Fall 2010
Alban Arts Academy
Class Schedule
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General Painting
Monday 5:30pm-6:30pm
Instructed by Brian Barth
$200 per student
Ages 8 and up!
This class will be focusing on basic watercolor and acrylic techniques. Strong emphasis will be placed on creativity and mastering basic use of materials.
Sculpture
Monday 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Instructed by Brian Barth
$200 per student
Ages 8 and up!
This class will focus on sculpting a variety of subjects with several different mediums, including clay, paper, and more. Strong emphasis will be placed on creativity and mastering basic use of materials.
Directing
Monday 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Instructed by Derek Samms
$200 per student
The directing course will incorporate a workshop setting to introduce concepts involved in directing for the stage. Topics discussed will include how to select and analyze a script, building a directorial strategy, and working with a cast. Participants will then have the opportunity to cast and stage their own selected scenes.
Scriptwriting
Monday 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Instructed by Derek Samms
$200 per student
Students must be able to read and comprehend concepts of the course.
The scriptwriting course will be a combination seminar & workshop covering the basics of writing for the stage, including plot, theme, character, and dialogue. The course will culminate in a staged reading of participants’ work.
Acting 1
Tuesday 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Instructed by Adam Bryan
$200 per student
Ages 5 – 11 (students must be able to read)
This class will be a great class for beginners as well as those that have taken acting classes previously. This class will work to get students more comfortable on stage. We will explore many theatre basics, such as character, voice, memorization, and confidence. Students will experience a variety of acting exercises in an effort to find each student's strengths. A small production will be worked on throughout the 12 weeks of class and each student will receive a role which they will be expected to learn and memorize for our final presentation at the end of the 12 weeks.
Acting 2
Tuesday 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Instructed by Jessica Smith
$200 per student
Ages 12 and up
The twelve-week class will begin by reviewing the basics of stage acting such as the parts of the stage and acting to the fourth wall, then move on to "The Twelve Guideposts" found in Michael Shurtleff's Audition. Students will learn to implement the guideposts - Relationship, Conflict, The Moment Before, Humor, Opposites, Discoveries, Communication & Competition, Importance, Events, Place, Game-playing, and Mystery & Secret - through improvisation and scene work. All students will participate in a performance at the end of the semester.
Stage Craft
Wednesday 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Instructed by Adam Bryan and Brian Barth
$225 per student
Ages 8 and up!
This class will give students a firm understanding of backstage work, including how to build flats, build a variety of set pieces, lighting and light design, as well as scene painting techniques. Students will build and paint set pieces for the other classes showcase presentation as well as participate in lighting and designing the showcase presentation. Adam and Brian will co teach this class to give students solid skills in building and painting. Power tools will be used in this class as well as several hand tools. Students will build a small flat that they may keep and all supplies are included within the cost of the class.
Improv
Wednesday 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Instructed by Joe Wallace and the No Pant Players
$200 per student
Ages 8 and up.
This class will explore many different improv techniques. Students will play a variety of games in an effort to improves students ability to interact within an improvised scene. Students will perform several different games for the showcase at the end of the semester.
Shakespeare
Wednesday 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Instructed by Jason Lilly
$200 per student
Shakespeare is the most famous playwright of all time. His plays are beloved all over the world by actors of all ages. This class will introduce students to Shakespeare and his plays as well as present the skills and techniques necessary for performing in a Shakespeare production. Students will also organize and perform a shortened version of one of Shakespeare’s famous plays.
Meet Our Teachers!
Derek Samms is a native of the Sissonville area whose short plays have been performed by Kanawha Players and the Charleston Stage Company. He earned a BA in English (theatre arts minor) from Liberty University and an MSc in Writing for Theatre and Performance from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Since returning to West Virginia, he has performed with the Kanawha Players, the Children’s Theatre of Charleston, and the Charleston Stage Company. His play Fellows Inn is part of the Kanawha Players’ 2010-2011 season.
Jessica Smith is a St. Albans native who began acting and directing the moment her younger brother was born and became the perfect involuntary acting troupe. After working in theatre with willing participants throughout her school years, Jessica went on the receive her BA in theatre at Evangel University, Springfield, MO where she was the Outstanding Theatre Graduate in her class. Among her favorite roles in the past six years are Susan Pevensie in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Anne Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank; and Anne Deaver in All My Sons. She has also judged drama/speech competitions in Springfield, stage managed several shows, directed a touring version of The Wizard of Oz, written the scripts for and run a children's day camp, and taught theatre to college-age students in El Salvador. Jessica is a firm believer in introducing children to the theatre as early as possible and looks forward to working with promising young actors.
Jason Lilly is a high school English teacher for Kanawha County Schools. He has performed in various stage productions in the Nitro/St. Albans area, including several Shakespeare productions. In 2004-2005, he organized and directed a production of a version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Nitro High School Drama Club. He currently teaches at Capital High School and lives in Poca with his wife, two daughters, two cats, and a dog.
Brian Barth is a certified pre-Kindergarten to adult art educator working in Kanawha county. He received a bachelors degree in art education from Marshall University and recently completed a Masters in Educational Communications from WVU. Mr. Barth is a practicing artist who focuses on painting and sculpting. Mr. Barth has been teaching workshops and private lessons to students of all ages for seven years in addition to being a full time classroom art teacher.
Adam Bryan is the Director/Manager of the Alban Arts and Conference Center. He graduated from California University of Pennsylvania in 2005 with a Bachelors of Theatre. He has since then been working in the professional theatre world at a variety of places such as Tecumseh! and Theatre West Virginia. Adam has taught theatre classes in a variety of subjects, and is building the Alban Arts Academy to instill his love of the arts in as many people as he can.
Joe Wallace is the fearless leader of the No Pants Players, Joe Wallace got his improvisational start as an intern/emcee for the improv group, Comedy Salad, while attending Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. Since returning to West Virginia in 1998, Joe has played a part in over 50 theater productions in the Kanawha Valley. In 2001 Joe gathered some of the brightest and best improvisational talent the valley has to offer and created what would become WV's premiere improv comedy troupe and serves as the troupes Artistic Director. Joe has used his 20 years of stage experience to teach acting and improvisation to groups for the Charleston Stage Company, the WV Division of Culture and History and others.
Cast Photo Cast Photo
Theatre Dance, Reader's Theatre, Acting 1 & 2 Holka Polka!
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