Dates/Times: Friday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30

• Friday, April 28 (4:30PM to 7PM)
• Saturday, April 29 (10AM to 4PM)
• Sunday, April 30 (11AM to 3PM - performance at 2:30PM)

Grades: 4th to 7th

Teaching Artists: Elle and Breezy*

Location: In person at SPARC

Back by popular demand! Youth who love to sing and dance will get a kick out of this weekend-long experience. Participants will come to SPARC on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to learn music and choreography for favorite numbers from Broadway shows.

Youth will practice a variety of styles of music and dance, from ballads to big, brassy showtunes. Foundational theatre skills will be further emphasized through daily warm-ups and creative theatre games. Souvenir tee shirts, a pizza party, and an opportunity to perform for loved ones in SPARC's theater round out this unique intensive-style workshop!

Interested in scholarships? Read this page first.

You can find recent updates to SPARC's COVID-19 guidelines here.

*Teachers subject to change.

Date & Time: May 1, 2023 from 6PM to 8PM

Grades: 8th to 12th

Guest Artist: Grey Garret, with Allison Beckett*

Location: In-person at SPARC

This two-hour introduction will equip young artists with skills and knowledge unique to the world of commercial voiceover artistry. Local voiceover professional Grey Garrett will lead you through a day in the life as you prep for a mock ad reading. This includes specialized warm-ups, vocal heath practices, and methods to feel confident and comfortable heading into an audition. Grey will also teach her preferred method of how to investigate a script and effectively deliver it with character, emphasis, and dynamics. Participants in this course will also learn to identify names and functions of basic equipment commonly used in voiceover work, along with practical advice on next steps to explore the industry.

Grey Garrett is an award-winning actor, singer, and voiceover talent. Originally from Virginia, she moved to NYC to pursue the arts after graduating from Atlee High School. In New York, she attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and also studied at Columbia University. Her early career included work on soap operas, and films and singing on cruise ships. She has worked with many film and TV stars, including Dennis Leary, Marisa Tomei, Tatum O’Neal, Charles Durning, Harvey Keitel, Daniel Radcliffe, Julie Taymor, and Stephen Pasquale to name a few. Locally, Garrett is most at home on stage or in a recording studio. She has been the recipient of several Richmond Theatre Critic’s Circle awards, including a recent award for “Best Supporting Performance in a Musical” for Virginia Repertory Theatre’s production of MAMMA MIA! Though Garrett loves to sing many vocal styles, she has a small following who delight in her hauntingly accurate impression of Judy Garland. As a voiceover artist, she has recorded hundreds of spots for a wide variety of clients and teaches an introductory class at In Your Ear Recording Studio. Grey is delighted to bring her knowledge and experience to SPARC, a place that inspired and bolstered her own talents as a student many years ago. 

Interested in scholarships? Read this page first.

You can find recent updates to SPARC's COVID-19 guidelines here.

*Teaching Artists subject to change.

Date/Time: Saturday, May 6 from 10AM to 11AM

Grades: 5th to 8th

Teaching Artist: Breezy & Maggie*

Location: In person and outdoors at SPARC

Get to know SPARC through one of our free Pop-Up classes! We offer one Pop-Up class per age group several times per year to provide an opportunity to learn more about what we do in longer-term SPARC classes. Pop-Ups are one-time workshops offering an hour of exploration through different theatrical lessons. Topics may include storytelling, dance, singing, improv games, knowledge-building theatre exercises, and more. Pop-Ups are also a great way for young people to connect with new friends who share an interest in performing arts.

SPARC faculty and staff will be available after Pop-Ups to offer information about upcoming classes and opportunities for students to get involved.

Interested in scholarships? Read this page before enrolling.

You can find recent updates to SPARC's COVID-19 guidelines here.

*Teaching Artists subject to change.

Date/Time: Saturday, May 6 from 11:15AM to 12:15PM

Grades: 9th to 12th

Teaching Artist: Breezy & Maggie*

Location: In person and outdoors at SPARC

Get to know SPARC through one of our free Pop-Up classes! We offer one Pop-Up class per age group several times per year to provide an opportunity to learn more about what we do in longer-term SPARC classes. Pop-Ups are one-time workshops offering an hour of exploration through different theatrical lessons. Topics may include storytelling, dance, singing, improv games, knowledge-building theatre exercises, and more. Pop-Ups are also a great way for young people to connect with new friends who share an interest in performing arts.

