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3^rd-5^th Acting: Ghost Stories & Fall Folklore

Teacher: Emil Ginter

With pumpkin spice and fall leaves in the air, let’s gather around the campfire to explore acting out some super fun stories. We’ll explore America folklore like Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan & Pecos Bill. Then we’ll take a turn and also explore some silly and scary stories filled with ghosts, goblins, witches and wizards. We’ll take these extraordinary characters and turn them into memorable and exciting scenes while learning about stage presence, acting fundamentals and dynamic storytelling. Whether you want to grow as a performer, storytelling or actor, this class will give you confidence and newfound acting skills.

Skills Focus:

·         Understanding How Genre and Acting Style Influence Scripts

·         Creating Dynamic and Interesting Vocal Storytelling and Narrating

·         Using the Body and Voice to Show Character

·         Understanding and Discussing Character Motivations

·         Using Facial Expressions, Movement, Gestures, Vocal Color and Physicality in Acting

·         Creating Real and Abstract Imagined Characters

Tuesdays 4:00-5:00

3^rd-5th Acting: Let’s PLAY! Acting Games for Creativity and Confidence

Teacher: Joe Savino

We hear a lot of times when grown-ups ask their student what they learned, the student replies “Well, we just played games!” Especially in theatre, the art of playing games is one of the best ways to learn. By combing high energy movement, decision making, group work, creativity and exploration students will gain confidence both as a group and as individual performers. We’ll practice some improv games, which means making things up on the spot. We’ll also do group games that require listening and responding to our partners. Finally, we’ll also play some games which require the use of our bodies head to toe. This class will encourage quick thinking and the idea that there are NO wrong answers in creating. Everyone will be given a chance to be a both leader and a follower in this dynamic and challenging format. While this class will feel like a ton of playing, students will all along be learning skills that they can apply to performing and to life.

Skills Focus:

·         Responses and Quick Thinking

·         Focus and Following Structure

·         Using our Bodies, Voices and Movement

·         Listening and Following Directions

·         Gaining Confidence in Sharing Ideas and Collaborating

·         Creating in a Group Environment

·         Ability to Communicate Unique Ideas

·         Creating Fun and Creative Characters

Mondays 5:00-6:00

3^rd-5^th Musical Theatre: Zombies vs. Descendants

Teacher: Mollie Peery

Using songs, characters and concepts from TWO of Disney’s most popular franchises, we will sing, dance and act our way across the stage! We will learn choreography, lyrics, scenes and characters from the movies of Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. and Descendants. With catchy songs like “Alien Invasion”, “Rotten to the Core”, “Good is the New Bad”, and “Ain’t No Doubt About It”, we KNOW this is one high energy class you will NOT want to stop practicing and performing. Students will become a true “triple thread” while developing their singing, dancing and acting. Harness the fun and excitement of Disney and bring that magic to the stage!

Skills Focus:

·         Learning and Performing Basic Dance Steps and Choreography

·         Acting Truthful Scenes

·         Basic Voice and Singing Techniques

·         Learning & Memorizing

·         How to Use Stage Business in Scenes

·         Stage Pictures and Working with an Ensemble

Tuesdays 5:00-6:00

3^rd-5th Musical Theatre: Sponge Bob the Musical

Teacher: Cyndy Soumar

Everyone’s favorite sponge has come to musical theatre! We will use characters, songs and scenes from the beloved SpongeBob SquarePants world to practice our singing, dancing and acting. Some quotes regarding the Broadway production included “Brilliant”, “The music in the show is…spectacular”, “It wants you to have fun. Soak it in”. As colorful and energetic as the show on which it’s base, this class with have you grinning from ear to ear while singing and dancing in bikini bottom. Don’t miss out!

