Winter/Spring Session

Classes for Youth
 
Ages 4-5 Storybook Theater Saturdays, Feb 16-April 5
Grades 1-2 Imagine Shakespeare Saturdays, Feb 16-Apr 5
Grades 3-6 Playshop Saturdays, Feb 16-Apr 5
Grades 7-9 The Art of Comedy Mondays, Feb 11-April 7
Grades 9-12 Teen Performance Workshop:
Romeo and Juliet


Saturdays, Feb 16-Apr 5
Classes for Adults
     
Adult “Acting” for the Business Professional Thursdays, Feb 21-Apr 10
Adult Improvisation Wednesdays, Feb 20-Apr 9
Adult Cal Shakes Literary Society Thursdays, Apr 3-May 22
Adult Acting Shakespeare: Levels I/II Mondays, Apr 28-Jun 9


For information: Contact Sam Fryer at 510.548.3422 x 105 or email learn@calshakes.org

To register for classes: Download the registration form and mail, fax, or email it. Once we have received your registration, you will receive a email confirming your participation. Please call with any questions regarding registration or for more information on classes.

Class Locations:
Berkeley classes will be held in the Cal Shakes Rehearsal Hall, 701 Heinz Ave., Berkeley 94710.
Orinda classes will be held in the Orinda Community Center, 26 Orinda Way

Classes for Youth


Storybook Theater

Pre-K (age 4) to K | Sat 10-10:50am | Feb 16-April 5
8 wks | $115
701 Heinz Ave, Berkeley
  There's a lot to be learned from a children's story–how to be nimble and quick enough to jump over a candlestick; how to, like the three little pigs, learn from experience and work together; and much, much more. Each week in Storybook Theater, preschoolers and kindergarteners explore and experience a new story from around the world, building skills in acting, ensemble, movement, and creative problem solving while bringing literature to life. Storybook Theater teacher Noah Martin has studied and taught at the renowned Seattle Children's Theatre.


Imagine Shakespeare


Grades 1-2 | Sat 11am-12pm | Feb 16-Apr 5
8 wks | $125
701 Heinz Ave, Berkeley
  At its heart, A Midsummer Night's Dream is a fairytale of the highest order. And who better to journey through this story—of kings and queens (both human and magical), beautiful fairies and mischievous elves, spellcraft and romance—than first and second graders? Students will encounter Shakespeare's words and characters through storytelling, creative movement, and dramatic games, allowing this famous story to come alive...not as words on a page, but as it's heard, spoken, and performed. Teacher Noah Martin has studied and taught at the renowned Seattle Children's Theatre.


Playshop
Grades 3-6 | Sat 12:15-2:15pm | Feb 16-Apr 5
8 wks | $225
701 Heinz Ave, Berkeley
Hollywood took The Taming of the Shrew and made Ten Things I Hate About You; Broadway turned it into Kiss Me, Kate. Now your child can see why it's one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies. In Playshop, kids investigate character and develop acting, voice, movement, and improvisation skills as they prepare to perform scenes from Taming of the Shrew. Students explore the world of the play using select scenes (and play multiple roles) in a performance for friends and family. Beginning and experienced young actors alike will have fun and be challenged as they discover Shakespeare's world through original text. This class is taught by fave Cal Shakes Teaching Artist, director at our camps, and Teacher's Guide editor Trish Tillman.


The Art of Comedy
Grades 7-9 | Mon 4-5:30pm | Feb 11-April 7
8 wks | $225
Orinda Community Center, 26 Orinda Way
Everybody loves a clown, but only if said clown is actually funny. This physical theater training combines buffoonery, clowning, and psychological gesture to help develop the actor's awareness of both body and mind. In this class, 7th-9th graders will use text and movement together to create dynamic theater pieces with precise comedic timing. Students will also use neutral masks to bring out the best physicality in their characters. There is no better way to learn comedy than from Cal Shakes Associate Artist and resident funny man Ron Campbell.


