2008-09 Eighth through Twelfth Grades
Educational Offerings

CLASS SIZES ARE LIMITED! REGISTER NOW TO SAVE YOUR SPACE!

Mastering the Monologue (Grade 8 - Adult)
Sun 1 – 3 pm (2 hrs/week)
Fall Session, 9/14 – 11/16 (10 weeks)
Instructor: Michael Shoeman
Class # FS-MTM-8A-SU; Tuition: $190

Class Description: The monologue is an art form unto itself. In this class, the actor will learn how to choose an appropriate monologue and deliver it with clarity and authentic emotional content. Each student will choose 2 pieces from a variety of genres (comedy, drama, contemporary, or classical) in order to work towards having a monologue appropriate for a variety of situations. The course will cover acting techniques not only useful in monologue development but also in scene work. This class is appropriate for students who are new to theater as well as those with experience or returning for multiple sessions of Mastering the Monologue to continue enhancing their monologue and scene study skills.

Audition Techniques for Actors (Grades 8 - Adult)
Sun 1 – 5 pm (4 hrs/week)
Mid-Session 12/17 & 12/14 (2 weeks)
Instructor: Michael Shoeman
Class # MS-AT-8A-SU; Tuition: $79

Class Description: In this class, you will learn how to approach an audition through a combination of interview skills (including audition etiquette and understanding expectations), and cold readings. Students will learn how to give a great audition by demonstrating that they can act, as opposed to merely surviving the audition process. Interview skills will focus on how to "read" a director and provide the student with powerful questions to ask in order to find a director's vision. Cold reading skills will help the actor approach new material quickly, establish connection, chemistry, and authenticity, all with the view to helping the actor make an audition entirely their own and establish unlimited potential in the director's mind.

Youth Improv Troupe (Grades 8 – 12)
Mon 4:30 – 6:30 pm (2 hrs/week)
First Semester, 9/15 – 12/15 (14 weeks); Second Semester, 1/5 – 5/18 (20 weeks)
Instructor: To Be Announced
Class #1STS-YI-812-M; Tuition $580/year (payable in installments)

Class Description: This class and performance troupe is appropriate for students who have studied improvisation and sketch comedy writing and demonstrate a sincere passion for and dedication to the art of acting and comedy. Students should have the ability to listen and take direction, create diverse characters, take risks and “think outside of the box”, perform with confidence, work with a team, and have a desire to have fun working hard and work hard at having fun. Members should join the Troupe with the intention of a long-term commitment to being part of the ensemble from year to year. Students will have an opportunity to enroll in this class for the First Semester (Fall) and again for the Second Semester (Spring), each year. Prerequisite: Improv I with instructor/Artistic Director recommendation or previous extensive improv training and experience, with audition. Students will have the opportunity to present their art at certain ticketed events during the year.

Improv I (Grades 8 – 12)
Mon 5 – 6:30 pm (1.5 hrs/week)
First Semester, 9/15 – 12/15 (14 weeks)
Instructor: Michael Shoeman
Class #1STS-I1-812-M; Tuition: $199

Class Description: Improv I is designed for actors with a passion for the art of comedy. Students will receive training in acting and improvisation skills to enable the young actor to create diverse characters, enhance their stage presence and ability to work as a team, enjoy the experience of learning and mastering improv games, and take part in the creative process of writing sketch and improv segments. This class is appropriate for students who are new to the art of improvisation as well as those returning for multiple sessions over multiple years to enhance their skills. Although students are encouraged to enroll for a full year at a time in order to get the most out of this class, students will have an opportunity to enroll in the Fall Semester, the Spring Semester, or both, each year. Each Semester, students will create a short example of their work, which will be presented in the last week of each session.

Acting I (Grades 8 - 12)
Mon 6:30 – 7:30 pm (1 hr/week)
Fall Session, 9/15 – 11/17 (10 weeks)
Instructor: Latasha Whitmore
Class # FS-A1-812-M; Tuition: $95

Class Description: Acting I concentrates on basic acting skills such as stage presence, sensory understanding, communication, and focus skills (listening, relaxation, observation, vocalization), teamwork, character development and authenticity, blocking, creative movement, and pacing, using a variety of fun approaches and themes. Students will create a short example of their work, which will be presented in the last week of the session. This class is appropriate for students who are new to theater as well as those with experience or returning for multiple sessions of Acting I to continue enhancing their skills before moving on to Acting II.

