A Broadway Dance Experience with Richard Riaz Yoder

MWF 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (both weeks)

All Ages

Let's take a trip through the history of dance in the theater with Astaire Award winner Richard Riaz Yoder, a veteran of 5 iconic Broadway shows. This fun and engaging class will give the students the opportunity to see how dance continues to evolve on Broadway, and give students a diversified portfolio of the many genres of dance that create a signature Broadway style. Richard has worked with many iconic legends of the stage and screen including Better Midler in the last critically acclaimed Broadway revival of Hello Dolly! As well as Audra McDonald and Billy Porter in the original Broadway Musical Shuffle Along. Richard is also the choreographer for our upcoming production of 42nd Street and this exclusive experience will give our students the opportunity to work with Richard in an intimate classroom experience.

About

Richard Riaz Yoder

Richard has appeared in five Broadway Shows (White Christmas, On the 20th Century, Shuffle Along, Hello Dolly!, My Fair Lady) and is an Astaire nominee for best dancer on Broadway as well as a two-time Astaire Award winner for Best Ensemble on Broadway. Richard was also on the national tour of the last revival of 42nd Street and he is well versed in the exceptional art form of tap.

Audition Technique

MWF 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (both weeks)

All Ages

Students will receive insight on the ins & outs of auditioning in the theater. From what genres of music to prepare for your repertoire, to how to mark your music clearly and communicate effectively with the accompanist, to how to execute your material and what to wear. Students will receive step by step instruction on how to prepare ahead of time for every aspect of their audition so that they can focus on the content and be present in the moment in the room. The class will culminate with a mock audition and feedback from the instructor. Students will leave feeling more confident on how to leave a stellar impression for the creative team.

About

Healy Sammis

Healy Sammis holds a BFA in Theater from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has spent nearly 20 years performing in community theaters throughout CT and MA. She has directed musical theater classes at various venues across the South Shore of Massachusetts. Professionally, Healy spent eight years singing/performing at the Medieval Manor Theater-Restaurant, Boston's longest running dinner theater. She then co-created and produced "Mayflower Mayhem", a successful annual comedic dinner show which launched in Plymouth in November 2016. Local credits include performances at The Orpheum Theater in Foxboro, The Company Theatre in Norwell, Hingham Civic Music Theatre, Theatre to Go in Stoneham, and Theatre at Old South in Boston. In 2015, Healy helped to launch Purple Carrots Drama Studio in Toronto, Canada, which offers all-inclusive theater classes for youth with various learning abilities. For the last 12 years, Healy has also worked full-time in the private education field, providing intensive research-validated instruction to students with reading difficulties.

Behind the Curtain

TTh 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (both weeks)

Older Track Only

It takes a village to put on a show, but do we know all the villagers? In this series, we break down some of the many backstage jobs in the theatre industry, with professional guests joining each session to discuss how they help bring a show to life in their field. This course will facilitate interactions between our students and our guest artists who will represent various technical aspects of the theater. Our students will have the opportunity to interview our special guests for each class session. The areas of possible focus that our guest artists may have experience with include direction, scenic design, sound & lighting design, just to name a few. We will implement smaller activities that showcase what each professional does in their field and students will leave with a greater perspective and appreciate many of the technical aspects it takes to produce a theatrical production.

About

Justin Lahue

Justin Lahue is a scenic designer, director, and interdisciplinary theatre artist based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Starting in the theatre as an actor, he has performed with venues both in New England and across the country. After several years performing, he shifted his focus into design and direction, collaborating with companies including: Barrington Stage Company, Seacoast Repertory Theatre, Hub Theatre Company of Boston, Stagewright Films, and Portsmouth Public Media TV. This is his first season with Break a Leg Theater Works, serving as the scenic designer and technical director for Peter Pan JR and 42nd Street. Justin is a rising junior at Suffolk University, where he is pursuing a BA in theatre with a focus in design and direction. For more information on his work, visit .

Broadway Audition Combos with Thayne Jasperson

TTh 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (week 2)

All Ages

Ever wonder what it’s like to do a dance audition for a Broadway show? In this class students will get the opportunity to learn a different dance combination from a different show each class session. This class is taught by the upcoming star of the Hamilton Film on Disney Plus, and current and original cast member of Hamilton on Broadway, Thayne Jasperson. This exciting class will explore the different styles of dance that choreographers infuse into various musicals on Broadway. Come work with our choreographer for our productions of Cabaret and Disney’s Peter Pan Jr. in this exclusive experience with “So You Think You Can Dance” Star Thayne Jasperson.

