GEORGE STREET THEATRE ACADEMY
Offers Teens a Unique, Fun Theatrical Experience
Limited Number of Spots Available for Teens Interested in Performing and Creating Plays and Musicals
WHEN: June 25 – August 3, 2012
WHERE: George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick
George Street Playhouse’s Summer Theatre Academy offers fun, affordable theatre classes for budding thespians of any experience level ages 13-18, varying in length between two and four weeks in duration. Not only does the Academy offer an entertaining and unique experience for its students, it also offers amenities such as Early Drop Off and Late Pickup for busy parents. Those amenities and the quality of its offerings have made GSP’s Summer Theatre Academy a popular summertime destination.
Those programs are:
Teen Conservatory focuses on the fun, transformative process of bringing a character fully to life on stage, while developing vocal techniques and skills such as acting and movement. The class will explore monologues, scenes from existing works as well as original works. Teen Conservatory will run from June 25 through July 6.
Musical Theatre: Young M Company celebrates the imagination and creativity of young theatre students. The Company will create, rehearse and perform an original musical. Utilizing specific source material as a jumping off point, the members of the Company will work with professional musical directors, composers and choreographers to develop the characters, write the lyrics and book, and compose an original score for their musical, developing their performance skills through the creation of this original work. This program culminates in a fully-produced performance with lighting, sets and costumes on the Playhouse’s Arthur Laurents Stage. The Young M Company will be in residence July 9 through August 3.
Play Production: Young Company An integral part of George Street Playhouse’s mission is the creation of new work for the stage. In that vein, the Young Company will explore the fun, exciting process of developing and producing a new, original play. Guided by the Academy’s professional staff, the members of the Company will create the characters, develop the script, build the sets, design costumes and perform the show. Young Company provides an unique opportunity for young actors and playwrights to learn the foundations of acting and theatre production by creating an original play performed on George Street Playhouse’s Arthur Laurents Stage. The Young Company begins their work July 9, with their culminating event on August 3.
“While these experiences are essential for those with an interest in the performing arts, the skills acquired and friendships formed during these workshops can last a lifetime, no matter what the child’s lifetime profession may be,” said GSP Director of Education Jim Jack.
For information on the full slate of workshops offered by GSP’s Summer Theatre Academy, or to register, click www.GSPonline.org or call 732.846.2895, extension 117. George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue in heart of New Brunswick’s vibrant and safe Arts District.
The centerpiece of George Street Playhouse’s educational programming is its Touring Theatre, which commissions and produces first-class productions with relevant themes for young audiences, such as conflict resolution, racial tolerance, anti-bullying, cyber-bullying, and beginning January 2012, wellness and childhood obesity. Provided in part by support from the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, each play is followed by an in-depth discussion led by the actors, for which they receive specialized training. These productions tour from September – May throughout the area, and are seen by more than 40,000 students. In addition, GSP’s Theatre Academy celebrates each student as an artist; providing transformative learning experiences in an engaging environment. The classes are ideal for students of all ages, with or without previous theatre experience, and focus on the foundations of acting, movement, voice, musical theatre and design. For further information on any of the George Street Playhouse educational opportunities, visit www.GSPonline.org, or call 732.846.2895, extension 115.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint, George Street Playhouse has become a nationally recognized theatre, presenting an acclaimed mainstage season while providing an artistic home for established and emerging theatre artists. In August 2011, the Playhouse appointed noted arts administrator Norma Kaplan Managing Director. Founded in 1974, the Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway – recent productions include It Shoulda Been You, slated for Broadway in the Fall of 2012, and the Outer Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award-winner The Toxic Avenger, the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated production of The Spitfire Grill and the Broadway hit and Tony® and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays. George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by its lead season sponsor Johnson & Johnson. The Star Ledger is the official Print Media Sponsor of George Street Playhouse.
