NOW REGISTERING FOR
FALL 23'
8 Week
ADULT ACTING CLASSES!
9/12/23 - 11/1/23
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NOW REGISTERING FOR
FALL 23'
ACTING/IMPROV CLASSES!
18 Years old and UP
COST PER FALL Session:
$275 per 8 week session
VERY LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE
9/12/23 - 11/1/23
IMPROVISATIONAL ACTING for BEGINNERS/INTERMEDIATE
Tuesdays 6:00pm - 7:30 pm
(Taught by Lara Morton)
Improvisational theatre, often called “improv”, is the form of theatre that is created spontaneously by the performers. It can be comedic or dramatic, short form or long form. Improv is a crucial skill in the acting(and writing!) industry, but also for anyone looking to build confidence, courage, creativity. Through the study and execution of improv, we learn how to stay out of our head, get out of our own way, collaborate with others, listen, and respond instinctively and honestly.
In this course, we employ the methods of “mother of improvisational theatre” Viola Spolin to explore the tenets of improvisational theatre (“Yes, and…”, “Listen and Respond,” “Agree”, “Make Statements” and “There are no mistakes; only opportunities”) through exercises, activities, theatre games and improv “handles.” This course will culminate in an invitation-only performance.
IMPROVISATIONAL ACTING "The Next Step"
Tuesdays 7:45 - 9:15pm
(Taught by Lara Morton)
In this course, we focus on learning performance-oriented “handles,” which are structured short or long-form games with specific rules, based on “ask-fors” or suggestions from the audience. The course will culminate in a public showcase.
SHAKESPEARE FOR EVERYONE
Wednesdays 6:00 - 7:30pm
(Taught by Lara Morton)
Versatility in acting requires mastery of a variety of styles. Classical acting, particularly Shakespeare, is a critical skill that is easier to master than you might think, and there is regular paying work to be had in regional theatre companies around the country if you can demonstrate that mastery in an audition. Instructor Lara Morton has developed a highly accessible way in to the text that students of any age and experience level can learn and execute effectively in eight weeks. This course will culminate in an invited-only presentation of monologues and scenes chosen for the students by the instructor.
ACTING FOR CAMERA
Wednesdays 7:45pm to 9:15pm
(Taught By Lara Morton)
An introduction to acting for and with the camera, which is acting without an audience. Even with a crew of 30 or more people, the actor is in a world unto themselves as soon as they find themselves in front of a camera. We will explore the importance of specificity – how to explore our nonverbal communication, how to make character limitations and biases work from within, how to get out of our heads and unfreeze emotions so the camera can read them. Most importantly, we will explore ways to tell stories simply, with the least showiness, with the fewest and smallest gestures and sounds
Class Size Is Limited.
Register Early to reserve your spot.
MEET YOUR COACH
Lara Morton, comes to NHAOPA with a wealth of experience in teaching/coaching, directing, producing, playwriting and acting. She co-founded FUSE Theatre of CT in 2019, after working professionally in educational and community outreach theatre since 1994. Previous educational theatre positions include Artistic Director/Playwright-in-Residence for the Yale-based Open End Theatre, Program and Education Director for Young Audiences of CT (Arts for Learning), and Assistant Director/Program Facilitator of the Mental Health Association Players (Binghamton, NY), where her decades-long relationship with improv began. She has been teaching and directing through her company Handful Productions for the past decade, turning out long-term creative projects such as SATB Cabaret and ‘Focus Teen Improv, and co-founded FUSE Theatre of CT in 2019. As a playwright, she has been honored with several professional staged readings in Manhattan (Epic Theatre Ensemble’s Sunshine Series of New Works, 2011) and New Jersey (Speranza Theatre’s Fall Festival, 2013), and her one-woman touring educational piece about CT State Heroine Prudence Crandall, “The Prudence Crandall Story,” has been gracing Connecticut school stages since 1998. As a performer, Lara has appeared in numerous musicals and Shakespeare plays in CT. She also works as a professional voice actor (@elizabeth_morton_voiceactor), face painter (@facepaintingbylara), and is employed by the Yale School of Medicine as a Simulated Patient actor.
Recent directing and/or producing projects include FUSE Theatre of CT’s ‘Falsettos’ (2023), ‘Songs For A New World’ (2023), Disney’s “The Lion King Jr.” (2020), “Lost Girl” (2022) and the acclaimed pandemic tour-de-force “A Midsummer Night’s Dream - The Rewired Musical” (Winner: Best Feature-length Comedy at Legacy Theatre Film Festival), which has become a tool for English and Theatre Arts educators across the country on YouTube.
NHAOPA audiences may recognize Lara for her indelible turn as “Mrs. Gloop” in ‘the Broadway on Main production of Willy Wonka’ (2023), and the Stage Manager of summer 2023’s three NHAOPA camp productions.
