A passion for political science, history, current events, and sports led Calgary’s Stafford Perry on a career path to becoming an actor. With all these interests, he chose theatre because he felt it united them all.

After graduating from the University of Alberta, Perry was able to continue his pursuit of a stage career through an RBC Youth Excellence Scholarship (YES), allowing him to take part in the 15-week Banff Centre/Citadel Professional Theatre Program.

“It has been a roller coaster ride. It’s such a sharp learning curve going from an institutional environment to freelancing where there is no set path. I was extremely fortunate… a path has sort of unfolded in front of me,” says Perry, crediting the RBC YES support for making the experience possible.

As a program participant, he received master classes in acting, singing, voice, movement, dance, and script analysis from a faculty which included award-winning actors Lally Cadeau, Tim Koetting, and James MacDonald. “The best way to learn is to work with the best people. It was a huge asset, having the ability to continue to ask questions while going through the professional process at the same time,” says Perry, who played George Wickham in the 2008 Banff Summer Arts Festival’s presentation of Pride and Prejudice. “We had the opportunity to work on basic fundamentals daily, and take what we learned into rehearsals.”

As a 2008 RBC YES scholarship recipient, Benjamin Covey was able to return to the Centre’s Opera as Theatre program after his starring role in the 2007 production of Frobisher.

“To have it funded, especially as a young artist, was the difference in doing it or not,” said Covey, who played Demetrius in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the 2008 Banff Summer Arts Festival. “It was an amazing experience that gave me a solid foundation as I move forward. They bring together the best faculty in Canada and allow you to deal with them on a day to day basis in the same place — that is the true gem of The Banff Centre.”

RBC’s YES program will support more than 150 young professional artists at The Banff Centre between 2005 and 2010. Scholarships go to artists in visual, literary, and performing arts, while RBC’s sponsorship of the annual Banff Summer Arts Festival showcases the work of those artists.

Images: Left, RCB YES scholarship recipient Benjamin Covey and Lauren Criddle in the 2008 Banff Summer Arts Festival presentation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Right, RCB YES scholarship recipient Stafford Perry and Amanda Lisman in the 2008 Banff Summer Arts Festival presentation of Pride and Prejudice. Photos by Don lee.