Civic Theatre Opens Registration for Summer Acting Sessions

Civic Theatre of Allentown has opened registration for Civic Theatre School's 2010 Summer Acting Sessions. Parents can register their children online at www.CivicTheatre.com or by calling 610.432.8943 to have a registration form sent to them in the mail.

Each Civic Theatre School Summer Acting Session is an intensive two-week course running Monday through Friday and concluding with a showcase where parents and friends can see what the students have been learning. Civic will offer two of these sessions this summer. A full schedule, along with faculty bios, is included on the second page of this release.

The two 2010 CTS Summer Acting Sessions are as follows:
Session 1: July 12th through July 23rd
Session 2: July 26th through August 6th
Classes are Monday through Friday

These Summer Acting Sessions will provide young people with an exciting program in drama and movement. In addition to learning the theatre arts, CTS students develop discipline, teamwork and self-confidence. Talented, experienced educators with performance backgrounds create a comfortable environment where students can develop the skills they will use on stage and in life.

Scholarships to this Summer Acting Session, based on financial need, are available through the Harry C. Trexler Trust. That application is also available online at www.CivicTheatre.com or by calling 610.432.8943.

Civic Theatre School, the Lehigh Valley's premier children's theatre school, has been fostering the love of theatre in young people for over 50 years. Current Hollywood stars Amanda Seyfreid, Christine Taylor and Michaela Conlin are Civic Theatre School alums.

CIVIC THEATRE SCHOOL'S 2010 SUMMER ACTING SESSION DETAILS

Grade - Time - Teacher(s)
Age 4/Kindergarten - 9:00-11:30am - Jeni Lynn Toner, Kirsten Rani Almeda
Grades 1-2 - 9:00am-12:00pm - Kirsten Rani Almeda, Alexandra Feldman
Grades 3-5 - 12:15-3:15pm - JoAnn Wilchek Basist, Susan Danish
Grades 6-8 - 12:15-3:15pm - Shawn Salevsky, Susan Danish
Grades 9-12 - 6-9pm - Jill Kuebler

CIVIC THEATRE SCHOOL FACULTY BIOS

KIRSTEN RANI ALMEIDA [Drama, Grades 1 & 2; Movement, Age 4/Kindergarten] is a graduate of Wagner College. She has performed all over the eastern seaboard, as well as in Saint Louis and Canada. She was recently seen in Civic Theatre's production of Beauty and the Beast and was chosen to be the guest vocalist with the Newark Boys Chorus. Kirsten has over 16 years experience in teaching theatre to children.

JOANN WILCHEK BASIST [Drama, Grades 3-5] has been an academic and arts educator as well as a performer and director for over thirty years, having taught at St. Thomas More School, CTS and Allentown City Arts Camp. She has conducted numerous drama workshops and outreach programs at area schools. JoAnn holds a BA in Acting/Education from Cedar Crest College and an M Ed in Counseling from Kutztown University.

SUSAN DANISH [Dance, Grades 3-8] has been teaching dance for more than 25 years - most of those years working with children and at most of the area's prominent theatre schools. Sue studied dance in New York City for more than 20 years, and she was trained in ballet with The American Ballet Theatre. She also studied jazz at Luigi Jazz Center. She is currently the Director of Community Relations of the Rodale Aquatic Center at Cedar Crest College.

ALEXANDRA FELDMAN [Dance, Grades 1-2] is a Senior double major at Cedar Crest College in Dance and Art. Alexandra has studied dance at Steps in Time, East Coast Dance Connection and The Dance Workshop. She currently provides dance instruction for inner city children through the 21st Century Learning Centers program. This is her 2nd year as a CTS teacher.

JILL KUEBLER [Grades 9-12] received a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre and a Bachelor of Science in secondary education from Penn State University, and a master's degree in education from Kutztown University. She currently teaches drama, English and communications at Emmaus High School, in addition to directing all EHS productions. She formerly taught theatre at the Allentown Academy of the Arts at William Allen High School, where she directed Godspell and other productions. She has taught at Civic Theatre School for the past nine years.

SHAWN SALEVSKY [Drama, Grades 6-8] returns to CTS for his ninth year. In addition to appearing at many other local theatres, Shawn has performed at Civic in The Cider House Rules, Tick, Tick...Boom!, Everybody's A Somebody, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Who's Tommy, Medea, A Christmas Carol and Alice in Wonderland. Shawn has taught at the Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts at William Allen High School. He is currently a drama teacher and director at Nazareth Middle School.

JENI LYNN TONER [Age 4/Kindergarten] is no stranger to Civic's stage. She appeared most recently in Our Favorite Years, Civic's 80th Anniversary revue, in addition to Peter Pan, Annie, Godspell, The Secret Garden, Falsettos, Grand Hotel, many of Civic's concerts and A Christmas Carol. Jeni is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan and has over 20 years experience with childhood education, the majority of which has been spent with children ages 4-7.