About

Thayne Jasperson

Thayne Riley Jasperson is an American actor and singer who originated the role of Samuel Seabury in Broadway's Hamilton. Outside of theater he is known for being a finalist of Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance. He has also been in High School Musical, Newsies, Matilda and Finding Neverland. His Instagram (thaynejasperson) has 80.1k followers.
Thayne is the only remaining member of the original Broadway cast. He portrays different characters each show. Recently he had appearances as Seabury, King George III and John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton.

Free Your Voice

TTh 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (both weeks)

All Ages

This vocal technique and performance course will give students of all ages a technical overview with easy-to-grasp tips and tricks for singing more comfortably in contemporary, pop, and broadway vocal styles. We will cover how to hit high notes, differentiating between vocal registers, improving breath support for optimal vocal health, singing more efficiently, and practicing riffs & runs. While these concepts often improve the voice aesthetically, the singer will also begin to find a more healthy and sustainable technique for singing.

Each class session will also feature a master-class component where students will be required to bring in 1-2 challenging songs that they’d like to work on in front of the group.

Because the course takeaways are highly individualized for each student’s instrument, this course is open to beginner and intermediate vocalists, and the concepts are highly applicable to all singers.

About

Dalton Letorney

Dalton Letorney is an award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, and pianist. A classically-trained lyric baritone, he has performed as an artist, cover artist, and a variety of musical theater roles throughout the past decade all around New England. He has performed at notable venues including House of Blues, Faneuil Hall (official street performer), Hard Rock Café, Marshfield Fair, Ogunquit Playhouse, and Duxbury Music Festival. His vocal talent and songwriting skill have earned him numerous awards in vocal and songwriting competitions throughout New England. He has received testimonials from ex-American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, Donna Wright (manager of NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and P!nk), AHMIR, Charlie Puth, Meghan Trainor, and other notable figures in the music industry. As a vocal performance coach, Dalton has trained with over eight voice teachers to gain multiple perspectives on vocal technique, science and health. Applying the “nothing-is-impossible” approach to singing, he currently trains with Karyn O’Connor, owner of SingWise, a popular online voice science journal. Within Break A Leg, Dalton has worked with Kyle and Healy since its inception, both as a performer and through coaching cast members. He recently had the role of Joe Gillis in BAL’s 2018 production of Sunset Boulevard. Dalton’s music has been played on YouTube, Instagram, and streaming services over 400,000 times. Dalton currently studies at University of Southern California in Los Angeles with concentrations in Business and Music.

Funky Fosse!

TTh 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (week 1)

All Ages

Combo Fosse/hip-hop/funk class. We will learn some fun, fresh combos that show how classic Fosse moves show up all around us in today’s theatre and pop music, showcased by stars like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.

About

Jason Hutson

Jason Hutson is a NYC based choreographer and member of the BAL family. Jason choreographed last season’s Shrek the Musical and this winter’s Fosse camp. He has performed and choreographed across the country and is happy to be back home with BAL!

Harmony

MWF 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (week 1)

Older Track Only

In harmony our students will learn about the most common types of vocal harmonies encountered in the musical theater genre with our multi talented BAL Musical Director, Arman Mohammad. Students will use some well-known iconic songs from the Broadway catalogue to practice identifying different types of harmony throughout the piece. We will then experiment with changes in harmony and venture into more contemporary and modern harmonies using musicals from the last few years that our students all know and love. This intriguing course will increase the skill set of students hoping to improve on their musicality and ear training with ensemble and small group singing.

About

Arman Mohammad

Arman is a pianist/multi-instrumentalist and musical director from South Portland, ME. He has played and performed for 22 years in New England and across the U.S., including 15 years of extensive classical training. Over the past few years, Arman has performed with and made custom arrangements for numerous established Broadway and Recording Artists. Some of his favorite arrangements were for Javier Colon (Season 1 winner, The Voice), Chelsea Packard (Wicked), Elizabeth Stanley (Jagged Little Pill), Blaine Krauss (The Cher Show, Kinky Boots, The Lion King), L. Steven Taylor (The Lion King) among others. He also has worked as an original Music Director on a number of new musicals being born out of the Boston Conservatory, and Snowlion Repertory Company. He started music directing for youth theater at the age of 15 in Portland, ME, and has been working in the field ever since. In Boston, Arman offers private piano instruction to students of all ages and skill levels and also has taught courses in Music Theory and Ear Training at Break a Leg Theater Works in Plymouth. He arranges and performs regularly across New England at weddings, bars and clubs as a keyboardist and pianist. Arman is also a producer having completed an internship at Mix One Studios in Fenway with Engineer Adam Weiss. Arman's music composed through his time as musical director for Catalyst Comedy has been used in a new Christmas Musical, The Naughty List, which premiered in Rengo Studios in Boston in December 2018.

