Media Theatre to Offer New Music Theatre Classes This Spring

With a new School and Dance Studio on State Street, The Media Theatre's educational opportunities have the opportunity to expand beyond the basic core of acting classes currently offered. As spring offers a sense of 'all things new', the professional music theatre has two new courses added to its curriculum for aspiring actors and singers.

Starting Friday April 10, a new Audition class will begin which will touch upon music theatre history as well. In "Audition Through The Decades", instructor Sean Thompson will teach students the proper way to approach any audition process by becoming familiar with the work of famous musical theatre writers such as Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Thompson, who has been seen on stage at The Media Theatre in "Sunset Boulevard" and "Les Miserables", is currently playing the role of Carl in the regional premiere of the musical "Ghost". He majored in theatre and English at Temple University, graduating in 2009 with honors. He has performed in almost 50 professional productions at various regional theatres across seven states and holds the title at The Media Theatre of being Assistant to Artistic Director Jesse Cline.

Of his intensive course, Thompson says, "We will travel through the various decades of music theatre. The knowledge given will assist greatly when auditioning, as we answer questions such as 'What is appropriate to wear to an audition?', 'What choice of song works best for me?', 'Is it protocol to email the casting director after the audition?', or 'What if I'm asked to stay and read or dance?' By the end of the six week program, students will be ready to audition for any type of musical."

"Audition Through The Decades" is most suited for ages 13 and up, including any adults who may have an interest in studying with Sean Thompson during the six weeks. The 90 minute weekly class will meet from 5:30 to 7:00pm Fridays beginning April 10.

Another exciting new class being offered is the new "Introduction to Songwriting" for ages 8 and up, instructed and created by Ben Kapilow. Meeting on Wednesdays from 4 - 6pm starting April 22, the seven week course seeks to introduce students to the process of composing original songs. Students will be exposed to a variety of musical forms and styles and will analyze famous songs across all genres, discovering what makes them tick. As a group, the students will work both on writing the music and lyrics to their own original songs. Depending on the size of the class, students may also have the opportunity to work on their own personal songs, receiving individualized feedback from the instructor.

Kapilow started playing piano in elementary school, drums in middle school, and composing at age 14. He studied composition privately at the Julliard School of Music when he was 17 years old and then later on at Swarthmore College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 2013, and at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. He is active in education, currently teaching piano and voice for the Meridee Winters School of Music in Ardmore and the Darlington Arts Center in Garnet Valley, as well as music directing for the St. Pius School in Broomall and the Mother of Providence School in Wallingford. Ben has collaborated on compositions with artists across many disciplines and has written pieces for dozens of grade school ensembles.

The "Introduction to Songwriting" course will culminate in a recital in which the students will perform their original works for the public, possibly along with a few soloists performing individual works. The songs will also be recorded and made available for download to the parents and families. Though the course will involve a rigorous look into the nuts and bolts of songwriting, no prior knowledge of music or lyric-writing is assumed or necessary.

Along with these two new courses, The Media Theatre will continue to provide its popular Acting Classes. The hour long Saturday morning Acting Class for Children ages 7 and up will begin its spring session April 11 at 9am, continuing for ten weeks.

The Second Level Acting Class for Children for those with a bit more experience will start up again Tuesday April 7 for ten weeks starting at 4:30pm, while the Introduction To Theatre Class for ages 4 and 5 will begin the same day at 3:30pm. Each class is one hour per week.

The Teen Acting Class, as well as the Adult Acting Class, will start their spring session April 12. Each is 90 minutes long per week for eight weeks, with the teens meeting at 6pm and the adults meeting at 7:30pm.
Further information regarding the Acting Classes may be found on the website, mediatheatre.org or you may email rer764@gmail.com.

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