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ADULT AND YOUTH CLASSES AT LTA
Class Schedule – Summer 2008
IMPROV I & II and Jazz classes are being offered this summer.
Don’t miss out inquire immediately!
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
We are currently taking registration for our Summer 2008 classes. To register for classes you can:
Download registration form (For LTA classes only) and mail it to:
Class Registration
The Little Theatre of Alexandria,
600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.
Call the theatre at 703-683-5778 Ext 2.
GENERAL INFORMATION
All tuition is due at the time of registration. Members save on $10 registration fees. Not already a member? Join now. As an adult member of LTA, you are entitled to one ticket to all major productions, voting privileges, the opportunity to work at the theatre and serve on committees. The cost for an adult membership is $50. Junior membership (ages 8-18) is $25 and includes one ticket to all major productions. All members receive a subscription to The Floodlight, our newsletter.
For questions, please call the theatre at 703-683-5778 Ext 2
ADULT CLASSES AT LTA
Improv I - Introduction to Improv
Instructor:
Sarah Holt
Day & Time:
Mondays, 7:30 – 10:00 p.m.
Tuition:
$190
Place:
Rehearsal Room
Period:
June 9 – August 4 (8 classes – No class June 16)
Stop thinking, start doing! Improv is fun and games. At its heart, it’s about awareness, trust, and going with your gut – skills that every actor needs. Learn to create scenes everyone will swear came from a script. Discover how easy it is to “find the funny.” No memorization, no rehearsal, no mistakes – just bring your desire to have a good time. Enrollment is limited to 12 students.
Improv II – Intermediate - Short Form
(*Prerequisite: Improv I or permission of Instructor)
Instructor:
Rob Maro
Day & Time:
Monday, 7:30 - 10:00 p.m.
Tuition:
$190
Place:
Class Room
Period:
June 2 – July 28 (8 weeks - No class June 16)
In Improv I, we try to loosen you up and teach you how to relax, so you can start creating characters and scenes. In Improv II, we take you down that road, buy you a nice plot of land, and have you build a mall there. The basic skills of listening, reacting, and collaboration are sharpened and new, more challenging games are played. Students will learn simple tools to create characters and scenes that are grounded in strong relationships and emotional truth. At the discretion of the instructor, students may participate in a final showcase.
Sizzling Summer Theatre Jazz Intensive
(*Students must be 18 years or older, or have prior instructor permission, to participate.)
Instructor:
Amy Carson
Day & Time:
Sundays, 4:00 – 6:0 p.m.
Tuition:
$100
Place:
Rehearsal Room
Period:
June 1 – 29, 2008 (5 Weeks)
Turn up the heat this summer by attending this sizzling Theatre Jazz class. The class will begin with a classic jazz warm-up, then move onto across-the-floor combinations that will focus on rhythm and technique, then close with a hot-hot-hot Broadway-style combination that will celebrate the fun of summer. The class will emphasize performance skills to include dancing with style and in character. Students should have a knowledge of jazz dance or a background in musical theatre.
Acting I – Realism - Offered again Fall 2008
Instructor:
Michael Baker, Jr.
Tuition:
$190
Acting I – Realism is an extension of the first semester. New and returning students are welcome. This class will explore the Stop Acting technique. The Kurt Daw volume, Acting: Thought into Action, will also be discussed. Students will learn one monologue and explore beginning scene study and ensemble acting.
Acting II – One-Acts in Performance - Offered again Fall 2008
Instructor:
Frank Shutts II
Tuition:
$190
This class is for the intermediate to advanced student. Since one-acts are character-driven, the focus of this course is creating a living, breathing, three-dimensional character that has no other option but to behave, speak and react as he is scripted to do. Using classical exercises in speech, emotional and sensory recall, and physicalization, the student will tackle modern comedies and dramas though rehearsals and into performance.
Musical Theatre - Offered again Fall 2008
Instructor:
Roland Branford Gomez
and Catherine Manley
Tuition:
$220
Welcome to the musical theatre class! Each student will experience a better way to use and work on their voices and will be directed in audition songs, blocking on solo numbers and group choreography of fun and somewhat unknown Broadway songs of a different era. Students will have a lot of fun exploring many musical styles from 1930 to the present day. Students will walk out of the class with at least two songs audition-ready: an up-tempo song and a ballad, including acting, vocal preparation and stage movement. This class is designed to develop the performing talents and style of the individual student. You have a story to tell, an emotion to communicate, and we'll help you chose the songs to do that. Join us and develop what is within you. All adult ages and levels accepted. This is a two-to-three-hour class (students may leave after two hours if necessary). There’s no business like show business!
