Live Arts Charlottesville

Classes for Ages 4-9

Story Circus (ages 4-6)

Instructor: Bree Luck
Mondays 4pm-5pm
April 9 - June 4 (No class on May 28.)
Tuition: $125, $112.50 for Friends of Live Arts

Does your child beg to wear dress-up clothes to kindergarten? Would your pre-schooler rather play imaginative games than eat? In this playful forum for creative exploration, budding young actors will join in dynamic theater games that celebrate the imaginative child’s desire to make-believe! Our youngest thespians will create a theatrical retelling of a classic fairy-tale or folk-tale, through exercises and games that will help the children develop skills in storytelling, attentiveness, listening, and creative expression. This workshop will culminate in a 10 minute demonstration of some of the games and exercises the children play.

Kids on Stage (ages 7-9)

Instructor: Miller Murray Susen
Tuesdays 4pm-5pm
April 10 - May 29, 2012
Tuition: $125, $112.50 for Friends of Live Arts

In this introduction to acting, children will learn the fundamentals of an actor’s craft through fun games, improvisations and acting exercises, which will build their confidence, self-esteem and stage presence. The class will end with a short demonstration, based on familiar poems or stories.

Classes for ages 10+

Acting I: Scene Study (Ages 10 – 13)
Wednesdays, 5pm-6pm
April 18th - June 6th, 2012
Tuition: $125, $112.50 for Friends of Live Arts

In this fun and intensive acting class, young actors will learn the basics of character development through ensemble building games, vocal and physical exercises, monologues & scene work. As they develop their technique for performing on stage, students will learn to ask (and answer) fundamental questions of character study -- Who? What? Where? Why? and How? The class will culminate with a brief demonstration of class exercises.

Hip Hop Broadway Dance Class (ages 10+)

Instructor: Ike Anderson

Wednesdays, 5pm - 6pm
April 11 - May 30, 2012
Tuition: $88, $80 for Friends of Live Arts

Work with dancer/choreographer, Ike Anderson, to improve your dance skillz before you hit the stage! In this workshop, you'll learn the basic moves of hip hop and build a great foundation for bringing stories to the stage through dance. Classes will cover the fundamentals of hip hop dance: popping, locking, funk, and some break'n. . (This class is in collaboration with the Music Resource Center, and includes a Music Resource Center membership for teens, and takes place at 105 Ridge Street Charlottesville, VA 22902)

Tap 101 (ages 13+)
Instructor: Jessica Wilbert
Wednesday 6pm-7pm
April 11, 2012
Tuition: $10, for Friends of Live Arts

Never touched a tap shoe before? Has it been years since you've tried a shuffle? Take this one hour tap "crash course" to boost your confidence and give you a leg up in our eight week session. Become familiar with a few of the basic building blocks in tap. Totally non-intimidating! Bring tap shoes if you have them, or wear a comfortable leather soled shoe or sneaker.

REGISTER FOR CLASSES ONLINE HERE, OR CALL BREE At 434.977.4177, EXT 100.

Beginner - Intermediate Tap Class (ages 13+, Wednesday Group)
Instructor: Jessica Wilbert
Wednesdays 6pm-7pm
April 18 - June 6, 2012
Tuition: $80, $72 for Friends of Live Arts

To take a cue from Jerry Herman, we aim to "tap our troubles away" in this eight week session. We'll blend both Broadway and rhythm tap styles, while learning tap vocabulary and exercises, as well as working on short pieces of choreography. Designed for all ages teen to adult, and levels ranging from beginner to intermediate - we'll offer both easy and step-it-up options to suit multiple levels. Whether you're just looking for a (noisy) workout, or you want to expand your dance skills for the stage, tapping offers an incredibly fun, musical way to do so. And if you didn't already want to tap your way to glory, seeing our dancing Nazis in The Producers might just change your mind! (Bring tap shoes. If you have never tapped before, please sign up for our Tap 101 session.)

Beginner-Intermediate Tap Class (ages 13+, Sunday Group)
Instructor: Jessica Wilbert
Sundays, 4:15pm-5:15pm
April 15 -June 10 , 2012 (8 classes), no class on May 27.
Tuition: $80, $72 for Friends of Live Arts

To take a cue from Jerry Herman, we aim to “tap our troubles away” in this eight week session. We’ll blend both Broadway and rhythm tap styles, while learning tap vocabulary and exercises and working on short pieces of choreography.

