4th Room Offers Shakespeare Workshop

Coralville - Fourth Room Theatre is pleased to announce a workshop for youth aged 15-21, to be held March 21, 2014 at 1 p.m. in the Schwab Auditorium of the Coralville Public Library. Led by local theatre educator James E. Trainor III, this class will explore the text and performance of Shakespeare for young actors. Students will analyze and perform scenes, gaining a deeper understanding of the language and imagery. This workshop is offered FREE to the public. Space is limited, so please register via email to genevieve@fourthroomtheatre.com.

Workshop leader James E. Trainor III has been teaching theatre to young actors since 2006. He has a Bachelor of Special Studies in Playwriting from Cornell College. He helped develop the Just Right for Me program at TCR, which is designed specifically for actors on the autism spectrum. During the week he works as a Special Education Associate for the Iowa City Community School District. He will be assisted by Rachel Korach Howell, Fourth Room founding member and director of this summer's Free Classics production.

WHAT: Youth Shakespeare Workshop
WHEN: March 21, 2014, 1-4 p.m.
WHERE: Coralville Public Library
COST: FREE

Theatre Workshop Offered over Spring Break

Just saw this on Facebook and thought I should share... 

A DEVISED-THEATER WORKSHOP TO CREATE A NEW PLAY
Spend Spring Break creating theater
Sponsored by Patrick DuLaney and Chris Okiishi
When: Monday - Friday, March 16-20, Noon- 4 pm
Where: The Nolte Academy, 1619 2nd Street, Coralville
How Much: Pay what you can! Open to all! (Suggested fee $50.00 to help cover transportation cost)
Age range: 14 - 22

Reserve your place NOW—contact Patrick.DuLaney@gmail.com 602-369-0588

Fall Drama Classes in Iowa City

Iowa City - The Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department is offering dance and drama classes this fall. Information here.

Back-to-School Time at City Circle!

Coralville - City Circle Acting Company has announced its fall line of classes. From City Circle's press:

"The leaves are shifting hue, the heat is... slightly less oppressive, and all through the Corridor, children are donning their thinking caps. What better subject to study than theater? City Circle Acting Company is offering a multitude of options for young theater lovers this fall!

We're joining forces once again with the Coralville Parks and Recreation department to offer classes through their Leisure Line. In the physical copy, we're on page 23; you can also register online by visiting http://activenet21.active.com/coralvillerecreation/ and searching for each class by name. You can contact Coralville Parks and Recreation at 319.248.1750.

Our Class Offerings
Time to PLAY!: Ages 3-5. Three 3-week sessions available. Saturdays 10-10:40 a.m. "Actors spend so much time discovering their inner child: now it's time for your child to discover their inner actor! Pre-schoolers will have a blast doing what they do best - pretending. These sessions are just the right length to pique your child's interest in theater, with games and activities geared towards drawing out their natural creativity."

Theater Antics: Grades K-2. Two 5-week sessions available. Saturdays 11 a.m.-12 noon. "Find yourselves transported to worlds of your own creation as you thrill to the wild world of theater. Let your imagination soar and learn how to share it with others! You'll create wacky characters in zany situations, all while learning about life on stage through movement, voice exploration, and a whole lot of fun."

Not Your Mama's Drama: Grades 3-6. One 6-week session. Saturdays 2-3 p.m. "Here's where the fun really begins! Have a passion for the theater? Start honing your performance skills with games and activities to help you grow as an actor. You'll work on story-telling, voice, and movement as well as starting some basic scene work. Come meet all of the different people you never knew you could become!"

We're also offering classes on the No-School Days this fall!
"The Hobbit" Make-Up Experience: Grades 3-6. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Fri, Nov 9.
"A Christmas Carol" Victorian Experience: Grades 3-6. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Thu and Fri, Dec 20-21.

Jump-start the love of theater in your little one's life. Enroll them in a class with City Circle!"

Sandglass Theatre in Residency at CSPS

The Vermont-based Sandglass Theatre is visiting Iowa this week, and they're making CSPS their temporary home. The week will include workshops, a panel discussion, and performances of All Weather Ballads.

"All Weather Ballads is a little like a folk music concert inside a puppet show. The unconventional drama follows one couple, from childhood to old age, as they face the elements of rural Vermont… stuck in the mud, lost in the aroma of harvest fruit, and reflected in the frozen membrane of an icy lake. All Weather Ballads was written for adults but is suitable for ages 12 and up." Performances are Thursday, May 24 at 7:00 and Friday, May 25 at 8:00, at CSPS. Tickets are $14 ($17 at the door).

The company will also be presenting workshops at Eulenspiegel Theatre (Tuesday, May 22 from 6:30 - 8:30) and CSPS (Wednesday, May 23 from 6:30 - 8:30). Registration is $14, which includes admission to a performance of All Weather Ballads (Space is limited to 18 participants).