Improv & Theater Games

TTh 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (both weeks)

Younger Track Only

This class offers a fun and accessible way to explore a student’s innate ability to be playful and creative. Activities are designed to keep students engaged while also improving their performance technique. Students will learn tips and tools that they can apply to any performance onstage while discovering a character and building a production.

About

Healy Sammis

Healy Sammis holds a BFA in Theater from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has spent nearly 20 years performing in community theaters throughout CT and MA. She has directed musical theater classes at various venues across the South Shore of Massachusetts. Professionally, Healy spent eight years singing/performing at the Medieval Manor Theater-Restaurant, Boston's longest running dinner theater. She then co-created and produced "Mayflower Mayhem", a successful annual comedic dinner show which launched in Plymouth in November 2016. Local credits include performances at The Orpheum Theater in Foxboro, The Company Theatre in Norwell, Hingham Civic Music Theatre, Theatre to Go in Stoneham, and Theatre at Old South in Boston. In 2015, Healy helped to launch Purple Carrots Drama Studio in Toronto, Canada, which offers all-inclusive theater classes for youth with various learning abilities. For the last 12 years, Healy has also worked full-time in the private education field, providing intensive research-validated instruction to students with reading difficulties.

Let’s Write a Musical! Exploring Musical Theater Song Structure

MWF 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (week 2)

Older Track Only

In this course, we will take a close look at song structure in the musical theater genre. What are the structures we see most commonly among the musical theater standards? We will also discuss song types as it relates to plot development, stressing that each song serves a functional purpose in the show. Together as a class, students will apply these lessons and create and construct their own mini musical!

About

Arman Mohammad

Arman is a pianist/multi-instrumentalist and musical director from South Portland, ME. He has played and performed for 22 years in New England and across the U.S., including 15 years of extensive classical training. Over the past few years, Arman has performed with and made custom arrangements for numerous established Broadway and Recording Artists. Some of his favorite arrangements were for Javier Colon (Season 1 winner, The Voice), Chelsea Packard (Wicked), Elizabeth Stanley (Jagged Little Pill), Blaine Krauss (The Cher Show, Kinky Boots, The Lion King), L. Steven Taylor (The Lion King) among others. He also has worked as an original Music Director on a number of new musicals being born out of the Boston Conservatory, and Snowlion Repertory Company. He started music directing for youth theater at the age of 15 in Portland, ME, and has been working in the field ever since. In Boston, Arman offers private piano instruction to students of all ages and skill levels and also has taught courses in Music Theory and Ear Training at Break a Leg Theater Works in Plymouth. He arranges and performs regularly across New England at weddings, bars and clubs as a keyboardist and pianist. Arman is also a producer having completed an internship at Mix One Studios in Fenway with Engineer Adam Weiss. Arman's music composed through his time as musical director for Catalyst Comedy has been used in a new Christmas Musical, The Naughty List, which premiered in Rengo Studios in Boston in December 2018.

Murder Under the Big Top: A Circus Scandal Mystery Game

TTh 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (both weeks)

Older Track Only

It’s 1952, and P.U. Barnhum’s world-famous three-ring circus has come to Podunk! The town is overwhelmed by the excitement, the lights, the animals, and the—dead body of the ringmaster. Yes, there lies Rhett Coate, dead, right in the center ring. The circus owner, P. U. Barnhum, is in a tizzy.

Was the murderer a fellow circus performer, like Malcolm Laff the clown, or the trapeze act Jess Fling/Ann Ketch? Was it one of the carnival attractions, like Christa Bawle the fortuneteller or Isalotta Herr the bearded lady? Or maybe it was a member of the audience like Arlo Kell, someone with cause to dread the reappearance of a Podunkian who ran off to join the circus…

But hold onto your popcorn—the murderer may be YOU!

This class is exclusively for our high school students. Each student will be assigned a character, and be given a character booklet with instructions on how to play each round. They will be given a back story on their character, and allowed to ask questions of other characters, using their acting and improv skills. This experience will be hosted by Kyle Wrentz one of the Co-Founder/Director of Break a Leg Theater Works and is sure to engage and excite our students.

