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 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: Thursdays (January 30 to April 24; no class 4/3) from 6:15PM to 7:45PM

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.

Interested in scholarships? Read this page first.

*Teachers subject to change.

Date/Time: Saturdays (February 1 to March 8) from 12:30PM to 2PM

Location: In person at SPARC

Grades: 8th-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.

This class will cover the basics of choreographed fight sequences for the stage. Youth will learn how to keep themselves and others safe while creating the illusion of drama for an audience. Plus, this class will offer a helpful foundation for those who are cast in SPARC’s winter play, She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition!

When in any type of physical class that requires partner work, it is essential that students follow ALL safety protocol set in place by the instructor(s). While this class is open to all experience levels and abilities, we encourage families to consider what it means to use arms, legs, elbows, and objects in close contact with other students and the maturity level that might be needed before registering. Participants will be asked to sign a safety waiver on the first day of class.

Interested in Scholarships? Read this page first!

*Teachers subject to change.

Photo Credit: Tom Topinka

Dates/Time: Saturdays (February 1 to March 8) from 12:30PM to 2PM

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.

In this brand new technical theatre class, students will gain hands-on skills in both the construction of puppets and their implementation on the stage. Did you know almost anything can be a puppet? The Puppeteer's Process will dive into how to create characters from shapes, buzz words, and texture, while working as a group to literally bring a story to life. Topics of instruction include but are not limited to: marionettes, hand and rod puppets, shadow puppets, and bunraku.

Students who show extra interest in building puppets may be invited to lend their skills to construction for our spring play, She Kills Monsters.

Interested in Scholarships? Read this page first!

*Teachers subject to change.

Photo Credit: Tom Topinka