Skills Focus:

·         Singing and Projection

·         Understanding Adaptation

·         Choreography & Dancing

·         Working Together as a Group

·         Energy and Excitement in Performing

·         Confidence in Performing Musical Theatre

Thursdays 4:00-5:00

3^rd-8th Acting/Writing: From Page to Stage

Teacher: Emil Ginter

Let’s take some of your favorite ideas, stories, characters and make it come to life on stage! We’ll be focusing on adaptation, taking inspiration from books, music, movies or TV and creating scenes and scripts with them. Students will practice being both writers and actors. This class with also explore the elements, challenges and aspects that make live theatre unique and special as a performing art. Bring your pen and your great ideas and like make something new!

Skills Focus:
·         Script Structure and Format
·         Generating Ideas and Creativity
·         Adapting Other Work for Stage
·         Creating Dialogue and Movement
·         Refining and Developing Scripts

Tuesdays 6:00-7:00

4^th-8th Dance: Foundations in Jazz/Ballet

Teacher: Mollie Peery

*Note: This is a mixed age group

Whether you consider yourself a seasoned dancer or just want to improve your skills, this class is great for aspiring dancers. Ballet foundations give you basic arm and leg movements and help you learn correct posture. Jazz teaches us versatility and style. Both jazz and ballet are heavily used in the musical theatre world in work and performances. Students will also learn correct terminology and basic building block steps. This foundational class with help students develop dance structure, clean technique, discipline and flexibly.

Skills Focus:

·         Understanding Basic Dance Terminology

·         Corrections on Various Steps, Posture and Execution

·         Warm ups: Strengthening, Stretching, Isolations

·         Using Your Body to Express Creativity

·         Moving to Music and Rhythms

·         Working in Groups/with Partners

·         Picking up Choreography Quickly

·         Confidence in Dance Auditions/Callbacks

Tuesdays 6:00-7:00

4^th-8th Voice: Christmas Harmonies/Tour Group

Teacher: Ali Kordelewski

*Note: This is a mixed age group

Students in this class with start celebrating Christmas early. Being able to understand different “parts” and “hold harmony” is an essential part of being in a show, choir or other singing group. We’ll will help students understand where their vocal range lies, and how to hear, rehearse and “hold” a vocal part. We will work on producing 2- and 3-part harmonies using some beloved, nostalgic and fun modern Christmas songs. The students with work together to focus on blending well as a group. THEN in December, the students will perform a short set of Christmas music around Western Springs for 3-4 “mini shows”. If you love Christmas and want to work on your vocal chops, this is a GREAT class for you!

Skills Focus:

·         Group Performance and Adaptability

·         Blending and Holding Vocal Parts in a Group

·         Vocal Ranges, Projection, Diction and Improving Vocal Quality

·         Singing with Others

·         Using Expressive Faces and Gestures

·         Listening and Replicating Rhythms, Tones and Sequences

·         Various Vocal Warm-Ups and Exercises

Tuesdays 5:00-6:00

HS: Improv for Actors

Teacher: Karen Holbert

In this class, we make stuff up! Literally. There is no script, nothing to memorize, just a lot of learning to say “yes”. We’ll play a ton of short-form improvisation games which help performers learn to take risks, listen to their partners, share ideas and environments while moving the scene forward. Improv isn’t just about being funny, it’s about creating something that has never been seen before. You’ll gain confidence acting on your feet and trusting your scene partners. We will explore how improv can also inform our work as actors and help us develop our characters and scenes.

Skills Focus:

·         Basic Short Form Games

·         Quick Thinking and Responsiveness

·         Yes And

·         Dramatic Improv

·         Applying Improv to Scripted Work

·         Creating Shared Environments

·         Using Pantomime and Creative Object Work

·         Listening and Sharing Space

Thursdays 5:00-7:00

HS Specialty: Storytelling & Standup

Teacher: Joe Savino & Greg Kolack

Recently, TWS has been hosting various storytelling events inspired by “The Moth”. We’ll be learning how to take our own unique life experiences, creativity, voice and memories and craft them into a memorable or comedic story. You’ll learn how to discover your own unique voice and become comfortable telling your story center stage in an authentic and captivating way. 

