Class Types
Studio East offers high-quality theater arts education with engaging and experienced Instructors year-round. Our Homeschool and After School programs offer weekly classes during the school year for students age 2-18. We’ve created this classification system to help you choose the right class for your student based on his/her strengths and goals.
Our youngest students can participate in Creative Drama classes which excite the imagination and build interpersonal skills and self confidence. Older students can develop their talents through focused Technique classes which add to their acting “toolbox.” Performance classes give students a chance to put their training to work in a presentation for family and friends. A balance between focus on skill-building and performance will create a solid foundation for every student.
Creative Drama
These classes focus on developing creativity through play – dramatic, musical, movement-based, and visual play. Creative Drama classes encourage spontaneous action and movement, imagination, simple characterization, story-making, and interaction with others. Class activities may include re-enacting stories, going on imaginary adventures in the classroom, and creating visual, verbal and kinesthetic responses to themes and concepts. An important foundation for future drama work!
Technique Classes
Technique classes give young actors the tools they need to succeed as performers. Classes usually conclude with a brief presentation of new skills for families. Learn terminology, develop skills, and build confidence while having a ton of fun with your friends!
Acting Technique
Acting Technique classes give young actors the tools they need to succeed as performers. Learn terminology, skills, and build confidence while having a ton of fun with your friends! Older students will focus on Audition, Scene Study, and Improvisation while our Smorgasbord class will explore many different acting topics such as Clowning, Improvisation, Dance, and Musical Theater.
Singing Technique
Designed for students who want to study voice but are not ready to commit to private singing lessons, this class is a must for the aspiring performer. Students will learn about the voice through vocal exercises, group songs, solos and duets. Class size limited to 8 students for plenty of individual attention!
Cross-Curricular
Drama can be an effective teaching tool for many academic subjects. New this year, we’ll be pairing drama work with core curriculum topics to give students an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the connections that exist beyond the standard study of reading, writing and arithmetic.
Performance Classes
Put theater skills to work in Performance Classes. Confident young performers build skills and gain valuable experience by performing for families and friends on the last day of class.
Story Drama Performance
Story Drama classes help young performers build basic acting and performance skills. Guided by the Instructor, students will adapt an existing story into a theatrical creation. They will study and develop the characters, transform their story into a script, learn lines and rehearse staging, add costumes and props, and finally present their play to friends and family.
Play Creation and Performance
Play Creation classes help young performers build storytelling, acting and performance skills. Starting from scratch, students will use their imaginations to create dynamic new characters and the story that combines them all. The class will write their own script, practice speaking the important lines that tell the story, add props and costumes, and finally present their creation to friends and family.
Acting Performance
Performance classes emphasize character development, ensemble-building, memorization, staging, and communication. Working from an existing script, young actors will experience the production process in a small class environment.
Musical Theater Performance
Singing, acting and dancing combine in these fun and challenging classes. By learning and performing exciting Broadway songs and scenes students will integrate the fundamental elements of musical theater: telling a story through vocal production, facial expression, and movement.
Production Classes
Production classes give students in our Homeschool program the opportunity to study and perform a fully staged and costumed production. Through the class process students will learn to audition, work as an ensemble, memorize dialogue and staging, learn acting technique and terminology, develop performance skills, and demonstrate their new knowledge by performing on the Studio East Mainstage on May 3rd and 4th. Please note that all classes and performances in April and May are mandatory – vacations should be scheduled during our week off; April 8-12!