SPARC faculty and staff will be available after Pop-Ups to offer information about upcoming classes and opportunities for students to get involved.

You can find recent updates to SPARC's COVID-19 guidelines here.

*Teaching Artists subject to change.

Date & Time: May 8, 2023 from 6PM to 8PM

Grades: 8th to 12th

Guest Artist: Nicole Nielsen, with Allison Beckett*

Location: In-person at SPARC

This introduction to stand-up comedy is designed to get the creative juices flowing! Over the course of this two-hour class, you'll explore ways to unlock ideas, practice writing those ideas with a joke structure, and try out a few lines of material to share with the rest of the class. Stand-Up 101 celebrates the positive, personal side of comedy and will focus on spreading joy one joke at a time.

Nicole Nielsen is a local improviser/performer. She has been performing stand up, improv and sketch comedy since 2017. Currently Nicole can be seen at CSZ Richmond performing improvised comedy. She has taught Improv 101 at the Coalition Theater and has a background in teaching. She loves comedy and it brings her immense joy to teach others how to perform and enjoy comedy as much as she does! 

Interested in scholarships? Read this page first.

You can find recent updates to SPARC's COVID-19 guidelines here.

*Teaching Artists subject to change.

Date & Time: May 15, 2023 from 6PM to 8PM

Grades: 8th to 12th

Guest Artist: Bishal Upreti, with Allison Beckett*

Location: In-person at SPARC

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to share your talents in a competitive reality show? Our guest artist for this class, Bishal Upreti, knows all about it! Bishal was a recent contestant on a competition dance program in Nepal called Mero Dance Cup. While on the show, he explored many dance forms, worked with highly skilled and experienced choreographers, and developed deep knowledge about the reality tv experience.

In this master class, you’ll learn choreography sequences and movement styles from Bishal. Then, he’ll answer all your questions about what it’s like to be on tv – how to prepare, stay focused, manage your nerves and mental health, and more.

Bishal is also an alumnus of SPARC’s New Voices for the Theater program, where his original play was produced in 2018! 

Interested in scholarships? Read this page first.

You can find recent updates to SPARC's COVID-19 guidelines here.

Date/Time: Saturday, May 20 from 10AM to 10:45AM 

Grades: Pre-K and Kindergarten

Teaching Artists: Trina and Garrett*

Location: In person and outdoors at SPARC

Get to know SPARC through one of our free Pop-Up classes! We offer one Pop-Up class per age group several times per year to provide an opportunity to learn more about what we do in longer-term SPARC classes. Pop-Ups are one-time workshops offering an hour of exploration through different theatrical lessons. Topics may include storytelling, dance, singing, improv games, knowledge-building theatre exercises, and more. Pop-Ups are also a great way for young people to connect with new friends who share an interest in performing arts.

SPARC faculty and staff will be available after Pop-Ups to offer information about upcoming classes and opportunities for students to get involved.

You can find recent updates to SPARC's COVID-19 guidelines here.

*Teaching Artists subject to change.

Date/Time: Saturday, May 20 from 11AM to noon

Grades: 1st to 4th

Teaching Artists: Trina and Garrett*

Location: In person and outdoors at SPARC

Get to know SPARC through one of our free Pop-Up classes! We offer one Pop-Up class per age group several times per year to provide an opportunity to learn more about what we do in longer-term SPARC classes. Pop-Ups are one-time workshops offering an hour of exploration through different theatrical lessons. Topics may include storytelling, dance, singing, improv games, knowledge-building theatre exercises, and more. Pop-Ups are also a great way for young people to connect with new friends who share an interest in performing arts.

SPARC faculty and staff will be available after Pop-Ups to offer information about upcoming classes and opportunities for students to get involved.

You can find recent updates to SPARC's COVID-19 guidelines here.

*Teaching Artists subject to change.