Singing for the Stage and Beyond - Offered again Fall 2008
Instructor:
Beverley Benda
Tuition:
$165
This class is designed to introduce and strengthen the fundamentals of voice/singing for the adult voice. The students will learn proper breathing placement and projection techniques, as well as technical and interpretive principles. In addition, students will learn to select and prepare songs for their particular voices. Limited to ages 17 and older.
YOUTH CLASSES:
Singing For Musical Theatre - Offered again Fall 2008
(Grades 3 - 9)
Instructor:
Linda Wells
Day & Time:
Sunday, 6:30 -7:30 p.m.
Tuition:
$165
This course is designed for ages eight to 14 – at any level from beginning singers to those with experience. It is appropriate for both new and returning students. During the ten weeks, students will be taught the basics of vocal technique for proper singing including voice placement and production, breathing, and phrasing. They will also receive guidance in finding their voice type and category. Emphasis will be on singing for musical theatre. This semester’s in-class concentration will be on musical theatre chorus/ensemble numbers. Students will work on singing together in small and large groups, and will be taught not just melodies, but also how to sing harmonies and various vocal parts. (An ability to sing harmonies and to sing with others is an essential element of musical theatre performance.) They will also be given guidance in choosing appropriate audition material, preparing for an audition, and learning and presenting a song.
Creative Drama for Kindergarteners - Offered again Fall 2008
Instructor:
Roberta Masters-Cullen
Day & Time:
Saturdays, 9:00 – 9:45 a.m.
Tuition:
$165
Children will use their natural creativity and wonderful imaginations to explore the basic elements of theatre in this course. Movement, speaking and listening skills will be stretched during fun weekly warm-ups and improv activities. Confidence will grow as students share ideas and observations in a collaborative environment, while the theatre games we play strengthen their memory skills. Students will begin to develop a sense of comic timing using riddles and jokes that will be performed in class.
Creative Movement and Drama - Offered again Fall 2008
(Grades 1 - 2)
Instructor:
Della Sandor
Day & Time:
Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Tuition:
$165
This class promotes self-exploration, self-expression and confidence through creative movement, imagination journeys, multi-sensory integration, action, and characterization. The course will focus on the creative process and the finished product (a show). Students will develop through encouragement/motivation in a student-centered environment, responding to individual needs, progress, and experience in a positive setting. A collaboration, recognition of ideas, and “inspiration atmosphere” set the mood for this program. Children are taught that there are no wrong choices, freeing their creative process. Promotion and celebration of individual opinion, self-awareness, experience, and sensitivity to ideas allows for total enjoyment (AND FUN) in development of self-awareness, appreciation for theatre and aesthetic values and performance. Class size is limited to 12 students.
Creative Dramatics - Offered again Fall 2008
(Grades 3 - 5)
Instructor:
Katherine Dillaber
Day & Time:
Saturdays, 10:15 - 11:15 a.m.
Tuition:
$165
This semester, our junior members will open the stage door and step onstage with a performance for the public. Through the use of theatre games, improvisations and their imaginations, students will learn the basics of performing onstage. Additionally, they will receive an introduction to technical theatre (lights, sound, costumes, and make-up).
Middle School Workshop - Offered again Fall 2008
(Grades 6 - 8)
Instructor:
Ashley Hammond
Day & Time:
Saturdays, 10:00 AM - 12:00 a.m.
Tuition:
$190
This class is designed for the young performer who wants to discover new skills to strengthen their acting ability. The students will learn the keys of being professional and how stand out as an actor in an audition. They will also gain knowledge of the differences in comedic and dramatic acting and put them into practice. We will focus on comedy, and learn tips on what makes something funny. Being funny on stage is not as easy as you think! The students will take a trip back into history and study the great forms of comedy, including Improvisation, Clowning, and Commedia dell’arte.
Acting Class for High School Students - Offered again Fall 2008
Instructor:
Cheryl Felicia Rhoads
Day & Time:
Tuesdays, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Tuition:
$190
This class is for the teen performer whose talent level and professionalism have demonstrated that they are serious about their art. The class will explore acting and audition techniques for stage, television and film. Students will also learn about the importance of good communication offstage, including before and after auditions. Students will be asked to view selected classic American films that feature great two-person scenes. Students will learn and perform two contrasting comedic and dramatic scenes.
MEET THE LTA FACULTY
Michael Baker Jr.
