School of Theatre > For youth > Classes
Youth classes
Our fall session of classes will begin the week of September 20, 2010. Course descriptions available below.
For our current students, the summer class schedule is listed at the bottom of the page. Enrollment for the summer classes is closed.
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Shadow Puppetry & Theatre
For parents, caregivers and their 3–4-year-olds
Instructor: Erica Blue
Let’s travel to the island of magic, masks, music and mystical shadows. Bali has always been known for colorful pageantry and ritual, hand-carved masks, grand Gamelan Percussion Orchestra and shadow puppetry. In this class we will investigate Bali and create a show using shadow puppets weaving in mask work, movement and shadow screen.
Erica Blue has a B.A. in dance/theatre and child development from Sarah Lawrence College. She has taught and performed around the U.S., from La MaMa in New York to the Cleveland Performance Art Festival, and won Best of the Fringe in San Francisco and Seattle. Now a mother of two boys, she has redoubled her enthusiasm for teaching young people how to explore their imaginations.
SUN 1–2pm • 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 12/5 • $200 for adult & child
Mythological Adventures
Grades K–1
Instructor: Erica Blue
Great thunderbolts! Olympus is calling! When Zeus and Hera invite you to a heavenly festival in the clouds, chaos and comedy ensue. Become Athena, the goddess of the moon, or her brother Apollo, the sun god. Battle the Hydra or a Cyclops. Create new myths based on the adventures of these great omnipotent beings. This class will introduce young actors to the pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses, and together we will create a show to share with our mortal friends. Toga included!
See teacher bio above.
SAT 11am–noon • 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/19 (dress rehearsal), 11/20 • $170
Witches & Wizards
Grades 2–3
Instructor: Erica Blue
Mix potions, cast spells, fight giants and save elves; discover magic maps and goblin traps in a world of ancient mystery. Create mythical characters and devise adventures and secret quests to challenge them. Make wands, costumes and magical objects! Are you ready for the journey? Students create a play based on some of the world’s most fantastical stories to perform for families and friends. Each child will create a costume that we will make together.
See teacher bio above.
SAT 9:30–10:30am • 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/19 (dress rehearsal), 11/20 • $170
Tell Your Tale: Vampires & Werewolves
Grades 2–4
Instructor: Nancy Gold
Imagine, create and play in an original vampire story, starring you! Be any character you create while telling the tale in a big way. Play with passion, danger, drama…and of course a few laughs. Use the tools of storytelling, acting, mime, masks, movement and comedy to write and perform a final fang-licking performance for family and friends.
Nancy Gold is the author of Finding Your Funny Bone! The Actor’s Guide to Physical Comedy and Characters. She has taught at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, A.C.T. Young Conservatory, Marin Theatre Company, California Shakespeare Theater, UCLA and throughout California, Illinois and Maryland in public and private schools. She studied with Jacques LeCoq and Ctibor Turba and holds a B.F.A. from the University of Illinois. Nancy performs her comedy characters and vaudeville with her partner, Lol Levy.
SAT 9:30-11am • 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 12/3 (added rehearsal), 12/4 • $225
Performance Workshop: Sleepy Hollow
Grades 4–5
Instructors: Marilet Martinez and Devon LaBelle
Take a journey to Sleepy Hollow, a quaint town where children sing, strangers are welcome and a Headless Horseman haunts the roads. Follow our protagonist, Ichabod Crane, as he encounters mystery and mayhem in a wild ride that will boggle the brain and make you lose your head. In this ensemble-building class, students will explore voice, movement, improvisation and shadow puppetry to bring this iconic legend to life. This class concludes in a performance for family and friends.
Marilet Martinez is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts. She has performed with many Bay Area theatre companies such as Brava, Playwright’s Center, Custom Made Theatre, Cutting Ball Theatre and Teatrovision. She recently appeared in Cal Shakes’ production of Romeo and Juliet and she is a company member of Woman’s Will, the Bay Area’s only all-female Shakespeare Company.
Devon LaBelle received her B.A. in theatre and creative writing from The University of Puget Sound. In the Bay Area, she designs properties for TheatreFIRST and has worked with Bay Area Children’s Theatre on the school tour of Strega Nona. She has held internships at Berkeley Rep and Actors Theatre of Louisville. While in Kentucky she worked with Walden Theatre Conservatory as a director and playwriting teacher.
WED 4–6pm • 9/22, 9/29, 10/6, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27, 11/3, 11/10, 11/17, 12/1 • $280
Musical Theatre: Spamalot (abridged version)
Grades 6–9
Instructors: Rebecca Castelli and Jon Burnett
“Always look on the bright side of life!” Raise silliness to an art form! In an intensive two-semester process, students will explore songs and scenes from Monty Python’s Tony award-winning musical, Spamalot, a comical parody of the King Arthur legend, complete with killer bunnies, silly walks and those wacky knights of the round table! The fall semester will focus on building skills necessary for musical theatre: vocal technique both for singing and acting; movement and dancing; various British dialects; and comical acting of songs and scenes. Together we will also revel in dissecting the classic comedy, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, from which Spamalot is lovingly borrowed. We will use improvisation and physical theatre exercises while delving into various comic elements from the Python-esque menu of absurdism, precise wordplay, surrealistic visuals, emotional mayhem and satire. In the winter semester, we will move into full rehearsal mode for the final performances.