Acting II (Grades 8 - 12)
Mon 6:30 – 7:30 pm (1 hr/week)
Fall Session, 9/15 – 11/17 (10 weeks)
Instructor: Melissa Dunphy
Class # FS-A2-812-M; Tuition: $95

Class Description: Students in Acting II will extend upon concepts presented in Acting I, including stage presence, characterization, and movement, and will gain a thorough understanding of their body, breath, and voice as a dramatic and physical instrument. The class will concentrate on the beauty and meaning of words and sounds, and the effect created by text and poetry on the actor and the audience. Students will be encouraged to explore the psychology and motivations of characters and circumstances outside of their own immediate experience. The class will culminate in the creation of a performance example which will be suitable for use as an audition piece outside of the class. This class is appropriate for students who already have a solid grounding in the dramatic arts, including multiple sessions of Acting I or the equivalent, and who wish to work towards performance in community and professional settings beyond the classroom.

Acting with the Meisner Technique (Age 16 thru Adult)
Mon 7 – 9 pm (2 hrs/week)
Fall Session, 9/15 – 11/17 (10 weeks)
Instructor: Michael Shoeman
Class # FS-AMT-8A-M; Tuition: $190

Class Description: This class offers the advanced actor the opportunity to explore and practice the acting concepts of Sanford Meisner, innovative 21st century acting teacher and theorist. The goal of the Meisner technique has often been described as getting actors to “live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” Silverberg, Larry. The Sanford Meisner Approach: An Actor’s Workbook. New Hampshire: Smith and Kraus, Inc., 1994, p. 9. The primary tool of Meisner is spontaneous repetition, through which the actor seeks to react truthfully to the immediate experience, rather than make a change based on an intellectual response because the actor feels the change is needed. The technique of basic repetition involves spontaneous comment between acting partners based on what is happening, what is being done, and where the actors are situated, with the phrase being repeated between two actors until it changes spontaneously. A goal of the Meisner technique is to allow actors to move beyond the lines in a script and discover the underlying emotional and philosophical concepts. In this class, students also will have the opportunity to apply the Meisner technique to the improv, monologue, and scene work settings. This class is appropriate for advanced actors who are new to Meisner technique as well as those returning for multiple sessions over time to continue enhancing their skills.

Character in Song – Presenting a Musical Theater Piece (Grade 8 through Adult)
Tues 7 – 8 pm (1 hr/week)
Fall Session, 9/16 – 11/18 (10 weeks)
Instructor: John D. Smitherman/Deborah Stimson Snow
Class # FS-CIS-8A-TU; Tuition: $95

Class Description: This class will show you how to bring out the very best in you and your presentation of musical theatre repertoire. Singing is so much more than just having a nice voice. Learn how to make an immediate connection with your audience, find musical continuity without losing the meaning of the words, shape the drama inherent in each song through your phrasing and physicality, and find a vocal style that exhibits your unique gifts. Explore various character types and musical theatre genres such as torch songs or comic numbers to consider which types are most comfortable for you, those that you can present most convincingly, and those that may be a “stretch” but provide growth opportunities towards longer-term performance goals. The class will also touch upon how to approach a musical theater audition to create a positive and lasting impression.

British and American Traditional Dancing (Grades 5 – Adult)
2nd Tues of Every Month: 7 – 8:30 pm (1.5 hrs/class)
First Semester – 10/14, 11/11, 12/9 (3 classes)
Second Semester – 1/13, 2/10, 3/10, 5/12, 6/9 (5 classes)
Instructor: Mary Lee Slemmer
Class #1STS-BATD-TU; Total Tuition (First/Second Semester): $89

Course Description: Join the fun, creating beautiful community dances without being a trained dancer. History provides us with many examples of community dancing that range from the high style performed by the Victorian English (used in the B.B.C. production of Pride and Prejudice), to the rollicking folk styles used in Appalachia. These dances are both fun to watch and to perform. They were invented by communities as a form of celebration, socialization, a diversion from hardship, and as a way to free one's body and spirit in a safe, ritualized manner. Performing traditional community dances serves the same function today! Join an energetic evening of walking or skipping in formations of Longways Set, a Sicilian Circle or Contra lines with partners. No dancing skill is required; just a love of movement, music, and good society.

Tri-County Youth Chorus (Grades 4 - 12)
Wed 6:30 – 7:45 pm (Grades 4 – 6); 6:30 - 8:30 pm (Grades 7 - 12)
First Semester, 9/17 – 12/17 (14 weeks); Second Semester, 1/7 – 5/20 (19 weeks)
Director: Deborah Stimson-Snow
Class #1STS-TCYC-412-W; Tuition: Grades 4 - 6: $250/yr; Grades 7 through 12: 396/yr (payable in installments)
Materials Fee: $15; Music Deposit: $30

Program Description: The Tri-County Youth Chorus is an opportunity for young people to develop their musicianship, vocal artistry and ensemble skills. The Director will teach vocal technique, ear training (musical intervals), sight singing, part singing, artistic interpretation, and performance skills. Rehearsals are designed with an understanding that musical expression is a physical, intellectual, and spiritual process and is tied to the healthy development of analytical and cognitive abilities. The Chorus will cover a variety of repertoire which may include classics, pop tunes, Broadway, as well as cross-cultural and multi-lingual materials. Chorus members should join the Chorus with the intention of a long-term commitment to being part of the ensemble from year to year. Students will have an opportunity to enroll in this class for the First Semester (Fall) and again for the Second Semester (Spring), each year. Performances for 2008-09 will include a Winter and Spring concert with tickets available for purchase by family, friends and the public.

