Berkeley Repertory Theatre begins enrollment today for the spring session at its School of Theatre, as well as a summer intensive for teens. With two summer camps, 28 spring classes, and a Sunday Sampler on March 21, Berkeley Rep offers exciting activities for all ages and all abilities.
"We invite you to get a taste of what the School has to offer at our Sunday Sampler," says Rachel Fink, director of the School of Theatre. "At Berkeley Rep, you'll find fun activities for children, challenging classes for teens, and inspirational experiences for adults. Plus, parents will be thrilled to learn about our summer camps, which provide constructive activities for youth while they're at work."
The Sunday Sampler on March 21 is free and open to potential students of all ages. Following a brief introduction at 1:00 PM, participants may sample four different classes during the next two hours. Like all activities at Berkeley Rep's School of Theatre, the Sampler is held next door to the Thrust Stage at 2071 Addison Street in downtown Berkeley.
The ten-week spring session begins April 5 and features the following fun activities:
Classes for kids (preschool through grade 5) include Acting Up: Laugh Out Loud with Nancy Gold, Performance Workshop with Marilet Martinez, and three classes taught by Erica Blue: Fairy Tales and Adventures, Mythological Adventures, and Outer Space Adventures.
Classes for middle-schoolers (grades 6 through 9) include Musical Theatre: Jesus Christ Superstar and Monty Python's Flying Circus: Examined, Rehearsed and Performed! Private voice lessons are also available.
Classes for teens (grades 9-12) include Acting Violence: Rapier, Dagger, and Quarterstaff with Dave Maier; Directing with Paul Cello; On-Camera Acting with Greg Hubbard; and the Teen Performance Lab with Christopher Peak. Private voice lessons and one-on-one audition coaching are also available.
Classes for adults include four focused workshops with experts from Berkeley Rep's staff: Adaptation with Literary Manager Madeleine Oldham, Audition with Casting Director Amy Potozkin, and two stage combat classes taught by Dave Maier (Acting Violence: Broadsword Certification and Acting Violence: Rapier, Dagger, and Quarterstaff). The performance curriculum includes Acting (beginning through advanced), Clowning, Improvisation (beginning and intermediate), Improv Performance Lab, LeCoq: Acting in Motion, On-Camera Acting, and Physical Characterization. Special classes this session include Introduction to Biomechanics with
Mark Jackson, Shakespeare's Voice with Lisa Anne Porter, and Presentation Skills for Attorneys with Lura Dolas. Other options include Playwriting and Interpreting and Understanding Music for Directors, Actors, Stage Managers, and Choreographers.
The Summer Theatre Intensive provides a fun-filled, enriching, affordable camp for teens - right here in Berkeley. Participants work with master teachers to learn basic theatrical techniques such as acting and improvisation, and they learn from Berkeley Rep's artisans about design disciplines such as costumes, lighting, props, and sound. They also select their own specialties with electives in topics such as directing, hip-hop, musical theatre, playwriting, and video. In a process that mirrors the professional method that Berkeley Rep applies to develop new plays, students use the skills they've learned to create their own original work. Those shows are performed for an invited audience of family and friends on one of the Theatre's renowned stages.
With different sessions for different ages, the Summer Theatre Intensive offers a rare opportunity for youth to open their imaginations:
The first session, for students entering grades 6-8, takes place on weekdays from June 21 through July 16.
The second session, for teens in grades 9-12, is held July 19 through August 13.
Tuition is $1,050 for session 1 and $1,150 for session 2. A limited number of financial-aid scholarships are available. The only requirement is an active mind open to imagination, collaboration, hard work, and, of course, lots of fun.
Berkeley Rep's School of Theatre provides a wide array of programming for individuals of all ages. In addition to classes for youth and adults, the School offers Target® Story Builders, a drama workshop for elementary-school classrooms; the Student Matinee Series for middle- and high-school students; in-school residencies; teacher training; and a variety of outreach programs that encourage lifelong learning through hands-on, cross-curricular, in-class workshops. The School also hosts the Teen Council, which allows youth to participate in all aspects of the dramatic process: on stage, backstage, and in front of the stage.
For more information on any of these activities, call (510) 647-2972, e-mail school@berkeleyrep.org, or visit
www.berkeleyrep.org/school.
Photo: (l to r) Gideon Lazarus, Samantha Wright and Sarah Epstein get goofy in a clowning class at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre. Photographer: Kevin Berne
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