About

Kyle Wrentz

Kyle Wrentz has been a professional Actor for over 18 years. He graduated with a BFA in Theater from The University of Hartford, The Hartt School. He has had a long affiliation with The Walt Disney family, for which he performed on Broadway and around the country and world in "The Lion King," where he understudied the roles of Simba & Scar. He was also seen in Epcot as a cast member of the critically acclaimed acapella group, American Vybe. He was part of the opening cast at Hong Kong Disneyland, where he also sang backup in the opening night show at the castle behind the original voices of Belle and Aladdin from the Disney films. Regionally, his work has been seen throughout many theaters across North America. Some of his favorite roles include Jim from “Big River” and 2nd Officer Lightoller from Titanic. He has had the opportunity to perform at “The Tony Awards”, the "Daytime Emmys”, and on “Dancing With The Stars”.

Nailing the Monologue

TTh 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (week 1)

All Ages

What does it mean in a play when your character has a speech to give? When the dialogue stops, you lean in, and it is your turn to tell the story. Find your light, your stillness, and your truth - and the stage is yours! In this class, students will learn different techniques for delivering an authentic performance with your monologue.

About

Healy Sammis

Healy Sammis holds a BFA in Theater from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has spent nearly 20 years performing in community theaters throughout CT and MA. She has directed musical theater classes at various venues across the South Shore of Massachusetts. Professionally, Healy spent eight years singing/performing at the Medieval Manor Theater-Restaurant, Boston's longest running dinner theater. She then co-created and produced "Mayflower Mayhem", a successful annual comedic dinner show which launched in Plymouth in November 2016. Local credits include performances at The Orpheum Theater in Foxboro, The Company Theatre in Norwell, Hingham Civic Music Theatre, Theatre to Go in Stoneham, and Theatre at Old South in Boston. In 2015, Healy helped to launch Purple Carrots Drama Studio in Toronto, Canada, which offers all-inclusive theater classes for youth with various learning abilities. For the last 12 years, Healy has also worked full-time in the private education field, providing intensive research-validated instruction to students with reading difficulties.

Once Upon a Costume

MWF 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (both weeks)

All Ages

In this fun and interactive course, students will discover how the costume helps tell the story in a play or musical with our extraordinary BAL Costume Designer Alice Langton. Let’s explore and learn basic steps in the creative process of costume design. Through fun crafting techniques, art making, and of course your imagination, our students will be able to create some of their very own designs. We will create costume designs through an 'All about me" exercise. Relating characteristics about themselves and transferring those into a visual costume design on a body form template that will be provided. Further activities may include creating a costume design from a fairy tale character or a favorite character in a book, play, or musical.

About

Alice Langton

Alice Langton is an artist, freelance Costume Designer, and Wardrobe Stylist. She started designing and constructing costumes for plays and musicals in high school. Alice volunteered for local theater companies in Randolph and Avon, MA from 2011-2018 creating costumes for productions of The Wizard of Oz, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Seussical, Cinderella, Annie Jr. and Willy Wonka Jr. She has been the Costume Designer for Break a Leg (BAL) Theater Works since the spring of 2018. She designed for their 2018 musicals, The Little Mermaid and Sunset Boulevard, and constructed a few costumes for their 2019 winter cabaret “The Grammys”. Alice also designed costumes for the Inly School (Scituate, MA) production of The Wiz. She later costumed BAL’s 2019 musical productions of Guys and Dolls Junior, Cabaret, and Shrek. Alice has enjoyed being part of the production team at BAL as well as working with the talented young performers. She resides in Plymouth, MA with her husband and 12-year-old daughter (who is a BAL performer).

Seeing is Believing: the art of visual storytelling

MWF 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (week 1)

Younger Track Only

View the world through a designer’s eyes! Using the building blocks of art and design, we will explore how to tell stories through visuals and creative expression with our awesome BAL Technical Director, Justin Lahue. While telling these stories, students will learn how to take the worlds of our imagination and turn them into reality! We will create and share a unique environment inspired by one of their favorite fairy/folk tales, using a mixture of drawings and everyday items from around their house to "build" the world of the story. Bring your fun and creativity to this engaging and unique course.

About

Justin Lahue

Justin Lahue is a scenic designer, director, and interdisciplinary theatre artist based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Starting in the theatre as an actor, he has performed with venues both in New England and across the country. After several years performing, he shifted his focus into design and direction, collaborating with companies including: Barrington Stage Company, Seacoast Repertory Theatre, Hub Theatre Company of Boston, Stagewright Films, and Portsmouth Public Media TV. This is his first season with Break a Leg Theater Works, serving as the scenic designer and technical director for Peter Pan JR and 42nd Street. Justin is a rising junior at Suffolk University, where he is pursuing a BA in theatre with a focus in design and direction. For more information on his work, visit .