Rebecca Castelli holds a bachelor’s degree in voice and theatre, and an M.F.A. in acting. She also dialect coaches for various area theatres, including Shotgun Players, Theatre Rhinoceros, Town Hall Theatre, Mendocino Theatre Company and Ross Valley Players.
Jon Burnett received an M.F.A. in Performance from University of Tennessee’s International Actor Training Academy. He has taught theatre to students from kindergarten to undergraduate college, and found inspiration, profound laughter and empathy at every level. Jon is currently an associate artist for Porchlight Theatre Company.
TUE & THU 4–6pm • 9/21, 9/23, 9/28, 9/30, 10/5, 10/7, 10/12, 10/14, 10/19, 10/21, 10/26, 10/28, 11/2, 11/4, 11/9, 11/11, 11/16, 11/18, 11/23, 12/2, 1/11, 1/13, 1/18, 1/20, 1/25, 1/27, 2/1, 2/3, 2/8, 2/10, 2/15, 2/17, 2/22, 2/24, 3/1, 3/3, 3/8, 3/10, 3/15 (performance), 3/17 (performance) • $925
Performance Ensemble: The Tempest
Grades 6–8
Instructors: Aleph Ayin and Harold Pierce
Perform at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre and learn how professional actors approach their work through the use of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Students will explore the actor’s work as an individual and as a member of an acting ensemble. Drawing from a wide range of techniques for voice, movement, text and moment-to-moment acting, the student will gain a greater understanding of the ways a play may be approached and build a base for their continuing investigation of the theatre craft. Classes will consist of group and solo work, physical and vocal warm-up, play analysis, rehearsal and performance. Students will study in an atmosphere that inspires empathy, personal and group responsibility, professional work ethic and imagination.
Aleph Ayin is a professional actor and director. For more than a decade, he has taught theatre, dance, swimming and wilderness survival to students of all ages and ability. He received professional degrees from both the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied with director Gerald Freedman. Aleph was trained as a teaching artist at the Lincoln Center Institute in New York. He loves wrestling with dogs, surfing and the wild forests of the world.
Harold Pierce has been working as an actor in the Bay Area for the past several years with such companies as North Bay Shakespeare, Cal Shakes, Lafayette Town Hall, Impact, TheatreFIRST, Virago, Shotgun Players and Marin Theatre Company. He studied theatre at Sarah Lawrence College in New York and has been teaching young actors at Berkeley Rep’s Summer Theatre Intensive.
MON & WED 4–6pm • 9/20, 9/22, 9/27, 9/29, 10/4, 10/6, 10/11, 10/13, 10/18, 10/20, 10/25, 10/27, 11/1, 11/3, 11/8, 11/10, 11/15, 11/17, 11/22, 11/29, 12/1 (performance) • $450
Private Voice
Grades 6–8
Instructor: Rebecca Castelli
Learn to sing with ease and confidence, eliminating vocal pain and fatigue, while improving your range and breath control. Each session includes breathing and relaxation exercises, vocal exercises and technique and vocal coaching on songs, including how to act a song and how to prepare a musical theatre audition.
Rebecca Castelli holds a bachelor’s degree in voice and theatre, and an M.F.A. in acting. She also dialect coaches for various area theatres, including Shotgun Players, Theatre Rhinoceros, Town Hall Theatre, Mendocino Theatre Company and Ross Valley Players.
TUE & THU 3–3:50pm & 6–6:50pm • $60/session
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summer class schedule
(Enrollment for the summer classes is closed.)
Egyptian Exploration
SAT 9:30–10:30am • 7/10, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31, 8/7, 8/14
Bollywood Jewels
SAT 10:30–11:30am • 7/10, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31, 8/7, 8/14
Performance Workshop
SAT 9:30–11:30am • 7/10, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31, 8/7, 8/14
scholarships
Berkeley Rep School of Theatre is pleased to be able to offer financial aid for students enrolling in our youth and teen classes. Scholarships will be granted to students attending classes who demonstrate a strong financial need. Financial aid will be disbursed on a sliding scale—eligible families generally receive scholarships covering between 30%–100% of tuition.
Families applying for financial aid must submit a minimum $25 deposit per student at the time of registration. This amount secures the student’s place in the program while their financial aid application is under consideration. This deposit is refundable if the registration is cancelled by the end of the first week of class.
Download our application form or call the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre at 510 647–2972.
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school of theatre
major sponsors
($25,000 and above)
Arts Education and Outreach
The S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation / The Mosse Foundation for Education and the Arts / The Woodlawn Foundation
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