Teen Performance Workshop: Romeo and Juliet
Grades 9-12 | Sat 2:30-4:30pm | Feb 16-Apr 5
8 wks | $225
Berkeley
Love, tragedy and swordplay—such is the stuff of Romeo and Juliet. In this performance workshop, students hone traditional acting skills with an extra helping of stage combat. Teens will ultimately perform selected scenes (with fight choreography) for parents and friends. Popular Bay Area actor, teacher, and fight choreographer Andrew Hurteau leads teens through a fresh exploration of this passionate classic.

Classes for Adults


“Acting” for the Business Professional
Adult | Thu 7-9pm | Feb 21-Apr 10
8 wks | $250
Orinda Community Center, 26 Orinda Way
Wondering how to get ahead in business? Using skills and techniques from the theater, this class will help you tackle your fear of public speaking, learn how to communicate effectively, and learn how to take over a room with power and presence you may not have known you had. Taught by acclaimed San Francisco director John Dixon, faculty member at American Conservatory Theater’s Studio A.C.T. program.
Improvisation
Adult | Wed 7-9:30pm | Feb 20-Apr 9
8 wks | $225
701 Heinz Ave, Berkeley
Learn how to think on your feet as an actor (and in your everyday life). Students will explore and develop the skills of spontaneity, storytelling, staying in the moment, and building a scene with a partner, all in an environment focused on fun. Learn the rules and vocabulary of improv, developing a toolkit that can be brought to acting roles, auditions, work life, and many other offstage interactions. Taught by Bay Area Theatre Sports member and seasoned improviser Laura Derry.

Cal Shakes Literary Society

Thu 7-9pm | Apr 3-May 22
8 wks | $225

Orinda Community Center, 26 Orinda Way

with Joanie McBrien,
Cathleen Sheehan,
and two more TBA*

Cal Shakes is excited to announce our first-ever Literary Society. Over eight weeks, you’ll spend two sessions on each play in our 2008 season. Explore Pericles, Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, and Twelfth Night with the help of Cal Shakes veteran dramaturgs and Associate Artists. This isn’t just a class—it’s a space to delve into each play from textual and production perspectives, through discussion, study, and socializing (including optional potlucks). Seeing the productions will be even more illuminating when you can tell what’s been cut or added by each director (special discounts apply).
Acting Shakespeare: Levels I/II
Adult | Mon 7-9pm | Apr 28-Jun 9 7 wks
$225
701 Heinz Ave, Berkeley
Introductory students learn the fundamental techniques and concepts of classical acting, while intermediate actors polish their material and bring their skills to the next level. Engage your body, voice, and imagination through scenework, monologues, and examining Shakespeare's text. This class is taught by veteran Cal Shakes actor and Associate Artist L. Peter Callender.
Call Sam Fryer at 510.548.3422 x105 to register.



Teaching Artists


L. Peter Callender is a Cal Shakes Associate Artist; his numerous productions at Cal Shakes include: King Lear, Man and Superman, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, The Winter’s Tale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cymbeline, Twelfth Night, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, Romeo & Juliet, and Hamlet. At Berkeley Rep: Major Barbara, Spunk, Galileo, The Oresteia. At A.C.T.: A Streetcar Named Desire, Tartuffe, Insurrection: Holding History. Mr. Callender is the recipient of several Dean Goodman awards, an Elly Award, SF Bay Guardian Goldie Award and the East Bay Express Best of the East Bay Award.
 