Set the Scene: Scene Study for Young Actors

TTh 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (both weeks)

Younger Track Only

In this class, actors will have the opportunity to explore scenes from television, movies and popular shows on Broadway. Students will be hand selected material that they will get to block, rehearse and present alongside other aspiring actors. Students in grades 4-8 will learn how to truthfully play out a scene through building relationships with their scene partners and dissecting and understanding the text of the scene.

About

Lauren Masterpolo

Lauren Masterpolo is an actor, singer and dancer and has been a part of the BAL family since fall of 2016. Since starting at the age of five, Lauren has had a wide range of acting training ranging from Shakespeare to Meisner. She is especially knowledgeable in techniques for acting in the song and lyric interpretation. After starting her minor in Nonprofit Leadership last summer, Lauren has found a love for teaching and sharing this knowledge. She has run BAL programs ranging from college prep to summer camps and is always excited to come back and teach more! Lauren is an upcoming junior earning her BFA in Music Theatre at the University At Buffalo in Buffalo, NY.

Setting the Stage: scenic and lighting design for theatre

MWF 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (both weeks)

Older Track Only

How do you turn a script into a fully formed world? In this exciting and alluring course, we will go through the process of designing and lighting scenery, creating our own miniature theaters using fundamental stage design principles and hands on craft technique. Guided by our talented BAL Technical Director Justin Lahue, students will be sent basic printable plans for a theater model, which we construct together using paper, glue, and cardboard. This serves as the base for the final sessions, where each student selects a show (a small list will be provided) and creates their own miniature set using the principles and lessons taught from earlier sessions. Students will gain a great appreciation for the creative process used to get a cohesive vision to the stage while bringing their own creative perspective to the design.

About

Justin Lahue

Justin Lahue is a scenic designer, director, and interdisciplinary theatre artist based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Starting in the theatre as an actor, he has performed with venues both in New England and across the country. After several years performing, he shifted his focus into design and direction, collaborating with companies including: Barrington Stage Company, Seacoast Repertory Theatre, Hub Theatre Company of Boston, Stagewright Films, and Portsmouth Public Media TV. This is his first season with Break a Leg Theater Works, serving as the scenic designer and technical director for Peter Pan JR and 42nd Street. Justin is a rising junior at Suffolk University, where he is pursuing a BA in theatre with a focus in design and direction. For more information on his work, visit .

Singing From The Heart! Song Performance Technique

TTh 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (week 2)

All Ages

This class will focus on helping students gain insight on how to deliver a song with emotional impact. Activities and feedback will be provided to guide students to connect and interpret songs on a deeper level and to apply their interpretations to giving authentic, meaningful and vital performances. We will also analyze emotional singing from a technical perspective through studying primal crying instincts in order to add emotion and sing more healthily.

About

Dalton Letorney

Dalton Letorney is an award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, and pianist. A classically-trained lyric baritone, he has performed as an artist, cover artist, and a variety of musical theater roles throughout the past decade all around New England. He has performed at notable venues including House of Blues, Faneuil Hall (official street performer), Hard Rock Café, Marshfield Fair, Ogunquit Playhouse, and Duxbury Music Festival. His vocal talent and songwriting skill have earned him numerous awards in vocal and songwriting competitions throughout New England. He has received testimonials from ex-American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, Donna Wright (manager of NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and P!nk), AHMIR, Charlie Puth, Meghan Trainor, and other notable figures in the music industry. As a vocal performance coach, Dalton has trained with over eight voice teachers to gain multiple perspectives on vocal technique, science and health. Applying the “nothing-is-impossible” approach to singing, he currently trains with Karyn O’Connor, owner of SingWise, a popular online voice science journal. Within Break A Leg, Dalton has worked with Kyle and Healy since its inception, both as a performer and through coaching cast members. He recently had the role of Joe Gillis in BAL’s 2018 production of Sunset Boulevard. Dalton’s music has been played on YouTube, Instagram, and streaming services over 400,000 times. Dalton currently studies at University of Southern California in Los Angeles with concentrations in Business and Music.

Sock On!

