SCHOOL OF THEATRE
Fred Sternfeld , Director
SPRING 2008
At Our Main Campus
At our Mayfield Campus

To register, call the Fairmount Center at 440-338-3171
or register online.

Fairmount's School of Theatre offers workshops for theatre students of all ages.

The workshops take students step by step through a training program where each class evolves naturally into the next - from 1st Grade students through young teens, to teens, to adults, to a full professional studio program.

The School of Theatre workshops, are grounded in the most practical and powerful actor training concepts of the 20th century: The Stanislavski System.  They provide a clearly defined practical education to those desiring to make acting their favorit hobby, passionate vocation or actual profession, providing an approach to acting which requires the actor to work from a place of truth and action. 

The course of study prepares the actor to be facile in a variety of styles and forms of theatre, including the classic, modern and contemporary repertoire.  Each program is multidisciplinary and in addition to the normal course of study in acting, encompasses dance, movement, mime, stage combat, directing, theatre history, and study of film.

The Fairmount Center is offering a wide range of exciting theatre programming for people of all ages and skill sets.  All residents of Mayfield Village and surround communities are welcome. See below for the wonderful classes for children, teens and adults offered in the Winter 2008 session!

All classes will be held at our Cuyahoga Central Campus in the Mayfield Village Performing Arts Center right off of I-271

6622 Wilson Mills Rd.
at the corner of
Wilson Mills and SOM Center Rd. (Ohio Rt. 91)

Fairmount Center for the Arts, School of Theatre
Fred Sternfeld, director

CLASSES – EIGHT SESSIONS

SATURDAYS

Acting and Improv (7th & 8th grade)
Instructor: Marc Moritz
Eight Sessions
Saturdays, Starting April 5, 2008; 10:30am – Noon
Fee: $135
A fun study of the Actor’s process in creating action completely through impulse. Students will learn acting concepts and fundamentals, teaching them how to communicate on stage and how to create and understand a character. These fundamentals will help students with character building, preparing monologues, and working with scene partners. This course is perfect for students who have some experience performing on stage and are interested in learning more about the art of Acting!

SUNDAYS

Improvisation (8th grade - Adult)
Instructor: Marc Moritz
Eight Sessions
Sundays, Starting April 6, 2008;   1:00 – 3:00pm
Fee: $175
Take your improv and acting to a more advanced level. Improvisation is a vital tool in an actor's development.  In this class you learn to trust your own instincts, improve your listening skills, your focus of attention, and allow moments of inspiration to carry the scene.  Whether you are developing an improvisational routine or working in a classical play, improvisation is the key to unlocking your unique, creative powers.

MONDAYS

Theatre by the Book (3rd – 5th grade)
Instructor: Dana Hart
Eight Sessions
Mondays, Starting April 7, 2008;  4:30 – 5:45pm
Fee: $135
Through the use of costumes, masks, puppets and music young actors will perform classic characters from dramatic and children's literature. Nine sessions with an open performance at the end of the session.

The 3-Minute Audition - Creating a Dynamic Presence (separate sections for teens and adults)
Instructor: Marc Moritz
Eight Sessions
Mondays, Starting April 7, 2008
8th – 12th grade: 4:00 – 6:00pm
Adults: 7:00 – 9:00pm
Fee: $175

This intensive workshop focuses on professional self-awareness,  monologue choices, resume presentation and actual "rehearsal"  of your audition pieces with feedback from the instructors and  your peers.  Participants must memorize two, contrasting pieces and have available their pictures and resumes.

TUESDAYS

Shakespeare Character Monologues for Teens (8th – 12th grade)
Instructor: Dana Hart
Eight Sessions
Tuesdays, Starting April 8, 2008; 4:30 – 5:45pm
Fee: $135

"No Fear" - Shakespeare. Learn the techniques of unlocking the character and power in Shakespeare's short dramatic monologues. These 20 line selections are perfect as audition pieces or for competition and will introduce you to some of the most moving moments in all of dramatic literature.

