Garden Theatre Has Hired Full-Time Education Director

After several months of a nationwide search, Garden Theatre has selected Nick Bazo to be the new Education Director. Mr. Bazo will be the theatre's first full-time Education Director, in charge of programming and implementing life-changing camps, classes, and community partnerships throughout the year.

Nick is a Cuban American director, teaching artist, and arts administrator originally from South Florida. He spent the last 11 years in Boston working as the Director of Programs for The Theater Offensive and running the True Colors: OUT Youth Theater Program for LGBTQ Youth. Previously he was the Manager of School Programs at the Citi Performing Arts Center in Boston, where he managed all in-school programming of the center and served as lead teaching artist with the City Spotlights Program.

He also previously worked at the Orlando Repertory Theatre as a teaching artist and actor. His many artistic credits include acting, directing, playwriting, and design. Nick holds an M.F.A in Theater with an emphasis in Theatre for Young Audiences from the University of Central Florida, a B.A. in Theatre from Rollins College, and holds a Youth Development Training Certificate from The BEST Initiative.

"After 11 years in Boston, I'm honored and thrilled to be coming home to Florida and joining the team at the Garden," says Bazo. "I'm super excited to meet the community, especially the young people who have already made the programming so fun and vibrant. I can't wait to get started on this journey together!"

Nick has studied with nationally-renowned artists including Tectonic Theatre Project (creators of The Laramie Project), Norma Bowles (Theatre for Social Change), Double Edge Theater (Physical Theatre), and Michael Rohd (Devising for the Theatre). He has presented at the American Alliance for Theatre and Education where he was a member of the Board of Directors, the Pride Youth Theater Alliance where he was on the Executive Committee, and at the Florida Theatre Conference. Nick was granted the 2014 Wesley V. Montgomery Memorial Mentorship and Leadership Initiative award from the National Performance Network.

Executive Director Nao Tsurumaki looks forward to the continued growth of Garden Theatre's education program: "With carefully planned offerings and passionate teaching staff, our education program has gone through a remarkable transition in the last few years. We can't wait to welcome Nick to the Garden family, and work together to advance this important part of our mission further than ever."

Garden Theatre's education program has grown tremendously over the last three years. From a handful of summer camps in 2017 to 25 age-appropriate weekly summer camps in 2020, the program has blossomed to include year-round classes and workshops for all ages, as well as summer production camps for students seeking performance opportunities. Student attendance has tripled during this time, and the theatre now welcomes over 750 students each season. Garden Theatre's new Education Director will continue this growth and implement new programs to impact even more lives through thrilling education experiences.

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