MWF 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (week 2)

All Ages

This interactive class will focus on the fabrication of one (or two if desired) "mouth" puppet using a sock. Taught by legendary Puppet Master Esme Roszel, our students will be encouraged to bring their own creativity and imagination into making sock puppets with general crafting items found at home. During our second class, we will focus on the technical professional performance techniques puppeteers use to achieve a high quality performance that has great impact on our audience and will be great amusement for our actors.

Materials Needed:
• A sock ( long & fuzzy works best!)
• Scissors
• Hot Glue Gun
• Materials for eyes (ping pong balls, plastic spoons, buttons, egg cartons, googly eyes, plastic Easter eggs)
• Cardboard
• Felt
• Markers
• Anything you like for decoration: Construction paper, yarn, feathers, pom poms, beads, craft foam, pipe cleaners, stuffing etc.

About

Esme Roszel

Esme Roszel is an artist, puppeteer and storyteller from Plymouth, Massachusetts. She is a recent graduate of UCONN's Puppet Arts program, and has toured puppetry productions for children and adults around New England.

The Break a Leg Casting Game

MWF 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (both weeks)

All Ages

Have you ever wanted to take a stab at casting a show? Well now you can become a fantasy casting director in “The Break a Leg Casting Game”! Students will get a chance to cast a mock “dream team” of famous characters in popular Broadway Musicals. As a fantasy casting director, they will get to pitch their ideas on casting choices and vote on their favorites!

About

Kyle Wrentz & Healy Sammis

Kyle & Healy are the Co-Founders of Break a Leg Theater Works. Visit the ABOUT US page to learn more about their backgrounds.

The Case of the Missing Calamine Trophy: A Mystery Themed Game

MWF 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (both weeks)

Younger Track Only

In this fun mystery experience and theater acting course, students will be cast into character roles that they will bring to life during our clue driven caper. The action takes place at the fictional Great Swampland State Park. Our cast of characters are looking for an adventurous summer they’ll never forget and they will have two choices inside the Great Swampland State Park: Camp Moss-Keto, nestled by still waters, and Camp Sue-Mack, situated among lush undergrowth. But this year, someone has stolen the Trophy! Was it one the kids, playing tricks? Was it one of the camp employees, desperate for prestige? Was it an outsider, like the lost hiker who seems strangely knowledgeable about the camps? Or was it—YOU? Students will be given the chance to create exciting characters and be given instructions on how to play the game each round and solve the mystery, through acting, improv and fun audio clues.This experience will be hosted by BAL Co-Director/Founder Kyle Wrentz. Kyle will help guide our student through each round which is full of enjoyable entertainment and guaranteed laughs!

About

Kyle Wrentz

Kyle Wrentz has been a professional Actor for over 18 years. He graduated with a BFA in Theater from The University of Hartford, The Hartt School. He has had a long affiliation with The Walt Disney family, for which he performed on Broadway and around the country and world in "The Lion King," where he understudied the roles of Simba & Scar. He was also seen in Epcot as a cast member of the critically acclaimed acapella group, American Vybe. He was part of the opening cast at Hong Kong Disneyland, where he also sang backup in the opening night show at the castle behind the original voices of Belle and Aladdin from the Disney films. Regionally, his work has been seen throughout many theaters across North America. Some of his favorite roles include Jim from “Big River” and 2nd Officer Lightoller from Titanic. He has had the opportunity to perform at “The Tony Awards”, the "Daytime Emmys”, and on “Dancing With The Stars”.

Toy Theater for Everyone!

MWF 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (week 1)

All Ages

In this captivating course taught by professional and critically acclaimed puppeteer Esme Roszel, students will design, construct and perform Toy Theater productions on the topic/story of their choosing (start brainstorming now!). Also known as Paper Theater, Toy Theater dates back to the 19th century. It is a compact form of miniature theater that can be taken and performed anywhere! Come learn about Toy Theater, one of the many perspectives within the art of puppetry from Esme Roszel who is currently studying Puppet Arts at one of the few and acclaimed professional puppets arts training programs in the country.

Materials for this project should be easily obtained at home.
You will need:
• A cardboard box (any size will do, microwave oven size is best)
• colored paper
• images from magazines, newspaper or the internet
• scissors
• tape
• glue stick or white glue
• thin cardboard (from cereal boxes etc.)
• barbecue skewers, coat hanger wire, pencils or anything of the like

About

Esme Roszel

Esme Roszel is an artist, puppeteer and storyteller from Plymouth, Massachusetts. She is a recent graduate of UCONN's Puppet Arts program, and has toured puppetry productions for children and adults around New England.