On Sunday, May 27 at 2:00, company founders Eric Bass and Ines Zeller Bass will lead a panel discussion on the social effects of severe weather.

Legion Arts presents this residency in partnership with the National Performance Network. The National Performance Network is a multi-state group of cultural organizers and artists facilitating the practice and public experience of the performing arts in the United States.

Auditions for Legally Blonde May 26

City Circle - Legally Blonde, Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin's musical based on the 2001 film, is opening at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts in July. On May 26, City Circle welcomes any students grades 7-12 (or graduating this year) to audition.

Actors should prepare a brief contemporary comedic monologue and bring the sheet music for at least 16 bars of a Broadway show tune. Contact CCLegallyBlonde@gmail.com to schedule an audition time or to ask additional questions.

There will also be a dance workshop on May 10 hosted by Nolte Dance Studios and City Circle. The workshop is at Nolte's studios in the Clock Tower Plaza in Coralville from 7:30 - 9:00. There is no cost to attend.

Audition Workshop for Hairspray tomorrow

Coralville - City Circle Acting Company of Coralville will offer a free Singing Audition Workshop in preparation for their production of Hairspray.

The free audition workshop will give actors the opportunity to practice their audition piece and get feedback from the production team. The focus of the workshop is to rehearse an audition song with a live accompaniment. Each participant will be able to sing a portion of their audition song and receive individual coaching.

The singing workshop will be held Wednesday, July 6, at the Coralville Public Library. There will be two sessions, one at 6:30pm and one at 7:30pm. Actors may attend either session and are asked to bring sheet music for the song they plan to perform at the audition. If they have not selected a song, they will be given assistance at the workshop.

Participation in the workshop is not a requirement for auditions. Auditions will be held Saturday, July 9, from 10am to 4pm at the Coralville Public Library. Actors are asked to email hairsprayproduction@gmail.com to schedule an audition appointment. Actors should prepare 16 bars of a 1960s pop song and bring sheet music; an accompanist will be provided. Actors without a prepared song will be given a song to sing at the audition. More information and role descriptions can be found here.

Hairspray will be the first production held in the brand-new Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. The hit Broadway musical inspired a major motion picture and won eight 2003 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The production will feature a large, diverse cast of actors, singers and dancers and will debut the new theater being built in Coralville. The show will be directed by Chad Larabee, with choreography by Leslie Nolte and musical direction by Kent Keating. Hairspray will be performed September 9-18, 2011.

City Circle and Children's Museum offer workshops

City Circle - City Circle Acting Company of Coralville will present the musical Once on This Island October 15-24 at the Iowa Children’s Museum in the Coral Ridge Mall. To celebrate the production and provide additional opportunities for interaction, the Iowa Children’s Museum will be presenting two free workshops on Oct. 9 and 10.

Once on This Island is directed by Rachel Howell and Chris Okiishi. This lively and moving musical by the creators of Seussical and Ragtime is the story of a poor young Island girl and her quest to become part of the affluent society from the other side of the Island. Her journey, in which she encounters helpful and mischievous gods, fierce storms, true love and even death itself, is enacted by an ensemble of actors, singers and dancers. The story, based loosely on The Little Mermaid, is at once familiar and inspiring and will appeal to audiences of all ages.

Once on This Island is produced in collaboration with the Iowa Children’s Museum and will be held at the Museum Theater in the Coral Ridge Mall. Producer Dawn Clark says “the Museum is a great setting because the mission of the Iowa Children’s Museum is to explore the world through the power of play. These workshops are an opportunity for children and families to experience a part of another culture.”

The first workshop, held Oct. 9, will highlight the exciting choreography in the production. Museum visitors will learn dance steps from the numbers “We Dance” and “Why We Tell the Story.” The second workshop, Oct. 10 will be an art project in which visitors will create their own rain sticks – percussive instruments with a unique sound.

Workshops will be held Oct. 9 from 1-3pm and Oct. 10 from 11am-1pm. Both workshops are free with museum admission. Workshops will be held in the Art Room of the Iowa Children’s Museum, Coral Ridge Mall.

Performances of Once on This Island will be held Oct. 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 7:30pm and Oct. 17 and 24 at 2pm. Tickets are available online at www.citycircle.org and at the door. Tickets are $10 for children under ten, $15 for students/seniors and $20 for general admission.

Theatre Dance Workshop this weekend

A reader passed along information about a workshop that might be of interest to theatre folks in the area. As part of Iowa Dance Fest, the Theatre Dance Workshop is being offered on Saturday, April 26th from 2:30 - 4:00 at the Senior Center. It is a free event. The workshop would focus on dance and movement as well as auditioning for musical theater. According to the website, ICCT, City Circle and Catalyst are all involved in the workshop. For more information, call (319)621-8530 or email iowadancefestATgmail.com.