Live Arts Teen Theater Ensemble Workshop* (Ages 14-18) (SOLD OUT)

Instructors: Laura Rikard, Edwina Herring, and staff
*admission by audition only.
Saturdays 10am – 12noon
Tuition: $180, $162 for Friends of Live Arts, payable each trimester

LATTE (Live Arts Teen Theater Ensemble) returns to Live Arts with this intensive year-long theater workshop. Students must be willing to commit to the ensemble from October 1st – June 2nd, 2012. (No class on May 26th)
Spring focus: Devised Theater.
April 7th – June 2nd, 2012. (No class May 26)
Each trimester will culminate with a demonstration or performance of student work.

Musical Theater Performance (16+)

Instructor: Doug Schneider

Thursdays, 5:30pm – 7:00pm
April 12th -- May 31st, 2012
Tuition: $200, $180 for Friends of Live Arts

In this intensive musical theater performance class, students will work with vocal instructor and performer Doug Schneider to refine skills and expand your vocal repertoire. This workshop will focus on performing solos and duets from the musical theater canon, improving presentational skills, picking appropriate material, as well as audition tips and skills. Admission by interview or audition only.

CALL BREE At 434.977.4177, EXT 100 FOR MORE INFORMATION

Limited need-based scholarships available for all of our classes.
Please contact Bree Luck for more info!

Live Arts Refund Policy

We offer 100% tuition refunds for courses canceled by Live Arts.
We offer a 100% refund, minus a 5 dollar processing fee for withdrawal made at least 7 days BEFORE the class begins.
We do not offer any refund for withdrawals made in the 7 days before a class/camp begins or thereafter.

ABOUT OUR INSTRUCTORS:

Boomie Pedersen was born and raised in New York City and was for many years a professional-track scholarship student with the Joffrey Ballet. She gave up the dance to attend Princeton University, where she eventually majored in English and Theater and won the Frances LeMoyne Paige Prize at graduation for both theater and dance. She spent 10 years on and off in Tokyo, Japan, where she did professional voice-over work, was Artistic Director of Tokyo Theater for Children, was actor, director and board member for Tokyo International Players. When she relocated to Charlottesville in 1995, Ms. Pedersen became involved at Live Arts both as an actor (Scrooge, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Assassins, Edward the II, Copenhagen, Noises Off, Old Times) a director (Three Tall Women, Buried Child, Play About the Baby, The Underpants, Glengarry Glen Ross – which production traveled to the Hamner Theater in Oct. 2009.) and choreographer for The Wild Party. She has worked with Offstage Theater, Four County Players, Piedmont Virginia Community College, UVA's Drama Department, Heritage Rep and Wintergreen Performing Arts. She is at present Theater Advisor at Old Crozet School Arts and teaches theater and Improv. Boomie has been Co-Artistic Director of the Hamner Theater with Peter Coy since the theater opened in 2005 and has directed and produced over a dozen productions there.

Laura Rikard is an actress, teacher and director. As an actress she has worked professionally in regional theatre, New York City, Europe and in Film and Television. She has also performed at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Magdalena Festival and was in the British Premiere of Mary Zimmerman’s Arabian Nights. She has had the privilege of working with Meryl Streep, Nora Ephron, Sam Mendes, and many more. She is trained in the acting styles of Stella Adler, Lee Strasburg, and Sanford Meisner. She has trained with physical theatre masters Eugenio Barba, Antonio Fava, Carlos Garcia, and Dody di Santo. She was trained in Strasburg work at the legendary Actors Studio in NYC with Elizabeth Kemp and Stella Adler work with Majorie Ballentine (private acting coach to Gary Oldman and more). She has shared the stage with Sir Paul McCartney at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts Anniversary Gala. She is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild and holds an MFA in Acting from UVa, an MA from the Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts and a BA in Theatre from the College of Charleston. She has been teaching actor to students of all ages for over ten years.

Jessica Wilbert has been singing and dancing for as long as she can remember. She's studied tap, jazz, ballet, and voice, violin, and piano. Her most favorite thing is making music with her feet. She has taught tap to all ages and levels in DC, Maryland, and Charlottesville. She loves both the Broadway and rhythm tap traditions, and was mentored by one of the original dancers in Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk on Broadway. She has performed regularly at Live Arts, Four County Players, and Play On, and is thrilled to be bringing tap to the floorboards at Live Arts.

Forging theater and community in Charlottesville, Virginia

Youth Classes

Classes for Ages 4-9

Classes for ages 10+