(Acting I – Realism)
has a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature, has taught college English, and is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV host, reporter, and producer. He hosted and produced a talk show on Bravo TV cable network for six years. He has also won five National Telly Awards and five National Videographer Awards for his work on Bravo, NBC and in PBS syndication. Mike is currently the president of National Arts Television, Inc. His company's productions have appeared on Bravo TV, NBC, PAX, Comcast Sports Net, and PBS. He is a co-host on
Pro Football Plus
on MASN, and was recently seen in the Off Broadway showcase staged reading of
Hootin' and Hoolerin'.
Mike was the DP on the film
Michael and Me.
He is also an award-wining actor and singer and has been a featured soloist at The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap and The White House. His theatrical performances encompass over 40 roles in regional and area theatres both locally and in New York. Mike was seen in two independent films last year:
Kincardine and Missing Stories.
Beverley Benda
(Singing for the Stage & Beyond and Designing for the Stage)
is a professional singer by trade and a member of The United States Army Band (Pershing’s Own), performing as well with The Army Chorale and The Broadway Trio. She also performs with her own musical theatre trio,
Broadway Then & Now.
As an actress, she has appeared in a variety of musicals including
Brigadoon, Carousel, Oklahoma, Kismet, HMS Pinafore, My Fair Lady, The 1940’s Radio Hour, The Pirates of Penzance, The Music Man, Hollywood Pinafore, It’s A Grand Night for Singing,
and, this spring, the first revival of
Call Me Mister.
In addition to teaching at LTA, she is a private voice teacher and vocal coach and has her own studio. When not singing, she is a professional costumer for numerous theatre groups as well as
The Army Band's specialty shows. Her award-winning costumes have appeared in
The Fantasticks, Das Barbecü, Side by Side by Sondheim, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Creation of the World and Other Business, Sweet Charity, Fiddler on the Roof, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Mr. Roberts,
and most recently,
The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia.
Amy Carson
(Broadway Boot Camp: An Introduction to Broadway Jazz Dance)
has been dancing in the Washington, D.C., metro area for 10 years. She spent much of that time dancing with Jazzdanz/dc, a resident company of Joy of Motion Dance Center, under the direction of Douglas Yeuell. Amy has performed in many venues in the D.C. area including Lisner Auditorium, The Catholic University of America, F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, Carter Barron Amphitheatre, and The Jack Guidone Theatre to name just a few. In addition, she was selected to perform at the Kennedy Center Opera House during the 2002 Kennedy Center Honors salute to Chita Rivera. To round out Amy's performance background, she has also performed in several musical theatre productions in the area including the role of Valerie in SMP's production of
Pal Joey,
for which she won SMP's Robert Joyce Award. She also played the role of Patty Simcox in CAST in McLean’s production of
Grease.
Amy's choreography credits include
Victor/Victoria
and
Cabaret
(nominated for a WATCH award for Best Choreography) at LTA and
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
at CAST in McLean. In addition, Amy has choreographed several student numbers that have been routinely recognized for their professional quality, as well as solo works and industrial numbers. In addition to teaching dance at LTA, Amy can be found teaching performance workshops at Joy of Motion Dance Center.
Katherine Dillaber
(Creative Dramatics – Part I, Grades 3-5 & Creative Dramatics – Part II: Tweeners)
graduated from James Madison University with a bachelor's degree in Communication Arts with a concentration in Theatre Arts, and Certification for Secondary Education. After college graduation, she worked in the performing arts at
Tecumseh
in Chillicothe, Ohio; Land of Oz in North Carolina; and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. Due to limited teaching positions available at the time, she joined the federal workforce, where she currently serves on the Army Staff as a management analyst. However, she continued to maintain her focus in education and the theatre arts. She has performed and participated in productions at LTA and other local theatre companies. An education teacher in children’s theatre at LTA since the early 1980s, she has taught every age group and has directed numerous children's productions. Her professional education, combined with years of ballet training (Cecchetti method), are constant resources for classes.
Joanna Henry
(From Auditions to Opening Night)
directed Into the Woods and The Desperate Hours at LTA in 2006, and received the Deborah Dunstan Rosewell Memorial Award for Best Director for Into the Woods at LTA's Awards Night in October 2007. She has directed more than 60 productions over the past 20 years (too many to mention). Two years ago, she directed an acclaimed regional production of Wit at the Prince Theater on Maryland's Eastern Shore. She has directed two benefits at Mimi's American Bistro in Washington, D.C. – one Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, and the other for the Olney Theater – as well as a benefit for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She has received two ACT awards for Best Director and a WATCH nomination for Directing. Joanna was a 2005 nominee for the Alexandria Arts Commission Alex Award for Education in the Arts. Involved in over 80 productions onstage and off, doing just about every job imaginable, she currently teaches Drama and Literature at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria.