Ron Campbell is a Cal Shakes Associate Artist and a teacher at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre. He was recently awarded a Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship recognizing Distinguished Achievement; he’ll be using the award to study techniques with theater companies in Greece, Italy, Japan, and Sweden before returning to Cal Shakes to share his findings. His Cal Shakes credits include The Triumph of Love, Restoration Comedy, The Tempest, The Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, and Henry IV. Mr. Campbell’s awards include: London Fringe One-Man Show of the Year; Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award; Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award (Lead and Solo Performances); four KPBS Patte Awards; four Backstage West Garland Awards; and 15 Dramalogue Awards; as well as Helen Hayes and Jeff Award nominations. Theater credits include: Mark Taper Forum; Seattle Rep; A.C.T.; Habima Theater (Israel); Mercury Theater (Chicago); The Old Globe; Old Red Lion Theatre (London); Metro Stage (Washington D.C.); Intiman Theatre; and Edinburgh, Telluride, and California Theatre Festivals. Ron is a founding member of The Actors’ Gang and has played the Chef at Teatro Zinzanni.

Ron Campbell and California Shakespeare Theater are participants in the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships, funded by William & Eva Fox Foundation administered by Theatre Communications Group.
 

Laura Derry is an actor, improviser, teacher, corporate trainer, consultant, director and musician in the Bay Area. She received her B.A. in Theatre Arts from UC Santa Cruz, and has trained at BATS Improv, American Conservatory Theater's Studio Program & Summer Training Congress, plus privately with several esteemed acting instructors. Laura has been teaching since 1993 and has worked with American Conservatory Theater, BATS Improv, UC Berkeley, Teen Council with Berkeley Rep, Stanford University, Miami Ad School, as a Guest Artist with Redwood High School, Nueva School, K-12 students with Young Audiences among many others. She also coaches privately and and does consultant work with local schools.
 

John Dixon uses his training as an acting teacher and theater director to coach business leaders and their teams to be more powerful speakers and to develop a truly commanding presence. He has been on the faculty of the Studio A.C.T. program at the American Conservatory Theater. John has directed critically acclaimed productions at some of San Francisco’s most well-respected theaters such as Theatre Rhinoceros, The New Conservatory Theater Center and The Brava Theater Center. John received his degree in Theater and minor in Creative Writing from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
 

Andrew Hurteau has been acting and teaching since he graduated from the American Conservatory Theater; he teaches at A.C.T., the Academy of Art University, the Nueva School, and now Cal Shakes. In 2007, Mr. Hurteau acted as fight captain while appearing at Cal Shakes as the Duke of Albany in King Lear and as Lord Stanley in Richard III, and, in 2005, in Nicholas Nickleby as Charles Cheeryble and Pluck, among others. Most recently, he understudied and performed the role of Jorgen Tesman in Richard E. T. White’s production of Hedda Gabler at the American Conservatory Theatre. In the fall he played Count Almaviva in Michael Butler’s production of The Marriage of Figaro at Center Repertory Theatre, and last summer he was seen as Max Prince in Barbara Damashek’s production of Laughter of the 23rd Floor, also at Center Rep. He’s appeared as Gary Lejeune in Richard Seyd’s production of Noises Off, at the Magic Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Aurora Theatre Company, and at theaters throughout the Bay Area.
 

Noah Martin comes to the Bay Area via Seattle, where he taught classes and camps with the Seattle Children’s Theater. Locally, he has taught for Cal Shakes, The Marsh Youth Theater, Performing Arts Workshop and the San Francisco Arts Education Project. As an artist, Noah prefers theater of the unscripted sort. He acted as Artistic and Education director of the Dead Parrots Society of Bellingham, Washington and has performed in the Seattle and Chicago Improv festivals. He has trained with master improv artists Keith Johnstone and Mick Napier, as well as BATS, Jet City, Unexpected Productions, and The Unscripted Theater Company. Noah holds a Bachelor of Arts in education from Western Washington University and a theater arts teaching credential.
 

Trish Tillman is an actor, improviser, and teacher. She has taught acting technique, improvisation, and storytelling at in New York and California for 15 years. She has written, produced and acted in two one-woman shows, founded two improv troupes and has performed leading roles in the Bay Area in The Cherry Orchard, Antigone, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor, All in the Timing, and is currently working on a Pod-cast story project. Trish holds a BS in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and an MA in Acting from Antioch University/New Actors Workshop.