Hershey Area Playhouse Announces Winter Acting Classes for Youth and Adults

Taught by instructors with experience in theatre and education, Hershey Area Playhouse's Theatre Academy announces its 2017 winter acting classes for students in grades K-12 and adults.

fun-based learning classes for students in grades K-12 will be held over eight consecutive Saturdays, beginning Saturday, Jan. 14. All classes are being held at The Playhouse, located at the corner of Sand Hill Road and Cherry Drive.

"Repeatable classes challenge and engage all kinds of acting enthusiasts - from the child who simply wants an outlet for creative expression, to the older teen with an emphasis on personal development and fun," said Theatre Academy Director, Cory Wilkerson.

In the Creative Kids session, students in grades K-3 will to act through storytelling and games, which will help build communication skills, confidence and self-expression. Being held from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., this session will expose students to their own artistic possibilities as they create characters using movement.

The Acting It Up session, for students in grades 4-6, will incorporate a mixture of theatre games and improvisational acting, providing a forum to create realistic characters and stretch imaginations. Held from 10:30 a.m. to noon, each session allows students to expand expressiveness and develop the actor's tools necessary to perform a role.

In the Theatre Arts Studio 1 session, students in grades 7-12 will combine the antics of improvisation with some solid learning of acting skills. Held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., students will form a troupe to create interactive improvisational performances where the audience drives the action.

Sequential, repeatable class content changes each semester for each session offering. All sessions culminate in an open house and performance opportunity for each age group.

Focused on the art of improvisation, adult acting classes will be held Mondays from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Jan. 16 through Feb. 20 at The Playhouse. Classes will be taught by veteran actor and improvisation specialist Lisa Lutton Weitzman, most currently seen on area stages as one of a trio of comediennes that make up the Coffee With Crones comedy improvisation team.

"If you are an adult and you have always wanted to try acting or want to polish your stage skills, this is a fun way to exercise your creative muscle," said Wilkerson. Come and join our talented teachers in a romp through acting for adults.

Hershey Area Playhouse's Theatre Academy works from a theatre curriculum based on the Pennsylvania standards for excellence in arts education with a rotating emphasis on skills in creating and imagining, performing for others, responding and critiquing performances, and learning about the cultural and historical connections to theatre works.

Theatre Academy registration forms may be downloaded from The Playhouse website at www.HersheyAreaPlayhouse.com. Walk-ins will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. For additional questions about the classes, contact Theatre Academy Director Cory Wilkerson at coryw2.0@gmail.com.