North Penn Community Education
For nearly 15 years, Theatre & Kids has happily combined forces with North Penn Community Education, the community services arm of the acclaimed North Penn School District. Sponsoring hundreds of evening adult ed classes, bus trips, special seminars travelogues, family concerts, and arts festivals, NPCE has allowed for Will and Susan Liegel and T&K to offering arts classes aimed at young people, to produce exciting juvenile cast shows, and to run one of the most stimulating summer performing arts camps imaginable. Thousands of young people have benefited from exciting and carefully planned shows, classes, and summer experiences.
Saturday Morning Arts Academy
For eight Saturdays in the Fall and eight more in the Spring, area children can take a number of 90 minute T&K performing arts classes in facilities at North Penn High School. Led by experienced staffers who truly love kids, the fun starts at 9AM and many are the youngsters who have signed up again and again, growing up in the program. Our youngest students are only 4, 5, or 6 years old and enjoy our Theatre for Young Performers offerings. Each age group rotates through three separate rooms, teachers, and disciplines – music, drama, and movement. Whether using percussion instrument, singing motion songs, learning steps, walks, or jumps, or retelling a classic fable, these children learn the arts and so much more. They learn to take “safe risks,” they stretch their creativity and discover their interests and talents, and they learn to work together as a team towards a common goal. Older students grades 2 thru 8 have been able to enroll in more focused classes which have included Basic Acting, Advanced Acting, Auditioning, Shakespeare, Show Choir, Mini-Musical Production, Puppetry, Stop-Action Animation, and Video Production. Offerings vary, but it is a constant that kids grow and learn and laugh.
Adult Acting Classes
In addition to our usual Saturday classes, we will often offer a class for adults! This is a great chance for parents or those interested in joining community theatre to try their hand. Classes are usually taught by our very own Mr. Will Liegel and are held on a weekday evening. Come on out and try something different - find out what theatre is all about!
The following information is from the North Penn Community Education Bulletin for the Spring of 2012 - it has not yet been sent out, and until it is, the dates are subject to change. These bulletins are sent automatically to all residents of the North Penn School District.
This Spring we are offering the following classes:
Theatre for the Very Young
(Age 4 through Grade 1)
Popular class for young performers to experience a great “taste of theatre.” Singing, dancing, pantomime, storytelling, improvisation, projection, make-believe and more. Three teachers move students from music to drama to dance in 25-minute periods divided into groups by age.
Saturdays, 2/25 - 4/21 (7 sessions, no class 4/7)
NPHS/F-Pod Balcony
9-10:30 a.m.
Fee: $55
Basic Acting
(Grades 2-4/5)
A great course for younger students who will learn creative theatre games, beginning improvisation, script reading, aerobics, basic diction, projection, accents and body language. Demo for family and friends at last class. No previous experience necessary.
Grades 2-4
Saturdays, 2/25 - 4/21 (7 sessions, no class 4/7)
NPHS F-Pod Balcony
9-10:30 a.m.
Fee: $55
Grades 2-5
Saturdays, 2/25 - 4/21 (7 sessions, no class 4/7)
NPHS F-Pod Balcony
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Fee: $55
Basic Acting
(Grades 5-8)
Learn the basics of improvisation, scene development, projection, dialect, diction, character creation and more. This class is fast moving and more involved in scripts and scene reading. No previous experience necessary.
Saturdays, 2/25 - 4/21 (7 sessions, no class 4/7)
NPHS F-Pod Balcony
9-10:30 a.m.
Fee: $55
Mini Musical Production
The Wizard of Oz
(Grades 2-6)The classic tale of the young girl trying to find her way home from the land of Oz. You could be the Scarecrow, Lion, Tin Man, Witch, or even Dorothy! This show is a great chance for young actors to wet their feet on stage. No-stress auditions will take place on the first day and everyone in the class will get to take part in a 20-30 musical production at the end, complete with sets, props and costumes.
Saturdays, 2/25 - 4/21 (7 sessions, no class 4/7)
NPHS F-Pod Balcony
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Fee: $55
Acting for the Stage for Adults
A creative, fast-moving course for those new to performance
or those with mountains of experience. Each actor will grow
to a new personal plateau with exercises, improv, mime,
monologues and advanced scene work. Final demo during
last class for family and friends. Instructor Will Liegel is a
theatre professional with nearly forty years as a director and
hundreds of previous shows from which to draw.
Mondays, dates unknown (8 Sessions)
NPHS F-pod balcony
7-8:30 p.m.
Fee: $57
All registration for the above classes must be done directly with the North Penn Community Education Office. If you have any questions about registration, class availability, or payment, please contact Paula Malley at 215-853-1028 or Gail Beigel at 215-853-1029. For questions about class content or teaching staff, call OSO directly at 215-858-9528.
Private Lessons
We offer a wide array of private lessons that can be taken on a recurring basis,
or as a one time workshop (great for audition preparation). Currently we offer
lessons in voice, sewing, art, and acting, but other options can be discussed
at the student’s request. All of these lessons are booked directly through the
teacher at the convience of the student for 30-60 minute sessions.
Prices vary but are kept at a reasonable rate.
The current teachers are:
Theresa DiCosimo (voice)
Betsy Falk (acting, sewing, dialects)
Randall J. Moyer (acting, combat)
Stephanie Rosenblum (art) (click here for more information about the art program)
All registration for private lessons must be done through On Stage & Off, Inc. For information on any of the options above, please email us at onstageandoff@live.com.
