Dates/Time: Saturdays April 15 and 22 from 10:30AM to 12:30PM

Teaching Artist: Adam*

Location: In person and indoors/outdoors at SPARC

Grades: 6th to 12th

From Kahlo to Van Gogh, everyone has a favorite painting. In this two-weekend workshop, learn the painting and planning skills needed to recreate a masterpiece of your choice! In the first class, participants will learn how to scale their chosen work of art from a printed version on paper and sketch it onto a larger canvas. Then, it's time for color! Youth will practice paint application and technique during both classes, so it's important to wear clothes you don't mind getting messy. 

When the workshop ends, each participant will have a canvas to take home, featuring their new work of art. Skills emphasized in this class translate well to scenic painting for larger settings, like understanding scale, following a plan, color theory, and brush techniques. SPARC will provide all necessary supplies.

Interested in scholarships? Read this page first!

Click here to read about SPARC's pandemic safety protocols.

*Teaching Artists 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 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.

Dates/Time: Saturdays May 13 and 20 from 10:30AM to 12:30PM

Grades: 6th to 12th

Teaching Artist: Paul*

Location: In-person at SPARC

Learn the basic techniques needed to create out-of-this-world looks for the stage in this two-weekend fantasy makeup workshop. To start, youth will recreate looks from popular shows known for their unique uses of makeup. We’ll pull inspiration from musicals like Beetlejuice, The Lion King, Wicked, Cats, The Little Mermaid, and more! Then in week two, participants will plan and create their own makeup designs, trying new applications of their skills from week one.

This makeup workshop will involve practicing makeup on one’s own face rather than on a model. Be prepared to get a little messy, though SPARC will provide makeup wipes and time to clean up after class. Makeup and application tools are also included in the cost of this workshop. Youth will keep their makeup kits to take home for future practice and projects!.

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.

SPARC requires all students to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Click here to learn more and visit other helpful FAQs.

Live Art Experience Workshops: Open to All! 

Throughout the year we will have three Live Art experiences open to all members of the SPARC community, not just current Live Art students. This is an opportunity to participate in a rigorous, accessible, fun artistic experience in community with fellow youth artists and incredible teaching artists.  

Join us July 25-28th from 4:30-6:00pm for the Live Art Experience Workshop: Live Art Playwriting. In this six-hour intensive you can expect to write collaboratively with fellow youth artists and professional playwrights, ultimately creating short plays. You can expect to leave class with short works written by you as well as tips for continuing a writing practice. You do not need prior playwriting experience; all you need is creativity and a willingness to try new things! 

The Live Art Experience Workshop Series is open to all youth in the SPARC community, not just students currently enrolled in Live Art! 

Scholarships are available!