Arts Connection at The State is a community arts education program, centered around bringing community members and professional artists together.

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Bringing Theatre Alive for Young Actors: Arts Connection at The State Theatre
Source: The State Theatre
Dated: Jun. 04, 2013
Arts Connection at The State is a community arts education program, centered around bringing community
members and professional artists together.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The program takes place during the summer and helps budding actors to learn a
variety of skills that build their acumen as theatre professionals.
The Arts Connection at The State builds connections by exploring music, visual and performing arts, and
helping students 6th through 12th grade learn and grow individually and as a community. Each seminar is
held on a single Saturday afternoon from approximately 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Attendees can choose one
workshop or packages.
The schedule of intended workshop sessions is outlined below.
Saturday, June 29 Acting & Character Development
Ages: 6th – 12th grade
Led by Elaine Meder-Wilgus, this workshop focuses on developing characters, basic acting, and
incorporating physical choices in order to best showcase acting skills, especially in the face of an audition.
Students participate in exercises that include text analysis, and mock-auditions where they will develop
awareness of physical traits and habits that affect character development.
Saturday, July 6 Costume Design
Ages: 6th – 12th grade
Led by Julie Snyder, this workshop will provide attendees with a fast-paced afternoon of costuming fun.
The instruction includes the basics of costuming a show from script to after the final bows, as well as taking
a costume from concept to reality. Activities include some hands-on construction time as well as creative
challenges like the quick-change competition. The projects and instruction provided suit all ability levels.
Saturday, July 13 Taking the Fear out of Musical Auditions
Ages: 7th – 12th grade
Led by Rich Biever, students will be taken through the musical audition process. Exercises include
introduction, accompanist, presentation, and creative choices for your range and style. Students are
encouraged to bring a song or two they’d like to have in their repertoire.
Saturday, August 3 Fear Not, Shakespeare
Ages: 7th – 12th grade
Led by Chris Hults, young people will be exposed to the power and simplicity of Shakespeare. This session
has discussion and exercises that will familiarize, educate, and prepare students for a field experience,
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which is part of a separate workshop.
Saturday, August 7 Fear Not, Shakespeare Field Experience
Ages: 7th – 12th grade
This daylong trip takes students to a replica of Shakespeare’s Blackfriars Playhouse for workshops, tours
and American Shakespeare Center’s production of Romeo and Juliet. Participation in this daylong trip will
have an additional fee, TBD.
Saturday, August 10 Living on Stage
Ages: 7th – 12th grade
Led by Jennifer Montminy, this workshop helps students to learn about Stanislavski’s famous quote “living
truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” Students will participate in exercises giving them skills in scene
work, character work, and presence. The actors will be challenged and they will learn to give dynamic and
powerful performances.
Saturday, August 31 Shakespeare Inside and Out
Ages: 7th – 12th grade
Led by the Nittany Valley Shakespeare Company, this workshop explores both building a character through
Shakespeare’s imagery and use of language which grasps the young actor from “inside out” as well as from
traditional Commedia Dell Arte mask work guiding them from the “outside in”. Students in this workshop
will be equipped with some of the important basic actor tools they need in order to begin their character
work for not only Shakespearean, but all theatrical productions.
Each seminar workshop costs $25 per student. However, for young actors interested in additional
workshops, a reduced price is offered. Students interested in attending 2-3 workshops can purchase them
for $21 each and students interested in attending 4 or more workshops can purchase each workshop for $17.
For individuals with additional questions about the workshops offered, please contact The State Theatre’s
Artistic Director, Richard Biever via phone: 814-272-0606 ext. 307 or via email:
richard@thestatetheatre.org. To sign up for any of the workshops, please contact The State Theatre Box
Office at 814-272-0606. After Wednesday, June 5 workshop tickets will be available online at
www.thestatetheatre.org.
The State Theatre
Founded October 1938
Reopened December 2006
The State Theatre is a home for local artists and audiences to experience, appreciate and embrace the
transformational power of the performing arts. We are committed to presenting a variety of excellent local
and national music, theatre, dance, comedy, and film programming.
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Email Click to contact author
Phone 814-272-0606
City/Town State College
State/Province Pennsylvania
Country United States
Industry Event, Education
Tags nonprofit, summer actor series, theatre
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