BAMtheatre Presents Reimagined In Person Conservatories During COVID-19

In response to the stay-at-home and social distancing orders implemented by the COVID-19 pandemic, BAMtheatre has creatively adapted its musical theatre programming while still providing exceptional, educational theatre experiences for students from elementary all the way through high school.

These programs the BAM Conservatory Ensemble programs, which have been completely reimagined to work within this time and which began classes and rehearsals on September 20. This program drew 60 new students from all over the Chicagoland area, covering an expansive area from Yorkville all the way to the west side of Chicago. This innovative program is designed for the actor who wishes to study acting and musical theatre in an advanced setting. Over the course of an academic year, an ensemble of actors will work together to study, create, and perform. Bridging the gap between education and performance, each program incorporates a rigorous curriculum of classes, virtual workshops, as well as two exclusive Ensemble productions.

In the BAM Conservatory Ensemble designed for high school students (BCE), students gather from every Sunday for an ensemble-based acting class. This class is meant to empower each member of the ensemble, and covers a variety of topics over the course of the year, including script analysis, acting technique, song interpretation, audition technique, and many others. Also included in the Fall Term is Musical Theatre Dance. Content for this class will incorporate a mixture of technique and choreography from the BCE productions.

a??

The production component of the BCE program aims to expand the horizons of the students by introducing them to something they would rarely have an opportunity to study and perform. This year, the BAM Conservatory Ensemble will focus on site-specific theatre and creating art in found spaces. The Fall Term's production of A Chorus Line will be rehearsed, filmed, and then live streamed at a later date. The Spring Term's production of the High School Edition of Heathers will focus on production and putting together all of tools that were developed in the Fall Term.

BAM's Jr Conservatory Ensemble (JrBCE) program is designed for younger students in Grades 3 - 8. The curriculum focuses on both traditional Musical Theatre performance and training, as well as devising and creating original musical theatre works. Throughout the course of the year, students will undergo the process of rehearsing a workshop-style musical theatre production of James & the Giant Peach, that will be later be performed for a panel of industry professionals. Those professionals will provide the students feedback on their performances. Additionally, students will fuse their creativity and imagination together to come up with original pieces of theatre which will serve as their spring production.

For additional information on BAM and their health and safety policies, visit www.bamtheatre.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.