Fall Acting Classes Start Up This Week at The Media Theatre

Acting classes start up again this weekend at The Media Theatre. The Fall semester presents a variety of classes for children, teens, and adults.

The classes offer professional training for those just beginning or wishing to further their education. Instruction is based on The Meisner Technique which follows the basic structure that 'Acting is living as truthfully as one can under an imaginary circumstance.'

Within this curriculum there is no 'character' or pretense and actors are placed in an environment which allows them to be who they are, building self-awareness and self-esteem within their own unique personality. The idea of 'copying' someone else's performance is pushed aside as actors create from within themselves to fulfill the required role they may be asked to portray.

The Media Theatre will continue to offer three levels separate levels for children. The popular Children's Class, for ages 6 and up, will meet on Saturday mornings at 9am beginning September 12 and continuing for ten weeks. This one-hour weekly course is primarily for ages 6 to 9 who are just starting out or who have less stage experience than others in their age group. It features exercises for building basic speaking skills on stage (volume, diction), learning stage directions, and developing self-esteem. Fun improvisational style exercises are also utilized to build the concept that acting requires team work on occasion.

Level Two for Children will meet Tuesdays at 4:30 beginning September 15. This 10-week one-hour course is appropriate for children ages 8 to 11, or for those who have some onstage experience. The focus is primarily on group or scene work to strengthen acting skills. Theatre exercises are also implemented to enhance stage focus and discipline.

Younger children, aged 4, 5, and 6 get into the act with the Introduction to Theatre Class on Tuesdays at 3:30 beginning September 15. The one hour weekly course is specifically designed for the youngest age group that has an interest in performing. The young children will learn by 'Acting Out' by 'talking to' a stuffed animal in which the topic of real conversation is approached. They may also be asked to act as if they are 'walking in the rain or snow' or to 'show us how you deal with a pet dog or cat'. The class will instill within the students that being who they are is important and following instructions will be a major focus. Imagination is a major ingredient of the Introduction to Theatre Class.

The Teen Acting Class will continue on Sundays at 6pm starting September 13. This eight-week 90-minute class is ideal for ages 12 and up. Each student is given one-on-one instruction within a group environment. Focus is on stage skills, following direction, scripted scene work with partners, and monologues. Improvisational Scene Work is also explored, and becomes a major part of the focus as the weeks progress, enhancing the ability to 'react quickly as you would without over-analyzing'.

The Adult Class will meet Sundays at 7:30. This eight-week 90-minute class is designed for the adult (18 and up) who wishes to explore acting for the first time or who wants to strengthen their stage skills. Scene study with partners and monologues are the focus. The class also enhances those whose careers involve any type of public speaking.

For those who have been students in the classes, The Media Theatre reminds participants that each semester, while based on similar structure, is completely different as classes are built to reflect the personalities of each student within the group setting. Therefore, for example, if a child repeats the Saturday morning class or any of the classes offered, it is never exactly the same. Students are also dealt with and instructed within their own personal level.

Jesse Cline, the Artistic Director for The Media Theatre, will continue to instruct and oversee the next semester of The New School, The Media Theatre's conservatory-style music theatre.

There are changes to The New School for the 2015-16 Season, including focusing purely on Acting and Vocal Music for the younger age group (meeting Mondays starting Sept. 28 from 4:30-6:30). The teens of The New School will meet Thursdays during the same two hour time slot focusing on one-act plays or musicals which they will perform at the theatre and locally as a traveling youth ensemble. To join the New School, which is completely separate from the aforementioned weekly acting classes, please email or call for an interview and/ or audition.

The Children's, Teen, and Adult Acting Classes require no audition or interview. Roger Ricker, a stage veteran of over 85 productions and concerts at The Media Theatre, instructs the Children and Teen Classes. Tim Haney, who has been with the theatre since 1997, instructs the Adult Class.

The Media Theatre also has several dance classes to choose from, which are ongoing. Purchase a Dance Card for $120 (good for 10 classes) and choose from Tap 1, Tap 2, Ballet for Youth, Adult Ballet Class, Contemporary Indian Dance, and Creative Movement for pre-school. call for information.

To register for the Acting Classes, call 610-891-0100 or visit mediatheatre.org. Email rer764@gmail.com with specific questions or request information.

Pictured: The cast of "Gypsy" features several children who are involved in classes at The Media Theatre. In this photo, Dance Captain Megan Rucidlo and Choreographer Dann Dunn are with youth performers (left to right) Amia Shavaun, Aiden Fox, Portia Murphy, Sean O' Neill, Tim Woodward, Josh Atkinson, Ben Pedersen, Zachary Divito, Carter Weiss, Cassidy Else, and Ava Briglia.

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