Build confidence and expand creativity with the ultimate team sport: Theatre.

Offered in partnership with City of Staunton Parks and Recreation.

With Shakespeare’s text as our touchstone and his technology as our laboratory, the Drama Club meets once a week in 12-week terms to explore Shakespeare’s wordcraft and stagecraft through play, building confidence and expanding creativity by working together to craft and rehearse a final performance of Shakespearean scenes at the Blackfriars Playhouse. Included in the cost of the Drama Club is a ticket for each participant to join the group on a field trip to the Blackfriars Playhouse.

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The Spring 2023 Cycle is currently FULL. Please check back in the Fall.

 

DATES & INFO

Spring 2023 CYCLE

January 15 – April 23, 2023 | Sundays, 1:00-3:00PM
Final Performance: Saturday, April 22 @ 10am
Playhouse dress rehearsal: Saturday, April 15 @ 9am
Playhouse field trip date: Saturday, March 4 @ 2pm
Play: As You Like It

Learning outcomes

Drama Club introduces participants to the vocabulary of theatre, generally (things like “blocking” and “stage right/left”) as well as Shakespeare’s language, specifically (why do they talk like that?).

Participants gain all the benefits of theatrical training: greater collaborative skills, enhanced creative and critical thinking, increased awareness of physicality and movement, personal responsibility, and group camaraderie (to name a few). Specifically, they learn how to work together to put on a play and gain valuable performance experience in doing so. Making theatre isn’t just about memorizing lines and writing down blocking: it’s about knowing when to lead and how to follow, listening actively and responding genuinely, taking care of yourself and your teammates, and working together on a project that will always be greater than the sum of its parts.

Participants also gain an advanced, early understanding of Shakespeare—hopefully before they encounter his plays in an academic environment. The objective of Drama Club is to foster a lifelong love of theatre in general and Shakespeare in particular. Available evidence suggests early exposure (before the onset of “Shakesfear” in high school) to be the best way to achieve that objective.

Drama Club meets weekly at the Nelson Street Center (900 Nelson Street, at the corner of Liberty and Nelson streets) in downtown Staunton, VA.

Drama Club meets on Sundays from 1-3PM, with some special meetings on Saturdays. Sunday meetings extend to 1-4PM for the final month of the cycle. Full schedule can be found here.

Drama Club is open to budding thespians ages 8-15.

Enroll in Drama Club through Staunton Parks & Recreation Department.

Register Now

 

The Spring 2023 Cycle is currently FULL. Please check back in the Fall.

Drama Club enrollment costs $175 per participant and includes 12-15 weeks of club meetings and a ticket to a performance at the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse.

Register Now

The Spring 2023 Cycle is currently FULL. Please check back in the Fall.

Syllabus subject to change.

 

The Spring 2023 Cycle is currently FULL. Please check back in the Fall.

Register Now

rehearsal schedule

  • Sunday, January 15: Welcome to Club (Blackfriars Playhouse, 1-3PM)
    • Icebreakers, introductions, overview of Club goals and schedule
    • Playhouse tour
  • Sunday, January 22: Play/Audition Prep (Nelson Street, 1-3PM)
    • Introduction to our play and preparation for Auditions
  • Sunday, January 29: Auditions! (Nelson Street, 1-3PM)
    • Attendance at this Sunday’s auditions is mandatory for all clubbers. If your clubber needs to miss the auditions for any reason, please contact me ASAP to make alternate arrangements.
  • Sunday, February 5: Rehearsal (Nelson Street, 1-3PM)
  • Sunday, February 12: Rehearsal (Nelson Street, 1-3PM)
  • Sunday, February 19: Rehearsal (Nelson Street, 1-3PM)
  • Sunday, February 26: Rehearsal (Nelson Street, 1-3PM)
  • Saturday, March 4: Field Trip (Blackfriars Playhouse, 1:30-4:30pm)
    • We will be attending the Spring 2023 production of As You Like It at the Blackfriars Playhouse.
    • Please plan to drop your clubber off at the Blackfriars Playhouse (10 S Market Street) at 1:30pm and pick them up from the Playhouse after the show, which should conclude no later than 4:30pm.
    • Tickets for each clubber are included in the cost of registration.
    • Parents & siblings may purchase additional tickets if they would like to accompany Drama Club on our field trip.
  • Sunday, March 5: Rehearsal (Nelson Street, 1-3PM)
  • Sunday, March 12: Rehearsal (Nelson Street, 1-3PM)
  • Saturday, March 18: Playhouse rehearsal (Blackfriars Playhouse, 9AM-12PM)
  • Sunday, March 19: Rehearsal (Nelson Street, 1-3PM)
  • Sunday, March 26: Rehearsal (Nelson Steet, 1-4PM)
    • Club meetings move to three hours for the rest of the cycle.
  • Sunday, April 2: Rehearsal (Nelson Street, 1-4PM)
  • Sunday, April 9: Rehearsal (Nelson Street, 1-4PM)
  • Saturday, April 15: Playhouse Dress Rehearsal (Blackfriars Playhouse, 9AM-12PM)
  • Sunday, April 16: Rehearsal (Nelson Street, 1-4PM)
  • Saturday, April 22: Final Performance (Blackfriars Playhouse, 9AM)
  • Sunday, April 23: OPTIONAL final wrap-up meeting (Nelson Street, 1-3PM)