Ashley Hammond
(Middle School Workshop – ARTPLAY)
is pleased to be joining LTA. She attended the University of Kentucky in her hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, where she received a B.F.A. in Acting. After college, she toured with various children’s theatres, performing and teaching all over the eastern part of the country. Her last stop landed her in Norfolk, Virginia, to act and teach for the Virginia Stage Company as a part of the Emerging Artists Ensemble. After visiting the D.C. area many times, she decided the "big city" was just the right place for her. Having just spent the summer here in the D.C. area, she has already taught summer acting camps with the Mount Vernon Community Children's Theatre and the Educational Theatre Company. She can't wait to start her new
venture with LTA.
Sarah Holt
(Improv II – Intermediate & Improve III -- Advanced)
is an improv teacher, coach and player. Her improv teaching credits include beginning and more advanced classes at LTA and at Washington Improv Theater, where she was a company member for two years and helped establish the group's Corporate Training and Special Events division. She has also served as the coach for Capitol GOGA, the all-female improv troupe at The George Washington University. Her improv training began in New York City as a graduate of and performer with Gotham City Improv. She continues her improv training at improv festivals and conferences throughout North America. Sarah has appeared in numerous scripted productions around the Washington, D.C., area as an actress and a singer, for which she has won three local acting awards. Most recently, she appeared in LTA's production of
The Philadelphia Story.
Roland Branford Gomez
(Musical Theatre)
has been a professional actor since childhood and a theatre director since he was 19. He plans to retire from directing at some point after his 100th birthday. He has directed over 100 productions – almost two dozen at LTA – receiving numerous Best Director awards. He has been a member of LTA since 1968, serving many years as Vice President or Governor in several departments – most recently as Governor of Education until 2006. In his youth, he worked with three Broadway directors: Alan Schneider (Arena Stage, D.C.), Harold Clurman (New York), and Jose Quintaro (Circle in the Square, New York). He was featured as comic relief in the film
Wings of Hope,
and also featured in
Unsolved Mysteries, The Net
with Sandra Bullock, and other major films. He just directed
The Will Rogers Follies
at LTA. In January 2008, he will direct
The Winslow Boys
at Aldersgate Church Community Theater.
Catherine Manley
(Musical Theatre)
relocated to the area seven years ago from New York City, where she was active as a chamber musician and concert pianist performing around the country and in Europe. Cathy has served as musical director and accompanist for several organizations and theatres in the metropolitan area. Vocally, she has performed with the Boston Symphony under conductors such as Sir Colin Davis, Claudio Abbado, Sergi Ozawa, and Robert Shaw, and in recital. She works as an accompanist with several well-known singers and instrumentalists, and has collaborated with internationally known authors on various musical projects. She maintains a full class of private students and does professional coaching, and has authored teaching and ear- training methods. Some of her awards include Artist-in-Residence for the Foundation for the Arts in New York City, an ACT Awards for Best Musical Director, and winner of several concerto competitions. Cathy sat as President of the Board of the Mount Vernon Community Children's Theatre, is listed in
Who's Who of American Teachers, Who's Who of American Business Women,
and is a member of MTNA and NVTA.
Rob Maro
(Improv I – Introduction to Improv)
happily stumbled upon improv after taking other acting classes at LTA. Before enrolling in improv classes at LTA, DC Improv and Washington Improv Theater, Rob's past theatre experience included roles in Alice in
Wonderland, The Sound of Music, The Government Inspector,
and
As You Like It.
Having discovered the joy that is improv for more than three years now, Rob founded his own troupe and performed as a main-stage player at the Comedy Spot (with Comedy Sportz) in Arlington. Shortly after performing with Comedy Sportz, he began teaching Intro to Improv and Improv II at LTA, and offers improv workshops around the D.C. area.
Cheryl Felicia Rhoads
(Young Artist’s Master Class – Advanced Acting Class,
Grades 5 - 8)
is an actress, writer, director, acting coach and lecturer, working in Los Angeles for 20 years. Her students have been among The Disney Channel's brightest stars. She recently relocated to teach acting in Washington, D.C. In addition to her work as an award-winning actress, Cheryl has written for various television shows including
The Doc Insider
– behind-the-scenes segments for the PAX series
Doc,
starring Billy Ray Cyrus; and NBC's
The Motown Revue,
while also co-starring as a series regular with Arsenio Hall and Smokey Robinson. As an actress, she guest starred on the ABC sitcom Rodney. She also guest starred with Annie Potts in the hit Lifetime series Any Day Now. Cheryl has appeared on
Married…with Children, Saved By The Bell and The Client,
to name just a few. She co-starred as a regular with Ben Affleck on Against The Grain. Cheryl is perhaps best known as Mother Goose in
The Mother Goose Video/DVD Treasury.
