WINTER CLASSES

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Instructor:  Kaitlyn Stockwell

9:00am - 10:30am

February 12, 2022 - March 5, 2022

Ages 13 - 18

$100

Classes are every Saturday for four weeks

Improvisational theatre requires the actor to be open and trusting- to ‘live in the moment’ on stage. Excellent actors possess these skills even with a script in hand.

In Improvisation for Teens, we will study the basic rules and techniques of improvisation, and how they apply to acting in general.  The class will include various improvisational games and exercises that explore listening, supporting your scene partners, imagination, use of the full body, and more.  Students will also participate in scene studies to apply these principles to scripted text.  

About the Instructor

Kaitlyn Stockwell is a native of Baton Rouge where she graduated from LSU with a BA in Theatre Performance. As an actor, she has played Antigone at the Young Theatre Festival in Seoul, South Korea, devised and toured the original work “Children in the Dark” with the Neutral Ground Ensemble, and performed locally at TBR and elsewhere. Most recently, you may have seen her in Clue (Mrs. Peacock), 33 Variations (Clara), or 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Rona Lisa Peretti). Kaitlyn began her theatre teaching career 5 years ago, and currently teaches Talented Theatre at Woodlawn High School. As a teacher, she’s grateful to be able to share her knowledge and experience with young people who share her passion for acting.

Instructor:  Hope Vaughan Carline

9:00am - 10:30am

February 12, 2022 - March 5, 2022

Ages 12+

$100

Class is every Saturday for four weeks

Need to brush up on your dance skills? Has it been a while since auditioned for an in person musical and you haven’t taken any in person dance classes to prepare and you are especially tired of taking dance classes on Zoom. This class is for you. We will brush up on Musical Theatre basics as well as work on combinations from many different show types/genres to get you ready for your next audition. Got ideas of what you may be auditioning for next, bring them in, we will get you prepared.

A message from the Instructor

I am an elementary school teacher with 3 beautiful children who are all involved in theatre. I was involved in theatre as a singer and dancer through high school. After high school I began teaching dance- primarily jazz and musical theatre, although I also taught ballet and tap for 11 years. This is when my love for musical theatre grew even more and I began choreographing and performing in musicals again which is what I have been doing for the last 2 years. I can’t wait to dance with you during your theatre journey.

Instructor:  Amy Himel Gomez

10:30am - 12:00pm

February 12, 2022 - March 5, 2022

Ages 9 - 12

$100

Classes are every Saturday for four weeks

We know that during quarantine and the pandemic you MAY have not had the chance to use your acting skills on stage and MAY have gotten a bit rusty.  If this is the case for you- or you just want to work on honing your skills - this is the class for you!

This class will focus on stage presence skills, improvisation and character building, using open scenes and monologues.  Concentration on these skills will help the performer fine tune their craft and become more stage ready as an actor.

Short monologues will be selected by the instructor.

About the Instructor

Amy Himel Gomez is currently in her 11th year of teaching Talented Theatre in Ascension Parish Schools. Amy received her B.A. in Theatre Performance from Louisiana State University. She has been a student of acting for 25 years and acting professionally for over 15 years. Some of her theatre credits include: Alice in Wonderland (Queen of Hearts), How I Learned to Drive (Grandmother), Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Frances), Love, Loss, and What I Wore (Heather), Laundry and Bourbon (Elizabeth) and Vanities (Joann). Film and television credits include: I Love You, Phillip Morris, Stall Tactics, Waiting Dead. Radio and commercial credits include: work with Woman’s Hospital, Raising Cane’s, Cox Communications, and Advanced Office Systems.  Amy enjoys dedicating her time to teaching the acting skills she has learned on the stage and on set. She has had the honor of teaching camps and workshops for Playmakers of Baton Rouge, Centerstage Performing Arts Academy in Gonzales, and Drama Kids International at a variety of local Baton Rouge schools.  Amy is very excited to be welcomed into the Theatre Baton Rouge family as an educator!

Instructor:  Beth Bordelon

10:30am - 12:00pm

February 12, 2022 - March 5, 2022

Ages 8 - 14

$100

Classes held every Saturday for four weeks

This class is for the beginning to intermediate singer.  