Skills Focus:

·         Using Humor in Storytelling

·         Storytelling Structure

·         Idea Generation

·         Refining and Editing Stories

·         Performance Skills in Storytelling

Thursdays 5:00-7:00

Jr High/HS: Musical Theatre: Golden Age Musicals

Teacher: Cyndy Soumar

*Note: This is a mixed-age group

This class will be exploring the rich and beautiful history and work of the “Gold Age” of Musical Theatre. With their own unique style and challenges, we will learn how to appreciate and performing this body of work. Shows like Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, Singin’ in the Rain, and Sound of Music will serve as our source material and inspiration. We’ll also be discussing themes, ideas, and social challenges of producing these works. Let’s get up and dance, sing, and act!

Skills Focus:

·         Musical Theatre Choreography & Vocal Styles

·         Golden Age Style, Characteristics and Genre

·         Connecting with Universal Themes & Ideas

·         Acting Scenes with Honesty and Relatability

·         History of Golden Age Musicals

Mondays 6:00 - 8:00 

Jr High Improv

Teacher: Karen Holbert

In this class, we make stuff up! Literally. There is no script, nothing to memorize, just a lot of learning to say “yes”. We’ll play a ton of short-form improvisation games which help performers learn to take risks, listen to their partners, share ideas and environments while moving the scene forward. Improv isn’t just about being funny, it’s about creating something that has never been seen before. You’ll gain confidence acting on your feet and trusting your scene partners.

Skills Focus:

·         Basic Short Form Games

·         Quick Thinking and Responsiveness

·         Yes And

·         Creating Shared Environments

·         Using Pantomime and Creative Object Work

·         Listening and Sharing Space

Thursdays 4:00-5:00

Jr High Voice/Acting: Into the Woods

Teacher: Ali Kordelewski

One of Stephen Sondheim’s most beloved works “Into the Woods” has recently seen a revival in popularity due to it timeless messages, colorful characters and intoxicating melodies. Sondheim is most famously known for songs that are musically complex and lyrically dense and intricate. The result is a wonderful challenge and tons of fun to explore. Into the Woods takes characters like Cinderella, Little Red Ridding Hood, The Baker and other beloved tales and weaves it together into an original tale. We’ll focus on performing solos & monologues as well as duets and group numbers. If you’re looking for a great way to challenge and expand your musical theatre chops, this class is it!

Skills Focus:

·         Learning and Performing Basic Dance Steps and Choreography

·         Following and Performing Complex Rhythms & Lyrics

·         Acting Through Songs & Scenes

·         Basic Voice and Singing Techniques

·         Stage Pictures and Working with an Ensemble

Tuesdays 6:00-7:00

 K-2 Acting: Beyond Imagination

Teacher: Cyndy Soumar

Our imaginations are incredible places. We can create whole worlds, places and magical things. We’ll be pulling from some of our favorite creations, ideas and inspiration to use as a basis for acting and storytelling. Students will start with something familiar, and then use it as a springboard to new ideas. What would happen if Moana and Elsa had to be roommates? What if Spiderman was afraid of spiders? Let’s pretend that all bears can talk!  What would a restaurant in space be like? Students will practice paying attention to emotions and feelings to create authentic reactions and responses. A strong sense of improvisation and play will be used to encourage students to be big and bold with their ideas. We’ll also work on learning how to listen to others and help build off of their ideas, using the concept “Yes and”. The sky is really the limit in this class. Students will use all five of their sense to take in information and use it to create characters, stories and ideas.

Skills Focus:

·         Imagination

·         Theatre Basics & Stage Directions

·         Incorporating & Identifying Emotions and Feelings

·         Creativity and Group Think Idea Sharing

·         Group Dynamics/Collaboration

·         Using five senses to create

·         Improvisation and make-believe

·         Being able to share abstract ideas and communicate concepts

Tuesdays 4:00-5:00

K-2 Acting: Scenes from Storybooks

Teacher: Cyndy Soumar

“Once upon a time….” Is always the most exciting way to start any story. In this class, we will be working on acting out characters and scenes using the student’s favorite and familiar characters. Together, we will explore how to use our faces, bodies, voices and movement to portray story and ideas. Students will pull from well known fairy tales as well as be able to bring in some of their favorite stories! We’ll use our imaginations to take those ideas from the page to the stage. Students will also learn theatre basics of stage directions, presentation, posture, focus and movement to help them become more confident people and performers.

