Playwrights Theatre's Creative Arts Academy to Offer Summer 2015 Experiences for Kids & Adults

Playwrights Theatre's Creative Arts Academy summer theatre experiences for kids and teens will begin on July 6, 2015 and run through August 28, 2015, in two-week sessions. For more information and to register, visit www.ptnj.org or call 973-514-1787 X21.

In Playwrights Theatre's Creative Arts Academy, students practice transferable life skills while receiving quality training in theatre-based craft. Through this craft, students learn to collaborate and empathize, to know when to lead, when to assist, and to develop the confidence to assert themselves in the service of others. Students also practice executive function skills that help them take healthy risks and deal with setbacks, as well as skills that develop working memory for complicated tasks, and that build the kind of intellectual flexibility needed to come up with creative solutions to old and new problems.

Our two-week process-oriented classes result in theatre pieces created by the students and shared with family and friends that incorporate writing, acting, singing and improvisation. Students learn to appreciate the spoken word, gesture and the importance of narrative and character in their daily lives. All in a fun and non-threating environment.

All classes are taught by trained professional theatre artists/educators. Classes are devised to be taken multiple times.

"Our classes are taught by working professionals in the field, are designed to focus on process and the development of each student's creative potential." said John Pietrowski, Playwrights Theatre's Artistic Director. "Students learn practical performance skills while constructing original pieces that are presented at the end of the session."

The Half-Day Summer Camp for kids and the Half-Day Summer Theatre Program for teens is an opportunity for students at all levels of experience to discover new facets of creativity while developing their theatrical skills. Tuition is $275 per two-week session, $250 for returning students.

Each session concludes with a presentation for family and friends and is designed to have a slightly different emphasis so students can take the same class several times and still have a high-quality learning experience.

The following classes will be offered during each two-week session:

Playmakers (grades K-2): Theatre games, pantomime and improvisation provide exciting means for learning basic performance skills in movement, voice and imagination. An engaging and nurturing environment for children to create and express themselves.

Acting Workshop (grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12): This class provides an engaging and supportive environment for children to develop performance skills (voice, body, and imagination) and to create and express themselves through improvisation and writing. Class offerings for older students may further explore text analysis, scene study, and character development.

Playwriting (grades 6-12): This is a basic workshop class where students of all levels of experience write and share work in a supportive environment. Classes will provide exercises to begin writing a new script, or further develop a play already in progress. The class will receive advice for submitting their scripts to contests for young playwrights including the New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest & Festival. The class culminates in a reading of students' work on the last day. Students may receive additional support by emailing drafts to the playwriting instructor for individual advice after the close of the session. This class will be taught by Jim DeVivo, PTNJ's Director of Education, who has over 20 years experience mentoring young artists including 12 years as program director for the New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest & Festival.

Session A (July 6 - 17) - Registration deadline June 29
Classes run from 9:30am-12:30pm

Session B (July 20 - July 31) - Registration deadline July 13
Classes run from 9:30am-12:30pm

Session C (August 3 - August 14) - Registration deadline July 27
Classes run from 9:30am-12:30pm

Session D (August 17 - August 28) - Registration deadline August 10
Classes run from 9:30am-12:30pm

Playwriting Workshop For Adults
Summer 2015 Session
Mondays, 7:00-10:00pm
July 13 - September 28, 2015 (no class July 27 and September 7)
Tuition is $275 ($250 for returning students)
Pro-rate options are available for late starts for this class only.

The Adult Playwriting Workshop, taught by Playwrights Theatre's Artistic Director, John Pietrowski, is a basic workshop class where students share work in a supportive environment. Enrollment is open to students of all levels of experience; classes will provide exercises to beginners working on their first play as well as experience writers who are further down the road.

Playwrights Theatre Creative Arts Academy teaches classes year-round for children, teens and adults. The Creative Arts Academy is committed to nurturing independent thinking, artistic and personal development through the literary and performing arts. At the Creative Arts Academy, students are part of a community where self-expression and creativity thrive and every person is a valuable member of the whole. Playwrights Theatre's Creative Arts Academy strives for artistic excellence while emphasizing the creative process, both of which are vital to the personal, social and academic evolution of students of all ages. Creative Arts Academy instructors are highly experienced professional artists who are perceptive and dynamic in the classroom. Creative Arts Academy teachers are committed to developing their own skills, as well as those of their students, and to refining their artistry through continued practice and education.

For more information including class descriptions and to register, visit www.ptnj.org or call (973) 514-1787.

Founded in 1986, Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit professional theatre and arts education institution dedicated to developing and nurturing the dramatic imagination of artists, students, and audiences. Our New Play Program creates development opportunities for professional writers through readings, workshops and productions, and invites audiences to participate in authentic feedback experiences. Our New Jersey Writers Project, Poetry Out Loud, New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest and Festival, and Creative Arts Academy programs provide a comprehensive and hands-on arts education experience to over 31,000 students, Pre-K through adult.

Writers in the New Play Program are drawn from across the country, including our affiliation with the National New Play Network, a nation-wide group of theatres dedicated to the development and production of new work. Teaching Artists in our Education Programs are professional artists working in their field in the New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. From 2003-2016, we have been designated a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (along with only five other theatres: The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, George Street Playhouse, McCarter Theatre Center, Two River Theatre and Paper Mill Playhouse) as "an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey."

Funding for our activities comes from: the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., Dramatist Guild Fund, Horizon Foundation of New Jersey, The Shubert Foundation, The Victoria Foundation, and many corporations, foundations and individuals.

Playwrights Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network, and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.