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12-Week Classes
in Middle School Programs
The Designer's Process (Code 111)
with Corrine and Hannah
![Calendar](https://d9j5qtehtodpj.cloudfront.net/images/icons/color-calendar.png?version=205907)
Dates/Time: Thursdays (September 12 to December 19; no class 10/3, 11/14, and 11/28) from 6:15PM to 7:45PM
Scenic Unit:
- Sept 12
- Sept 19
- Sept 26
- (No class Oct 3)
- Oct 10
Atmospheric Unit:
- Oct 17
- Oct 24
- Oct 31
- Nov 7
Costume Unit:
- (No class Nov 14 - Hadestown Tech)
- Nov 21
- (No class Nov 28 - Thanksgiving)
- Dec 5
- Dec 12
- Dec 19
Location: In person at SPARC
Grades: 6th to 12th
All levels of experience are welcome! Teachers in this class will work with youth at all levels of experience to help them reach their goals.
Designer’s Process will give budding designers an opportunity to work on their skills as a scenic designer, costume designer, and atmospheric designer (lighting/sound/etc). The course is divided into three units over the course of twelve weeks with a rotation of Teaching Artists. Though each discipline will rotate every four weeks, designers will be working on making creative choices around one consistent script. This course is designed with all people in mind and will run at a pace designed for beginning to intermediate level artists. Class may consist of making concept boards, creating models, and researching creative ways to approach technical challenges.
For a more hands-on technical theatre experience, we recommend also joining our yearlong StageCraft program!
Interested in scholarships? Read this page first.
*Teachers subject to change.
Monday Acting & Improv Studio (Code 111)
with Katrinah L.
![Calendar](https://d9j5qtehtodpj.cloudfront.net/images/icons/color-calendar.png?version=205907)
Dates/Time: Mondays (September 16 to December 9; no class 11/4) from 5:15PM to 6:30PM
Location: In person at SPARC
Grades: 5th to 8th
All levels of experience are welcome! Teachers in this class will work with youth at all levels of experience to help them reach their goals.
Young people who enjoy creating characters, telling stories, and immersing themselves in a role will delight in this class with an emphasis on play! Students will expand their understanding of important acting and improvisational skills like working with scene partners, making strong choices, expressing emotion, and saying "yes". This dynamic class also teaches focus, empathy, and commitment.
Acting and Improv Studio starts with a focus on improvisational comedy skills like trusting your instincts and working cooperatively with a team. Then as the session continues, those skills are applied to scripted scene work, where students will expand their understanding of acting through giving life and truth to a character, investing in the character’s given circumstances, and using acting concepts like objectives/obstacles/tactics. At the end of the session, students will share their favorite parts of these two branches of theatre for a small audience of friends and family. Improvisational topics and acting scenes will vary from session to session. Youth who enjoy this class are encouraged to take it more than once so that they can continue to practice their new skills.
Interested in scholarships? Read this page first
*Teachers subject to change.
Photo Credit: Courtney Thompson
Tuesday Musical Theatre Studio (Code 111)
with Katrinah and Paul
![Calendar](https://d9j5qtehtodpj.cloudfront.net/images/icons/color-calendar.png?version=205907)
Date/Time: Tuesdays (September 17 to December 10; no class 11/5) from 5PM to 6:15PM
Location: In person at SPARC
Grades: 5th to 8th
All levels of experience are welcome! Teachers in this class will work with youth at all levels of experience to help them reach their goals.
Jump into the upbeat world of musical theatre in this high-energy class. Students who enjoy singing and dancing will love this opportunity to learn music and choreography from their favorite shows. Young performers will learn several styles of movement and song in this class, while learning more about theatre through games and warm-ups. Students will also grow skills like ensemble-building, information recall, and sharing the spotlight.
Each young person will develop physical and vocal techniques for performance. Vocal skills include expression through choral music, using proper breath support, and following basic conducting gestures. Physical skills include conveying emotion through movement, building endurance and coordination, and retaining patterns of choreography over time. At the end of the session, the youth will perform musical theatre-style songs and dances for a small audience of friends and family.
The world of musical theatre is deep and wide, and there is a wealth of classic and contemporary material to explore in Musical Theatre Studio. Youth who enjoy this class are encouraged to return and learn more from the canon!
Teachers in this class will work with youth at all levels of experience to help them reach their goals.
Interested in scholarships? Read this page first
*Teachers subject to change.
Photo Credit: Liz Earnest
Intermediate Musical Theatre Studio (Code 111)
with Katrinah and Betsy
![Calendar](https://d9j5qtehtodpj.cloudfront.net/images/icons/color-calendar.png?version=205907)
Dates/Time: Thursdays (September 19 to December 19; no class 10/3 and 11/28) from 5:15PM to 6:30PM
Location: In person at SPARC
Grades: 5th to 8th
Students must have completed at least 1 year of previous SPARC programming to enroll in this course. (Example: Two semesters of SPARC classes or one SPARC summer camp & one semester of SPARC class.)
This Intermediate Musical Theatre class is designed to support students who have excelled in their studies in Musical Theatre and would benefit from a more rigorous curriculum.
The focus of SPARC's intermediate classes will be to provide students with more advanced performance materials and guide them through an in-depth process in developing the performer's tool kit.
Interested in scholarships? Read this page first.
*Teachers subject to change.
Photo Credit: Liz Earnest
Intermediate Acting & Improv Studio (Code 111)
with Laine W.
![Calendar](https://d9j5qtehtodpj.cloudfront.net/images/icons/color-calendar.png?version=205907)
Dates/Time: Thursdays (September 19 to December 19; no class 10/3 and 11/28) from 6:30PM to 7:45PM
Location: In person at SPARC
Grades: 5th to 8th
Students must have completed at least 1 year of previous SPARC programming to enroll in this course. (Example: Two semesters of SPARC classes or one SPARC summer camp & one semester of SPARC class.)
This Intermediate Acting & Improv class is designed to support students who have excelled in their studies in Acting & Improv and would benefit from a more rigorous curriculum.
The focus of SPARC's intermediate classes will be to provide students with more advanced performance materials and guide them through an in-depth process in developing the performer's tool kit.
Interested in Scholarships? Read this page first!
*Teachers subject to change.
Photo Credit: Courtney Thompson
Stand-Up Comedy 101 (Code 111)
with Mary Jane
![Calendar](https://d9j5qtehtodpj.cloudfront.net/images/icons/color-calendar.png?version=205907)
Dates/Time: Saturdays (September 21 to December 14; no class 11/30) from 11:00AM to 12:30PM
Location: In person at SPARC
Grades: 5th to 8th
All levels of experience are welcome! Teachers in this class will work with youth at all levels of experience to help them reach their goals.
This introduction to stand-up comedy is designed to get the creative juices flowing! Over the course of this twelve-week class, youth will explore ways to unlock ideas, practice writing those ideas with a joke structure, and try out a few lines of material to share with friends at family at the end of the semester. Stand-Up 101 celebrates the positive, personal side of comedy and will focus on spreading joy one joke at a time.
Interested in Scholarships? Read this page first!
*Teachers subject to change.
Photo Credit: Tom Topinka