Date/Time: Tuesdays (January 28 to April 22; no class 4/1) from 5:45PM to 7PM

Location: In person at SPARC

Grades: 3rd-5th

Visual art and performing arts combine in Design & Drama! Young people who love to make crafts, draw, or paint will find a new creative outlet in this class. We'll use hands-on arts experiences to learn about behind-the-scenes roles like props, costume, and set design. Students will use their new creations during class through acting, improvisation, and character development exercises. Design & Drama is a wonderful starting point for young people who want to later explore SPARC's technical theatre and design classes, like StageCraft or Backstage Camp!

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.

Interested in scholarships? Read this page first

*Teachers subject to change.

Photo Credit: Liz Earnest

Dates/Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays (January 28 to April 24; no class 4/1 and 4/3) from 6:30PM to 8:00PM

Location: In person at SPARC

Grades: 8th 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.

SPARC’s new Improv Troupe takes students on a journey through various short and long formats of improvisational comedy, with an emphasis on finding "the game", building improvised scenes and characters, and coming together as a performing ensemble!

Students will first explore short form improvisation through situational games and exercises, followed by long-form improvised scene work and "jams", all leading up to a final mastery of a professional-level "Harold" (a longform improvised format which emphasizes patterns, themes and group discoveries).

SPARC Improvisers will showcase their skills over 3 performances held throughout the semester upon mastery of each improvisational format (Short Form Showcase, Long Form Jam/Showcase, Final Harold Format Performance).

Improv Troupe will be led by a SPARC instructor with experience in improvisation and comedy from Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB New York), The Comedy Store, HaHa Comedy Club, Laugh Index Theatre, and more.

Dates/Time: Wednesdays (January 29 to April 23; no class 4/2) from 4PM to 4:45PM

Location: In person at SPARC

Grades: Pre-K (ages 4+) and Kindergarten

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.

Creative Drama is a perfect introduction to the world of theatre. This class emphasizes young children’s inherent sense of play, musicality, and imagination. Each day in Creative Drama offers lessons in storytelling, creative movement, group music, and theatre games. While students learn the building blocks and vocabulary of theatre, they’ll also practice important skills like listening, teamwork, and empathizing with others through stories. At the end of this class, the students will perform a sample of what they’ve learned for a small audience of friends and family. No two Creative Drama courses are ever the same. Because of this, we recommend that most children sign up for this class for multiple seasons while they build their theatrical foundation!

Interested in sholarships? Read this page first.

*Teachers subject to change.

Photo credit: Liz Earnest

Dates/Time: Wednesdays (January 29 to April 23; no class 4/2) from 4:30PM to 6:00PM with 2 final performance dates (April 26 and April 30).

Location: In person at SPARC

Grades: 2nd and 3rd Grade

Showstoppers Jr. is a semester-long program for young people grades who are ready to commit to a rehearsal and performance process without the stress of an audition. Students in this class will meet for an hour and thirty minutes once a week. During that time, the cast of Showstoppers Jr. will learn skills like audition preparation, rehearsal etiquette, collaboration, and – of course – they’ll learn their show! 

This spring, Showstoppers Jr. presents Alice in Wonderland.

Performance Dates: April 26 and April 30

Interested in scholarships? Read this page first.

*Teaching artists subject to change.

Date/Time: Wednesdays (January 29 to April 23; no class 4/2) 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

Dates/Time: Wednesdays (January 29 to April 30; no class 2/26 or 4/2) from 6:30PM to 8:00PM

Location: In person at SPARC

Grades: 8th 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.

The Performer's Process will give young artists an opportunity to work on their skills as a singer, actor and dancer. The course is divided into three units over the course of twelve weeks with a rotation of Teaching Artists.

For four weeks each of the performance disciplines will be given full focus.  Ultimately empowering the youth to make creative character-driven choices, convey emotion through song and dance, and become confident storytellers. 

This course is designed with all people in mind and will run at a pace designed for beginning to intermediate level performers. This class will also offer support for audition prep and how to prepare and perform a monologue and a song for a musical theatre audition.  This material will work well for auditions at school, in the community, or here at SPARC!

In the Singer's Process unit, the youth will begin as an ensemble, building an understanding of their vocal range, how to warm up the voice, sustain healthy vocal practices, and build the confidence necessary to sing independently. Once they feel ready, youth will begin to work one-on-one with the instructor to practice performing a song of their choosing.  Through this individual vocal coaching, youth will develop techniques like projection, breath support, and physicality. 

In the Actor’s Process unit, young people will explore a series of foundational acting exercises designed to help them discover the methods that work for them as an actor when developing a character. Through monologues and scene work, actors will practice using vocal and physical expression to convey emotion, react to their partner, and tell a convincing story. 

In the Dancer's Process unit, the youth will learn and practice various dance styles to build their confidence and experience in musical theatre. In practicing dance, youth will build skills like conveying emotion through movement, building endurance and coordination, functioning as an ensemble, and retaining patterns of choreography over time.  

Interested in scholarships? Read this page first.

*Teachers subject to change.

Dates/Time: Wednesdays (January 29 to April 23; no class 4/2) from 6:30PM to 7:45PM

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

Dates/Time: Thursdays (January 30 to April 24; no class 4/3) from 4:00PM to 5:00PM

Location: In person at SPARC

Grades: 3rd to 4th

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