She directed an acclaimed comedy revue at Los Angeles' legendary The Groundlings Theatre. Her show was entitled
Accompanied By Adults,
and featured both children and adult actors. Cheryl worked at ABC's
America's Funniest People
as a Segment Producer, finding comedic talent all over the United States. Her Comedy Troupe for Kids and Teens was praised by
New Times Los Angeles Magazine;
citing her comedy classes as the "best in Los Angeles." In Chicago, Cheryl was awarded the prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actress in a Revue for
An Evening with the Fine Line.
She also won The Drama Logue Award for the Los Angeles production of that show.
Della Nikol Sandor
(Creative Movement and Drama, Grades K – 2)
is a director, choreographer, teacher, and playwright. She has over 30 years of training and experience in stage, television and film. She has directed shows from Florida to Virginia to Los Angeles, including specials for CBS and NBC television. Locally she has taught and directed for (as Theatre Director) Mount Vernon High School (attaining for the first time, six Cappie nominations), Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Fairfax County Public Schools - Primary and Secondary, and K through college level and beyond. Della also coaches privately for students in the D.C. metro area. She has trained under and worked with Tony Bennett, Burt Reynolds, Jose Quintero (founder/director of Circle in the Square, New York City), Jerry Lewis, Elizabeth Ashley, Charles Nelson Reilly, Charles Durning, Eva Gabor, Maria Shriver, Loni Anderson, Sally Kellerman, Melissa Joan Hart, playwrights Edward Albee and William Mastrosimone, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Martha Graham, and the Florida Ballet, to name a few. Della is also an actress, singer and dancer. She has been a performing artist since the age of five. Other credits include production and casting with Steven Spielberg Productions, jazz vocalist with the celebrated MVP Quartet, and instrumentalist with local and national bands, playing tenor sax and clarinet. She is also experienced in original plays, musicals and dramaturgy. Della has a Musical Theatre degree (Magna Cum Laude) from Florida School of the Arts, and is a graduate of the Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre Training. She has a master's degree from Florida State University and has been a member of Actor's Equity Association, a member of the Screen Actor's Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Eligible since 1991. She has received over 12 awards since 2003 – most recently,
Great Women of the 21st Century
for Mastery in the Performing Arts,
Who's Who
(two consecutive years), and
Outstanding Female Executive.
Frank D. Shutts II
(Acting II – The Tools of the Trade)
has taught a variety of classes for LTA during the past 24 years including Acting I, Acting II, Scene Study, Acting Shakespeare, Acting in Comedy, Acting Styles, Improvisation, and Directing. His last course,
Shakespeare Here and Abroad,
culminated with a class trip to Stratford upon Avon and London, retracing the footsteps of the Bard. Frank is currently serving his third year as the main-stage director for Bishop Ireton High School's drama department, repeating a similar role he held for McLean High School from 1987-1993. A student and devotee of Dorthie R. Kogelman, Frank continued his study of theatre and dramatic literature at Northern Virginia Community College and The University of Maryland, University College. Other duties for LTA include President (2000-2004), Governor and Vice President of Education (1983-1989), and director of 17 award-winning plays and musicals (1980-present).
Linda Wells
(Singing for Musical Theatre)
is a private vocal teacher and coach, and works primarily with children and teens. She has appeared in many musical theatre productions locally and elsewhere including
The Music Man, Sweeney Todd, The Sound of Music, 1776, Side by Side by Sondheim, Brigadoon, George M!, Company, Fiorello!, Guys and Dolls, and Godspell.
Linda was the Musical Director for LTA's
A Christmas Carol
(2004, 2005 and 2006), and
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
(2002 and 2003). She was also the Musical Director for Mount Vernon Community Children's Theatre's
Narnia
Roberta Masters-Cullen
(Creative Drama for Kindergarteners)
is a member of AFTRA and works as a voiceover artist performing radio and television commercials locally and nationally. Other broadcast experience includes working as a television news anchor and reporter at NBC affiliates in Ohio, as well as being the Snow Reporter for the Aspen ski area one winter long ago. With a degree in fine arts from Ohio University, Roberta appeared onstage in Colorado before moving to the Washington area and performing here. She put the demands of theatre aside to raise her own family, and is excited to get back to her acting “roots” at The Little Theatre of Alexandria. She has also taught an acting class at Mount Vernon Elementary School in Del Ray through the Alexandria City public school system.
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