THURSDAYS
Great Scenes for Young Actors (6th – 8th grade)
Instructor: Dana Hart
Eight Sessions
Thursdays, Starting April 10, 2008;  4:30 – 5:45pm
Fee: $135

Age appropriate monologues and scenes picked from classic and contemporary drama as well as some film scripts. A great introduction to scene work and a chance to "try on" favorite characters. A great class to work with good friends or to meet a new theatre gang.

WORKSHOPS - ONE OR TWO SESSIONS
All one or two session workshops are held on Saturdays and/or Sundays

Putting It Together – 2 day Directing Seminar (Adults: 18+)
Instructor: Seth Gordon
Two Sessions
Saturday & Sunday, April 12 & 13, 2008, 1:00 – 4:00pm each day.
Fee: $75
Script: Our Town, by Thornton Wilder (participants must read this in advance)
Seth Gordon goes through the salient points of directing a play and offers a director's approach to preparing a script for production.

Day One – The nuts and bolts of directing.

Day Two – Applying the nuts and bolts on preparations for directing the American classic Our Town. The day will culminate with volunteers acting out a scene from Our Town with the participants team directing.

Improv Intensive: Scared Scriptless! (8th grade – Adult)
Instructor: Marc Moritz
One Session
Saturday, May 4, 2008, 12:30 – 3:30pm
Fee: $30
Come and play! A unique approach to Improv that will get you thinking quickly on your feet and heighten your sense of play and spontaneity. This Workshop will include Theatre Games as well as Long-Form and techniques used by Second City. No experience necessary. Just a willingness to explore your own unique sense of humor and imagination.

Juggling with Jeff! (Ages 10 – Adult)
Instructor: Jeff Haffner
Two Sessions
Saturdays, April 19 & 26, 2008, 11:15am to 12:30pm
Fee: $35
Have you always wanted to be able to juggle?  Well, now you can!  Jeff Haffner will guide you through a step-by-step process, so that you can learn this skill AND develop your capacity for focus and concentration.  Advance tricks will be taught to those with previous juggling experience or quick learners.  A set of beanbags is included in the fee for you to keep.

Basic Stage Combat (8th grade – Adult)
Instructor: John C. Davis
Two Sessions
Saturdays, April 19 & 26, 2008, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Fee: $60 
Learn the Safe techniques professional fight directors use to create dramatic illusions of violence. From the basic slap to advanced punching, kicking, hair pulls and choreography, this class will give any actor some basic skills to confidently perform effective performances. Please wear athletic shoes and sweats to this class.

Introduction to Swordplay for the Stage (8th grade – Adult)
Instructor: John C. Davis
Two Sessions
Saturdays, May 17 & 24, 2008, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Fee: $60 
Learn the Skills of a swashbuckler.. This class will train actors in the basic techniques that safely create the dramatic swordfights in such works as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and that Scottish play. These techniques also bridge the gap and are applicable to films such as Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Please wear athletic shoes and sweats to this class.

Physical Storytelling (8th grade – Adult)
Instructor: John C. Davis
One Session
Sunday, April 27, 2008, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Fee: $35
Every Script has an overall story. It is the small physical stories that create dynamic scenes. Learn the techniques of finding the small stories that make up the whole and enhance your chances of getting that next role. This class works with Centering, Story-finding, and Choice-making. Please wear athletic shoes and sweats to this class.

How to Start a Theatre
Instructor: Sean McConaha
One Session
Saturday, April 19, 2008, 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Fee: $25
Have you ever wondered how The Bang and the Clatter Theatre Company went from a small Akron upstart to a creative force in the theatre community of Northeast Ohio. Spend a couple of hours with Co-Managing/Artistic Director Sean McConaha and hear the whole story of how they started and what brought them to Downtown Cleveland's 4th Street.

Just My Imagination? Mime and Theatre Games (8th grade – Adult)
Instructor: Terrence Spivey
One Session
Sunday, April 20, 2008, Noon – 2:00pm
Fee: $35
The two most important tools an actor has are the body and the voice. This workshop will take you on a step-by-step journey of self-expression, self-discovery, and confidence building to enhance those tools. Through the use of mime exercises and theatre games, you will create sights and sounds that will color a blank canvass - the stage - into a place of existence, of purpose and character to build trust and commitment amongst the individual, and together as an ensemble.