MEDIA THEATRE WINTER SEMESTER OF ACTING CLASSES STARTS UP IN JANUARY

The Media Theatre's Winter Semester of Acting Classes begin the weekend of January 6, 2018. Along with the popular Children’s and Teen Acting Classes, a new “Tween” class will join the curriculum. The Adult Class will continue, and the Dance Machine will return.

Each semester brings a fun educational atmosphere as students develop by working together and creating within a group setting.

Students perform on The Media Theatre stage

Classes are under the supervision of Broadway World Award winning Artistic Director Jesse Cline, who studied with the renowned Sanford Meisner. All classes at The Media Theatre follow the Sanford Meisner Technique which basically states that 'acting is living as truthfully as one can under an imaginary circumstance'. This means that all actors should create without copying anyone else's performance or trying to be who they are not. It's a confidence booster while raising self-awareness.

The Acting Classes focus solely on acting skills and stage presence while also featuring improvisational theatre exercises for each age group.

Students from the acting classes are given performance opportunities throughout the year at The Media Theatre, playing roles in the Children's Series such as the upcoming "Princess And The Pea" and, when applicable, the Broadway Series.

Roger Ricker, who has been in over 100 productions at The Media Theatre and has worked with Artistic Director Jesse Cline since 1991, will continue instructing the Level One Children's Class on Saturday mornings at 9am for ages 4-8, and the Level Two Children's Class on Tuesday afternoons at 4:30 for ages up to 11. He'll also instruct the Teen Acting Class on Sunday evenings at 6pm, as well as the new Tween Class on Wednesday afternoons.

Here, by start date, are the classes for the Winter Semester:

The Level One Children's Class starts Saturday January 6 at 9am, continuing for a total of ten weeks. The weekly hour long class is perfect for ages 4 to 8, with a focus on basic stage skills, working with other children, theatre games, and developing good diction and interaction dynamics.

The Teen Class, Sundays from 6-7:30pm, begins the new semester on January 7. The eight week course features group improvisation, as the young actors create scenes together, learning to react without over-analyzing and discovering how they would react to certain situations relevant to their age group.

Tuesday, January 9, is the start date for the Second Level Children’s Class which takes place from 4:30-5:30pm. For ages 8-10 (or for those a bit younger with more stage experience) the class features skill building within fun group theatre exercises. It’s a ten-week semester, an hour each week.

The Adult Acting Class also starts up Tuesday January 9, meeting from 7:30-9pm each week for an eight-week semester. Scene study is a big part of the class.

The new Tween Class, for ages 11-12 (and specific 10 year olds with stage experience) starts Wednesday January 10 for one hour each week. The ten-week course is strictly for youth who are no longer little children but are not quite teenagers. The class will focus on improvisation and building self-awareness as well as stage presence.

The "Media Theatre Dance Machine" starts up again Sunday January 21 meeting from 10am to 11:30am each week through April 8 (no class on Easter Sunday). The instructors are popular Philadelphia performers Ronnie Keller and Kimberly Maxson, both who frequently appear on The Media Theatre stage. The class is suitable for ages 9 and up.

Ronnie Keller and Kim Maxson, Dance Machine instructors

Ronnie Keller says, "We are thrilled to be working together as a team to create a fun, safe, and informative environment where students will learn while having a great time."

"The dance class will focus on learning the importance of strength, rhythm, musicality, and acting through dance," Kimberly Maxson added. "We will focus on body strengthening through proper warm-ups, while introducing students to core ballet techniques, expanding their musical theatre dance repertoire, and learning to sing as an ensemble while retaining this new information."

To register for the Acting Classes or "Dance Machine" call 610-891-0100 or visit mediatheatre.org. All Media Theatre classes are $400 for the Winter Semester.