. The show, which is in pre-production, is scheduled to air this summer. On the popular soap opera, As the World Turns, Sommers created the role of Regina Darby.

Her film credits include The Man from Left Field with Burt Reynolds, Letters to God, Lost Everything, Mysterious and Hiding Victoria. While in Monte Carlo in 2011, she won the Bes

Supporting Actress award for her performance in Immigration Tango.

In 1994 Sommers won a best-actress Carbonell Award for her one-woman autobiographical show But Not for Me. She was also nominated for her 2011 performance in Hairspray, which was presented at the Actors Playhouse in Coral Gables.

Cabaret Camp with Avery Sommers will be held at the Lake Park Mirror Ballroom inside the Lake Park Town Hall - 535 Park Avenue, Lake Park, Florida. To information or to reserve a space in the class, please call 561 743-9955. Space is limited. The cost of the six-week session is $175.00, which includes a piano accompanist for the final showcase.