STEPHEN GRAY

Stephen Gray began his professional dance career at Paramount Canada’s Wonderland, performing for two seasons. As a member of Canadian Actor’s Equity, American Actor’s Equity, and ACTRA, Stephen continued his performance career across North America at various regional theatres, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the Charlottetown Festival, Degrassi Goes Hollywood, Save the Last Dance II, and the Broadway tour of Mary Poppins. Stephen also payed such leads as Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (Drayton), Abe in Altar Boyz (Angelwalk), Bert in Mary Poppins (Rainbow Stage), and the title role in Peter Pan (Neptune).

Stephen is also a highly sought-after choreographer and educator. Stephen has choreographed professionally for Neptune Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Etobicoke School for the Arts, Cawthra Park Secondary, Earl Haig School for the Arts, Unionville High School, and the Whitby Mayor’s Office. Stephen has also been on faculty at Sheridan Institute, George Brown College, Ryerson University, and guest taught at Rochester School for the Arts, Ganzaga High (St. John’s), Burncoat Performing Arts (Worcester), O’Neil CVI (Oshawa), Grant Park Secondary (Winnipeg), Halifax Dance, Bowmanville High, Sinclair Secondary (Whitby), Randolph Academy, The National Dance Institute of Albuquerque, University of Manitoba, Cornerstone University, and DUBO Force in Monterrey and Mexico City, Mexico. As an adjudicator and member of the Professional Adjudicators Alliance, Stephen has had the privilege of seeing talent across Canada from Vancouver to Cape Breton for over 25 different competitions. Stephen has also served as a panelist for auditions at Sheridan Institute, George Brown, Cawthra Park Secondary, and Etobicoke School for the Arts.

Stephen has worked within the arts community in several capacities beyond the stage and the classroom. For over five years, Stephen was a columnist with Dance Canada Quarterly Magazine, and Industry Dance Magazine, writing over 15 articles. Stephen is also currently blogging on dance health topics for his own blog titled Movement Medicine. Stephen has also co-owned and operated Quick Ball Change Inc. Canada’s first agency for dance educators since 2010. Stephen has also been invited to guest speak at the DTRC’s on the MOVE conference and you can catch his interview in the book titled “Broadway Swings” released in New York City in 2014.

Throughout his career, Stephen has also been acknowledged with many awards and scholarships. These include a Robert Merritt Award for his choreography for Neptune Theatre’s Beauty & The Beast (2016), two Stratford Shakespeare Festival Tyronne Guthrie Awards, Drayton Entertainment’s Alan Lund Memorial Scholarship, Show Choir Canada’s Top Choreography Award, Paramount Canada’s Wonderland Congeniality Award (two years), the Town of Whitby Mayor’s Medal, DDSB’s Pauline Lainge Memorial Scholarship, Sheridan Institute’s Ron Holgerson Award (Highest Dance Mark), and the Regional MPP Judi Longfield Award. Stephen was also a National Scholar through the Garfield Weston Foundation for three consecutive years.

Community involvement and volunteer work has always been a passion of Stephen’s. From his work as Student Council President at Anderson CVI, to his role on the Durham District School Board’s Student Senate, his participation with the inaugural Town of Whitby Youth Council, Stephen has always been a leader in his community. Stephen has also taught various workshops and performed for several organization such as the Dance for It Gala, Homes for the Homeless, Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS, Mary After Midnight, Toronto T&T Day, Feed Nova Scotia, Stratford Dance Cabaret for Lupis, Arts Endowment of DDSB, and Grand Night (Stratford Cancer Benefit).

In 2016, Stephen retired from dancing, and attained his Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance from Sheridan Institute. He is currently a second-year student at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College’s four-year Doctor of Chiropractic degree program where he was granted a Dancer Transition Resource Centre Retraining Grant and Full Time Study II Subsistence Grant. Stephen’s passion for all things dance, have not only motivated his career goals, but have shaped him as a person, eventually leading down a new path into Chiropractic Medicine.