Dress Code: All Chorus members must provide their own white collared shirt, black dress pants, and black shoes for performances.

Materials: Upon joining the Chorus, each singer will receive a site-reading book that they will keep. Each singer will also receive music and a music folder which must be turned in at the end of each semester.

Prerequisites: Scheduled assessment to determine readiness for the Chorus.

Movement for Actors (Grade 8 – Adult)
Wed 7 – 8 pm (1 hr/week)
Fall Session, 9/17 – 11/19 (10 weeks)
Instructor: Latasha Whitmore
Class # FS-MFA-8A-W; Tuition: $95

Class Description: This class is designed to help the actor discover how to use body language as a tool in communicating the emotional state and intentions of a character. The best of actors can leave a lasting impression on the audience without ever saying a word. Some refer to this as “physicality”, “connection”, “authenticity”, or the ability to “telegraph” to the audience. Regardless of the terminology, actors who understand how to use their bodies are able to create a more complete presentation for the audience in which the character’s carriage, movement, gestures, articulated words, and guttural sounds are part of a single, integrated entity. In this class, students will learn ways of using their physicality to express the physical, emotional, and mental impulses and intentions of a character through the body. Using isolations, balancing, breathing exercises, and other movement and acting exercises to find emotional connections, students will gain awareness of their selves and discover how the body helps convey a character’s “drama”, often with the most subtle of movement. Students will work towards gaining more freedom of emotional and physical expressiveness, with the goal of greater authenticity within their characters. This class is appropriate for students who are new to theater as well as those with experience or returning for multiple sessions of Movement for Actors to continue enhancing their skills.

Community Threads – Why I Make a Difference (Age 16 - Adult)
Wed 7 – 8:30 pm (1 - 1.5 hrs/week depending on enrollment)
Fall Session 9/10 – 11/12 (10 weeks)
Facilitator: Patti Garver
Class # FS-CT-16A-W; Tuition: $50

Class Description: This class is intended to be the Pilot Program for a community-supported outreach program which encourages participants to use personal expression through the arts to create bridges of understanding between socially, economically, and ethnically diverse groups in the Tri-County Area. Class members will have the  opportunity to "tell their story" through the creative arts (music, poetry, journaling, acting, readings, drumming, art, collages, and more) as well as draw inspiration from the stories of others (movie clips, documentaries, literature). From our common threads, we will create our own life's fabric, for ourselves and the community.

Playwriting Club (Age 16 – Adult)
Thurs 7 – 8:30 pm (1.5 hrs/week)
First Semester, 9/18 – 12/18 (13 weeks)
Instructor/Facilitator: Christine Emmert
Class #1STS-PC-16A-TH; Tuition $125

Program Description: If “all the world's a stage”, then there are many dramas and comedies still to be written. Our lives provide the material. We just need to learn how to shape it. This class is an introduction to some, and a continuation to others, of the writing process of making a play come alive on the page. In this class we will learn the language of the stage, read the many kinds of plays from a single page to lengthy pieces -- comedy, tragedy, satire and all the variations, and try our own hand at making a script.

Act II Players Teen Theater Club (Grades 8 - 12)
Fri, 4 – 6 pm (2 hrs/week)
First Semester, 9/19 – 12/19 (13 weeks)
Instructor/Facilitator: Leena Devlin
Class #1STS-A2P-812-F; Tuition: $249; Materials Fee: $15

Program Description: Act II Players – Teen Theater Club is a self-directed and self-governed club for teenagers who are interested in the performing arts. The club is appropriate for those who are new to theater as well as those with experience. No audition is required to join the Act II Players. As this is an evolving process, students are encouraged to enroll for both the Fall and Spring Semester in order to get the most out of this club; however, students may choose to enroll for just one semester or both. With the help of an adult facilitator with a background in performing arts, Club members will create an organizational structure for the Club and develop performing arts productions that they select, design, cast, and execute (such as cabaret, one-act plays, skits, new works, scenes, or a full play). Club members will fill the various production positions, including producer, director, stage manager, crew, casting committee, materials selection committee, music chair, costumes, props, box office, house management, etc. Village Productions staff and/or the Club advisor will assist the Club members with casting decisions, materials, and scheduling performance times and dates. Students will have the opportunity to present their art at certain ticketed events during the year.

Guitar Calisthenics (Age 10 through Adult)
Sat 10 am – 12 pm (2 hours/week)
Fall Session 9/20 – 11/22 (10 weeks)
Instructor: Russ Ferrara
Class # FS-GC-5A-SA; Tuition: $190