Berkeley Repertory Theatre Launches Their Winter Session With A Sunday Sampler

Berkeley Repertory Theatre aims to stoke the creative fires and banish the winter chill with nearly three dozen classes for children, teens, and adults of all experience levels. To kick off the winter session, Berkeley Rep's School of Theatre hosts a Sunday Sampler on January 10. This interactive open house gives prospective students a taste of the classes being offered in the coming year.

"Our Sunday Sampler is a great opportunity for students of all ages to meet our outstanding faculty and sample up to four different classes - and it's all free!" proclaims Rachel Fink, director of the School of Theatre. "Come on your own or bring a group of friends. Families can attend together, with kids and teens sampling classes for their age groups while the parents check out our offerings for adults. From music and comedy to improv and stage combat, we have something for everyone this winter."

The Sunday Sampler is free and open to all potential students, young and old. 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 full winter session offers something for students of all ages and abilities, from beginners to professionals. All classes meet weekly for two to three hours with instructors who are nationally recognized teaching artists and theatre professionals. The winter session, which begins January 11, includes these highlights:

· Classes for youth: The littlest ones can discover the joy of theatre with two new Pre-K classes - Fairy Princesses, Mermaids, and Empresses or Knights, Pirates, and Ninjas. Elementary school students can act out their fantasies in Spy Adventure: Espionage 101 or Rock Opera for Peace. The art of creating comedy inspires giggles in Acting Up... Make 'em Laugh, Make 'em Cry. And students explore musical theatre with Into the Woods: Happily Ever After.

· Classes for teens: Offstage chaos results in onstage hilarity in Teen Performance Lab: Noises Off, aspiring writers can dive into playwriting with The Play's the Thing, and The Power of Physical Theatre fuses elements of hip-hop theatre and dance with stage combat and acting techniques to create a contemporary performance inspired by classic texts.

· Classes for adults: Take it to the next level with Advanced Acting taught by Jonathan Moscone, artistic director of the California Shakespeare Theater. Run away with the circus in Clowning and Circus Arts: An Introduction. On-Camera Acting shares skills for television and film while non-musicians can learn about Interpreting and Understanding Music for Directors, Actors, Stage Managers, and Choreographers. Classes are also available in stage combat (with theatrical combatant certification), beginning and intermediate acting, beginning and intermediate improvisation, and voice.

Scholarships are available for youth and teens. Private, one-on-one voice lessons and audition-coaching are also available.

The Berkeley Rep School of Theatre is committed to working with local schools to reinforce arts education as a community value and as an integral part of the cultural fabric. By providing access and opportunities for participation in the arts, Berkeley Rep uses theatre as a means to challenge, thrill, and galvanize what is best in the human spirit. This year, the School offers a wide range of new free and low-cost outreach programming that teaches performing arts curriculum and covers California content standards through hands-on, dynamic workshops. For more information, click www.berkeleyrep.org/outreach.

For more information on the Sunday Sampler, or complete details about the winter session, call (510) 647-2972 or visit berkeleyrep.org.

 

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