Students will earn about singing basics such as (breath, placement, body alignment, range and dynamics).   Students will also learn about audition preparation.  Song choices and audition cuts will be covered and prepared.  The 'singing actor' will learn to explore how to interpret and connect to the lyrics by telling the story in the song. 

About the Instructor

BETH NASH BORDELON has been a music, voice and drama educator for over thirty-five years, serving the last 30 years as choir and drama teacher at National Blue Ribbon School, St. Aloysius School in Baton Rouge, La. In addition to class voice, Beth maintains a private voice studio. She holds a BME in voice and conducting from University of LA, Monroe and a MM in vocal performance from Southeastern Louisiana University. Beth has extensive experience performing with community and professional theaters and opera companies both as music director and singing artist. As a music director, vocal coach and conductor of musical theatre she has led recent productions of 9-5 The Musical, Guys and Dolls, Legally Blonde, Curtains, Fiddler on the Roof and The Addams Family. Beth is a trained evaluator for the State of Louisiana for gifted and talented students in performing arts. 

Instructor:  Roger Ferrier

6:30pm - 8:00pm

February 14, 2022 - March 11, 2022

Ages 16+

$200

Class will meet Monday and Friday for four weeks

In this class, you will learn to analyze text to develop bold character choices in a scene. While doing so, you will make use of you own unique artistic voice to discover the truth in imaginary events along with an environment for mistakes to be made and your own thought process explored.

In pairs, you will tackle scenes and learn to feed into your partner with a "give and take" approach . By the end of the 4 weeks, you'll have enhanced your ability to rehearse and add layers to your performances.

About the Instructor

Roger Ferrier started his acting journey 12 years ago with roots in his B.F.A. in Media Arts and Animation for the Art Institute of Atlanta. Passionate about his learning, he enrolled in the Educational Program at The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta,Ga. It was there that he studied the art of Acting from basics to performance. After his years there, he went on to immerse himself in Stage Acting in the community theater circuits. Always wanting to learn more, he worked as an assistant scenic designer and picked up the hobby of script-writing. After moving back to Louisiana, he quickly searched the local theaters and earned acclaim for performances in plays such as In The Heights", The Piano Lesson and Fences. Five years ago, he tried on the shoes as director and since has directed six stage productions, two of which he wrote himself. Now, this time, he is passing along his knowledge as an acting teacher.

Instructor:  Greg Williams

6:00pm - 7:30pm

February 15, 2022 - March 10, 2022

Ages 16+

$200

Classes are every Tuesday and Thursday for four weeks

The art of playwriting is bringing a character's truth to light through the relationship between text and action.  

Guided by playwright Greg Williams, Jr., this journey will explore scripting moments for the stage from monologue to dialogue.   This class culminates in a final work sharing, read aloud by professional actors, and a playwright talkback.

About the Instructor

Greg Williams, Jr. is in his ninth season as Artistic Director at New Venture Theatre. Before beginning his role at New Venture, he served as a co-founder of the King Little Theatre and the Creative Production Company.

His professional theatre background includes working with Don Holder (Tony Award Winning Lighting Designer for Disney's The Lion King), The Negro Ensemble Theatre Company (NYC), Black Theatre Network (New York), The Little Black Box Theatre Company (New Jersey), Northwestern State University (Louisiana) and American Family Theatre (Philadelphia.) In addition, he conceived the highly acclaimed musicals Shout! and Sweet Georgia Brown, who played to sell-out audiences.

As Artistic Director for New Venture, Mr. Williams' directing credits include over 35 productions such as August Wilson's Fences, the regional premiere of The Color Purple, Aida, Dreamgirls, Fat Pig, and Lady Day Emerson's Bar and Grill.

Mr. Williams is a graduate of Northwestern State University (Bachelor of Arts), Ellis College of New York (Masters in Business), and the International Association of Assembly Management Performing Arts School (Graduate Certificate.) He has earned many distinctions, including a State of Louisiana Commendation for his contributions to the performing arts in the African American community, I hope Award for his dedication to the arts, MLK Leadership Award for leadership in the arts community, and the Baton Rouge Links Louisiana Role Model Award for contributions to the performing arts community. Under his leadership, New Venture has also earned distinction for productions of artistic excellence and highly praised theatrical diversity.