TADA! Youth Theater Offers Winter 2012 Classes; Open House Set for Today

Musical theater students, start your January with an Open House at TADA! Youth Theater, the Drama Desk and Coming Up Taller Award-winning organization, which offers a diverse group of young people the opportunity to explore and perform musical theater. Today, January 12, 2012, interested students can participate in a, free, age-appropriate sample classes followed by a Q&A session with TADA! Teaching Artists and administrators. The event will take place at TADA! Youth Theater located at 15 West 28th Street, 3rd floor, from 10am-2pm.

Reservations for the sample classes are highly recommended. Please email education@tadatheater.com your name, email address, and phone number as well as your child's name and age, so they can be placed in the appropriate time slot.

TADA!'s winter semester of weekly classes will focus on Musical Theater Play Building for toddlers through 8th Graders. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Satrdays January 19-April 16, 2013, TADA! weekly classes create their own mini-musical and the semester culminates with a Final Sharing, which families and friends are invited to attend. Specialized weekly training will also be available for a short semester on Sundays in the Spring (April 21-June 3, 2013); no TADA! classes have pre-requisites and are intended for both newcomers and returning students. All TADA! classes meet weekly and are team-taught by two of New York's best Teaching Artists. Class sharings will be recorded and a free v-link of the video will be emailed to all registered families. In keeping with TADA!'s philosophy, each class provides learning for a range of ages. TADA! works to build self-confidence and challenges each child to be the very best they can be.

Winter Classes at TADA! include:

Theater On Their Scale (T.O.T.S.) Mondays 10:10 - 11 a.m.
Ages 2 - 3 (and their Caregivers!); $280

For the youngest of thespians, this unique program develops language and coordination through musical movement. T.O.T.S. incorporates song & story using cooperative play, sign language and creative exploration - a perfect blend for toddlers and their caregivers!

Creative Musical Play
Mondays 3:15 - 4:15 p.m.
Saturdays 11:10 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.
Pre-K/K (Ages 4-5); $240

Celebrate your budding young singer, dancer and actor! This class supports a child's natural inclination for dramatic play while teaching the basic elements of musical theater. *Child must be age 4 by 9/22/12

Musical Theater Play Building Program
The winter semester (11 sessions) will focus on the core elements of singing, dancing and acting plus play writing! Based on a co-created story, learn popular Broadway songs, plus one-of-a-kind songs from TADA!'s original musicals. Classes include exploration in character development using theater games plus song and dance numbers.
Monday ($335)
Grades K-2 4:15 - 5:45 p.m.

Tuesdays ($335)
Grades 2-4 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Grades 5-8 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Saturdays ($335)
Grades K-1 12:15-1:45 p.m.
Grades 2-4 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Grades 5-8 3:30-5:00 p.m.
When School is out TADA! is in! Explore the world of acting, singing, and dancing in special 1-day camps that focuses on core elements of musical theater and associated themes that includes theater games, comedic improv, and dramatic play. Master cool dance moves and sing your heart out! Families are invited to watch the last 20 minutes of the day.

1-Day Camps: Hours: 9am-5:30pm (*Flexible drop-off 9:00 - 9:30 AM); $100
Grades 1 - 5
Monday, November 12: (Veteran's Day) Theme: Heroes in Harmony
Thursday, December 27: (Winter Break) Theme: Winter Wonderland
Friday, December 28: (Winter Break) Theme: Ring in the New Year!
Monday, January 21: (Martin Luther King) Theme: I have a Dream
Thursday, June 6: (Chancellor's Day)
Monday, July 1: (Independence Day
Tuesday, July 2: (Independence Day)

School Break Week-Long Camps. Create a brand new mini-musical...in just 5 days! School Break Week-Long Camps run during school vacation weeks and end in a Sharing. Sharings will be recorded and a free v-link of the video will be emailed. Monday-Friday, 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM; with a flexible drop-off between 9 - 9:30 a.m.; $450

*February 18-22: Winter School Break Camp (Gr. 1-3 & 4-8)
March 18-22: Spring School Break Camp #1 (Gr. 1-6)
*March 25-29: Spring School Break Camp #2 (Gr. 1-3 & 4-8)

*The Afternoon Adventures Program is an extended day program open to all camp-aged students (ages 6-14) who want more camp-time fun after our core camp hours. From 2:30 to 5:30pm, Monday-Thursday during most camp weeks, kids can enjoy snack time (snacks to be brought from home), outdoor activities in the park (weather permitting), more fun theater games, and camp-related props building & design work aimed to complement the creative camp experience! To register, click on "Register Now," find the camp your child is attending, and add the Afternoon Adventure class below it. Afternoon Adventures Extended Day: Monday - Thursday 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM; All Camp grades ( Gr. 1 - 8); $150.

Since 1984, TADA! Youth Theater has been providing young people of all different backgrounds the opportunity to explore and perform musical theater together in an educational, supportive and professional environment. TADA! has received many honors and awards including the American Alliance for Theater Education's Anne Flagg Multicultural Award, Family Circle Magazine's 1st Annual Halo Award, and more than a dozen National Youth Theatre Awards and two Innovative Theater nominations. In 2008 TADA! was honored with a Coming Up Taller Award, our nation's highest honor for youth development from the President's Committee on the Arts & Humanities, and in 2009 with a Special Drama Desk Award for "providing an invaluable contribution to the future of the theater." TADA! is the only youth theater to have won this prestigious award.

Every year, TADA! produces: original musical Theater Productions performed by kids for family audiences; a discounted ticket program; free pre-professional training and youth development opportunities through the Resident Youth Ensemble composed of over 80 NYC kids ages 8-18; renowned Arts Education in-school residencies and after-school programs; and theater classes and camps for kids of all ages taught by professional Teaching Artists and for which need-based financial aid is readily available.

TADA! programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the NEA, NYSCA, DCA, DYCD, Con Ed Corporation, the Shubert Foundation among many others. Special thanks also to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust and many individual supporters for helping to fund the mission and programs of TADA! Youth Theater. For more information visit www.tadatheater.com.