2009-2010 Drama & Music Classes

For complete class descriptions, click on a class in the chart below or scroll down to find a particular class.

DramaPlay (ages 3-5)
Children are naturally expressive and this class is designed to encourage creativity and imagination. Introduce the child with “dramatic flair” to the lively world of creative play. Story dramas, poetry, emotion recognition/control and costumed improvisation are interwoven into a magical, playful experience. Limit 12 students.
Wednesdays, 1:10-1:55pm
Instructor: Dwayne Billingsley
Fall Semester (16 weeks): Sept. 9 – Jan. 13 (no class 11/25, 12/23, 12/30)
Spring Semester (16 weeks): Jan. 20 – May 12 (no class 3/31)
Full Year (32 weeks): Sept. 9 – May 12 (no class 11/25, 12/23, 12/30, 3/31)

Saturdays, 9-9:45am
Instructor: Annika Pfaender
Fall Semester (16 weeks): Sept. 12 – Jan. 23 (no class 11/28, 12/5, 12/26, 1/2)
Spring Semester (16 weeks): Jan. 30 – May 22 (no class 4/3)
Full Year (32 weeks): Sept. 12 – May 22 (no class 11/28, 12/5, 12/26, 1/2, 4/3)

Tuition: $48/month $192/semester $384/year

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Make a Scene Workshops (ages 5-7)
Through the exploration of children's literature and poetry, students will be introduced to creative drama. Designed to nurture their creative talents, this class will engage students in numerous activities, including improvisation, movement, storytelling and theatre games. Limit 12 students for these 8-week workshops.
Instructor: Josh Purvis
Wednesdays, 4:30-5:15pm
Session I: Sept. 9 – Oct. 28
Session II: Nov. 4 – Jan. 13 (no class 11/25, 12/23, 12/30)
Session III: Jan. 20 – March 10
Session IV: March 17 – May 12 (no class 3/31)
Tuition: $95

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Act Up! Workshops (ages 5-7)
These new workshops take a multi-disciplinary approach to introducing young actors to the world of theatre. Each eight-week workshop has a different theme and adds art and/or music to the standard dramatic curriculum of improvisation, movement, storytelling and theatre games. Class length is 90 minutes to accommodate this extra material. Limit 12 students for these eight-week workshops.
Instructor: Annika Pfaender
Tuition: $135

Session I: A Magical Journey
We’ll travel around the world on a magic carpet to experience the folklore and music of many different cultures. From Europe to South America, from Africa to Australia we will discover characters and lessons through dramatic play and experience how music can bring distant lands into our own classroom. We will enact a final story for parents and families on the final day of class.
Session I: Saturdays, Sept. 12 – Oct. 31, 10-11:30am

Session II: Does the Sidewalk Have to End?
We’ll use our bodies and voices to explore the whimsical rhythms and rhymes of Shel Silverstein’s poetry and then we’ll use our imaginations to bring his hilarious characters and situations to life. Family members can join us on the last day of class to see how we act out our favorite poems.
Session II: Saturdays, Nov. 6 – Jan. 23 (no class 11/28, 12/5, 12/26, 1/2) , 10-11:30am

Session III: A Planet Full of Puppets
Picture books will lead us on a dramatic journey to investigate the amazing creatures that inhabit our wondrous planet. Then we’ll explore our world for natural and recycled materials to build our own puppets and decorate a puppet stage “habitat” for our creations. We will present our puppet play to parents and friends on the final day of class.
Session III: Saturdays, Jan. 30 – March 20, 10-11:30am

Session IV: The Museum Comes to Life
There’s a story behind every piece of art and we’ll use our imaginations to bring a famous work to life! We’ll examine the people, places and emotions portrayed in paintings and sculptures through dramatic exploration and then create a play that begins or ends with our favorite work of art. Families are welcome to see what we’ve made on the last day of class.
Session IV: Saturdays, March 27 – May 22 (no class 4/3), 10-11:30am

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WORLD ARTS WORKSHOPS (ages 8-10)
Travel the world and North Carolina through the arts. In these workshops students will learn the skills and techniques they need as young artists, while opening their imaginations to the many ways people make art around the globe. Each workshop will use a different part of the planet for inspiration, starting with Scandinavia, moving on to Latin America, followed by Asia and finally returning to explore the rich culture of North Carolina.

These workshops were designed to develop students’ creative talents and self-confidence through theatre games, imaginative storytelling and short scenes. To travel the world, students will focus on different children’s stories during each of the four workshops and create puppets or simple costume pieces to enhance their creative skills. Limit 12 students.
Instructor: Josh Purvis
Wednesdays, 3:30-4:30pm
Session I – Scandinavia: Sept. 9 – Oct. 28
Session II – Latin America: Nov. 4 – Jan. 13 (no class 11/25, 12/23, 12/30)
Session III – Asia: Jan. 20 – March 10
Session IV – North Carolina: March 17 – May 12 (no class 3/31)
Tuition: $95

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CREATE+CONNECT=Drama (ages 11-13)
When you put middle school students and the arts together, they can change the world. In this new series of workshops middle schoolers have the opportunity to put their artistic talents to work on community engagement projects for Raleigh senior citizens, younger children, animals and the environment. In these workshops students explore and expand their natural dramatic talents while collectively creating small productions for community groups. Classes will be filled with artistic challenges and stimulating adventures, as students focus on ensemble-building, theatre games; improvisation; and scene work and monologues based on stories and poems as they develop their performance pieces.

Each eight-week workshop will focus on helping a different community group through the arts. From learning new artistic techniques and skills in class, students will move on to creating performance to collectively present to the groups they are serving at the end of each workshop. Weekly classes are 90 minutes long to provide ample time for both classroom instruction and development of community engagement projects. Limit 12 students.
Instructor: Josh Purvis
Wednesdays, 2-3:30pm

Session II: Young Childrens’ Project
Explore characterization and storytelling as the poetry of Shel Silverstein is transformed into monologues and group scenes to be performed for preschool children.
Dates: Wednesdays, Nov. 4 – Jan. 13 (no class 11/25, 12/23, 12/30), 2-3:30pm

Session III: Project for Animals
Investigate the traits, abilities and challenges faced by unique animals from all over the world and then work together to create an educational performance.
Dates: Wednesdays, Jan. 20 – March 10, 2-3:30pm

Session IV: Environmental Project
Build empathy for the human and animal inhabitants of our wondrous planet through process drama and storytelling.
Dates: Wednesdays, March 17 – May 12 (no class 3/31)

Tuition: $135

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