Skills Focus:

·         Imagination

·         Theatre Basics & Stage Directions

·         Storytelling & Adaptation

·         Stage Presence and Presentation

·         Speaking Skills and Vocal Projection

·         Creativity and Group Think Idea Sharing

·         Spatial Awareness/Physicality

·         Group Dynamics/Collaboration

Mondays 5:00-6:00

K-2 Musical Theatre Advanced: Songs & Scenes from Seuss

*Pre-requisite: 4 prior CTWS classes/camps

Teacher: Emil Ginter

This class is designed for the younger student who has decided that theatre is “their thing” and wants to take their skills to the next level! We’ll we build on the basics that the students have learned previously to move on to more advanced concepts. This class will introduce some basic choreography sequences (dance) as well as focus on basic healthy singing technique. We’ll also work in delivering and memorizing some lines. Students will refine their stage presence and how to move on stage. We’ll use our “actors toolbelt” to dive into using our voice, body, and space to create. And best of all, it will all be done with some silly and wonderful characters, songs and scenes from the mind of Dr. Seuss. This is perfect for the student who’s ready to take the next step into training.

Skills Focus:

·         Paying Attention and Taking Directing Independently & as a Group

·         Memorization & Line Delivery

·         Body Movement and Dance

·         Repetition and Refinement

·         Creating a Character

·         Retention and Building on Previous Material

·         Physicality, Vocal Technique & Use of Space

Tuesdays 5:00-6:00

K-2 Musical Theatre: Encanto Monday

Teacher: Joe Savino

Okay, by now we KNOW you want to talk about Bruno! Get ready to explore our favorite songs and dances with the Familia Madrigal from Encanto! We’ll be learning words and proper singing techniques for several songs, then adding movement and choreography to those songs. In this class, students focus on “triple threat” skills- a little singing, a little dancing, and a little acting. This class is perfect for students new to theatre or who enjoy doing a bunch of different things. We also of course learn to use our imaginations and creativity to make theatrical magic. Come along with us and our friends Mirabel, Isabella, Bruno, and Luisa to sing and dance in this high-energy and high fun class.

Skills Focus:

·         Learning Lyrics and Rhythms

·         Basic Singing and Projection Skills

·         Learning Through Repetition and Practice

·         Basic Body Awareness

·         Basic Dance Movements and Choreography

·         Storytelling and Play

·         Using Emotions and Creativity

Mondays 6:00 - 7:00

K-2 Musical Theatre: Willy Wonka

Teacher: Cyndy Soumar

Enter a world of “pure imagination”. We’ll be singing and dancing to some super sweet songs from Willy Wonka. Students will learn dialogue, movement and stage presence using the colorful and creative characters from the show. This is a great place to start for beginning students and they will get a little bit of each singing, dancing and acting. The class also does a lot of fun group games, imagination exercises and confidence building together. Join us on this wacky and wild ride into the imagination of Roald Dahl and his world of candy.

Skills Focus:

·         Imagination

·         Rhythm/Movement

·         Projection/Singing

·         Spatial Awareness and Body Movement

·         Following Directions

·         Confidence and Listening Skills

·         Group Dynamics

Mondays 4:00-5:00

Music and Movement: Moana

Teacher: TBD

Pre K (Ages 3-5)

Students in this age group focus on classroom dynamics, teamwork, musicality, imagination, storytelling, confidence as well as creating arts and crafts.  This is an 8-week, 45-minute class. This session ends on October  31st 

What can I say except, “you’re welcome” for creating a class based on your latest favorite movie, Moana!?! Let your child’s love of adventure take flight as the class moves through beloved scenes and songs including “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome.” 

Students must be able to toilet independently and are not eligible to audition for the productions.