Former theatre impresario Garth Drabinsky is returning to the world of singing, dancing and acting with a new reality television series on CBC.

Triple Sensation will be a showcase for young people in the performing arts, Drabinsky said Tuesday while speaking to students at the Etobicoke School of Arts.

"Our series is not about immediate stardom, but about the commencement of a new journey toward excellence," Drabinsky said later in a statement.

"Unfortunately, no television show in recent times has put talent in the proper perspective. … We are not interested in insulting anybody, but in honouring the courage of all those who come forth to show their talents."

On the last show of the series, the audience will vote for the winner, who will get a $150,000 scholarship to attend the theatrical training institution of his or her choice.

The title takes its name from the term triple threat — commonly applied to a performer who can sing, dance and act — and the phrase "singular sensation" from the musical The Chorus Line.

Unlike Canadian Idol and the recently cancelled show The One, Triple Sensation plans to be deeply rooted in the theatrical world and not in the arena of pop stardom.

Kirstine Layfield, the CBC's executive director of network programming, said the BBC's success with How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? — a reality show designed to find a lead actress for a production of The Sound of Music — showed there is an audience for this kind of talent search.

She also said it's an opportunity for the broadcaster to connect with the country's arts community.

"I think its something that will great for the CBC, to help with the development of young artists in this country," she told CBC Arts Online. "Our hope is that it not only encourages those already involved in theatre but also those who are interested."

Layfield said the support the program has received from the arts community is a sign that the broadcaster is "in good company."

National Ballet of Canada director Karen Kain was one of several high-profile Canadian artists who support the proposed series.

"I congratulate the CBC for giving this exciting opportunity to all of Canada to be able to experience this unique sense of discovery with Triple Sensation," she said in a statement.

Andrew Craig, the host of CBC Radio Two's In Performance, will host the show and Drabinsky will be joined on the panel of judges by actor Cynthia Dale, director Adrian Noble, choreographer Sergio Trujillo and composer Marvin Hamlisch.

Candidates between the ages of 16 to 24 can apply at triplesensation.ca for a chance to audition for the show.

Auditions will be held from November to February. The show's producers plan to run the program in the 2007-08 television season, though no firm date has been set.

The show marks a return to the performance world for Drabinsky, who had a successful run of theatrical shows before his company Livent Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 1998.

Drabinsky and Livent partner Myron Gottlieb were indicted in the United States in 1999 on fraud charges stemming from their management of Livent's financial records. Drabinsky and three others face trial in Canada on fraud charges laid in 2002.

Livent owned theatres in Toronto, Vancouver, New York and Chicago and won critical acclaim for its productions, including Show Boat, Ragtime and The Phantom of the Opera, and garnered 19 Tony Awards.