The Long Beach Playhouse has announced its 2009 Summer Youth Theatre School, which will run from July 13 through July 25 and is open to all students entering third grade (fall 2009) through high school. Each school day will run from 9am to 5pm. Enrollment is limited to 80 students.
Students will be divided into age-appropriate groups with courses designed specifically for their age bracket. At the end of the two-week Theatre School, a final showcase performance will be presented on Saturday, July 25 at 10am. Parents, friends and the community are all invited to attend. Mark Piatelli, recipient of the Public Corporation for the Arts Distinguished Artist Award, will direct the Long Beach Playhouse Summer Youth Theatre School.
Students at the Long Beach Playhouse Summer Youth Theatre School will be trained in all areas of theatre performance; the training includes basic acting techniques, improvisation, text analysis, scene study, voice and movement. Along with the fundamental curriculum, students will be able to choose from a large selection of elective classes including playwriting, clowning, stage combat, Shakespearean monologues and musical theatre. Some surprise guest instructors will join the faculty to teach these electives.
Piatelli brings together some of the finest theatre arts professionals to teach as faculty. California State University, Long Beach attracts mid-career professional actors, directors, musicians and playwrights from across the country to attend its unique masters degree program, which concentrates on theatre education. As a graduate of the program and an adjunct faculty member at Cal State, Piatelli has gathered several highly qualified theatre instructors from this masters program to teach this summer.
Buddy MacKinder is a producer, published playwright, a member of the Dramatists Guild and educated as a master of improvisation by Second City in Chicago. Sarah Underwood is an accomplished jazz musician and actress whose credits include the national tour of Angels in America and work at the prestigious Goodman Theatre in Chicago. David Vegh is a veteran playwright, director and actor whose credits include Saving Private Ryan, Grey’s Anatomy and House.
The Long Beach Playhouse is located at at 5021 E. Anaheim Street in Long Beach. The Summer Youth Theatre School will begin at 9am on Saturday, July 11 with orientation and showcase placement. The cost for the two-week program is $300 and a discount is offered to families with more than one child. For more information and registration, contact the Playhouse at (562) 494-1014 ext. 506, email daisyramirez@lbph.com, or visit www.lbph.com and click on “Educational Outreach.”
