Drama Studio Classes
Drama Studio acting classes are small in size and are taught by a professional faculty. Most classes include weekly 90-minute sessions over 24 weeks from September to May. Some classes are 60-minutes long and some intensives have fewer weeks per semester. All classes perform in an informal “sharing” of their work at the end of each session.
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INTRODUCTORY COURSES
There are no pre-requisites for these courses, and they are excellent for any student, regardless of their experience in acting. From students who are very shy to those who have been in many performances, these classes are a great introduction to the Studio's unique style and curriculum.
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Can’t wait until age nine to start at Drama Studio? Then wait no longer! Due to popular demand, we are now offering a class for younger actors. In “Acting Up” we’ll explore a fun introduction to acting through improv games, theatre play, stories-on-stage, and creative movement. Bring your imaginations as you get a head start and join us for a Drama Studio class just for you!
Acting Up (AU)
Ages 6-8. beg. 9/18/26 for 20 weeks
Section A : Fridays, 4:15-5:00PM, Register Today
Section B: Fridays, 5:10-5:55 PM, Register Today
Instructor: Amelia Hays-Rivest
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Dive into the world of fun-filled Improv games and create scenes and stories on stage! Join us onstage as you build your acting skills, learn to take risks, and work with other actors. A great preparation for our full length year long class, 201, with a focus on improvisation building. This is a great class for our recent Acting Up graduates, or for those new to Drama Studio before they take 201, or for those wanting a second Improv course while in 201! Don’t miss out on Lights Up!
Lights Up! (LU) Ages 8 - 12 begins 9/18/26
Instructor: Amelia Hays-Rivest
Fridays, 6:00 - 7:00 PM
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Introduction to Acting is a full year course, September—May. This course offers an exciting curriculum to introduce students to the acting process. Both 201 and 301 offer work in improvisation, movement, scene and monologue work, and ensemble building. As students advance in acting skills, they learn to take risks, work comfortably within a group, concentrate, and think on their feet. They develop skills of self-expression, awareness, and “being in the moment.”
Introduction to Acting 201
Ages 9-12
Instructor: Amelia Hays-Rivest
Section A: Mondays, 5:50-7:20 PM, beg. 9/14/26 Register Today
Section B: Thursdays, 4:15-5:45 PM, beg. 9/10/26 Register Today
Section C: Saturdays, 1:15-2:45 PM, beg. 9/12/26 Register Today
Introduction to Acting 301
Ages 13-18:
Instructor: Sara Baraldi
Thursday, 4:15-5:45 PM, beg. 9/10/26 Register Today
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This course is a great way to start "life at the Drama Studio" in the spring and will prepare students for the 201 or 301 class in the fall. Come join us for a fun introduction to the Drama Studio's theatre classes! In just one semester, we'll sample improvisation games, scenes, monologues, and ensemble theatre. Students will also receive free tickets to all productions, and the chance to attend shows as a class.
Introduction to Acting 101
Ages 13-18
Saturdays, 3:00-4:00 PM, beg. January 2026
Instructor: Drama Studio Faculty
Registration coming soon
Introduction to Acting 101 Teen:
Ages 15-18
Saturdays, 3:00-4:00 PM, beg. January 2026
Instructor:
Registration coming soon
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No previous experience needed for this fun introduction to choreography! This course introduces students to basic dance technique, emphasizing foundations of creative movement, modern and jazz dancing. Students will grow in body awareness, strength, flexibility, and coordination as they learn basic dance vocabulary, contact technique, and choreograph their own dances.
Introduction to Dance for Actors (IDA)
Ages 9-18
Saturdays, 10:00-11:00 AM, beg. 9/12/26
Instructor: Amelia Hays-Rivest
INTERMEDIATE SCENE STUDY
AND CONTINUING ACTING
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Prepare to advance your theatre training! What do you need in your next year of acting? In YAP each actor will have the chance to build his/her acting technique and skills through a broad range of improv games, script work, monologues and created ensemble theatre pieces. YAP allows for more in-depth individual focus on each actor’s goals, as the improv games and script selections will be developed based on each actor’s needs and advancement. What will your YAP year bring?
Young Actor Prepares (YAP)
Ages 10 - 18
Mondays, 4:15-5:45 PM, beg. 9/14/26 Register Today
Instructor: Amelia Hays-Rivest
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Through creating and exploring different character forms, students will advance in acting skills, build scene study techniques, and gain improv experience. This course will allow students to zero in on their character work, and have the fun of creating a wide range of characters, from realistic to stylized. Through improv, monologues, stories, scenes, fantasy, and theatre games, students will have the challenge of fully investing in the characters they create and bring to life.
Character Work, (CW)
Ages 10-13
Thursdays 5:50-7:20 PM, beg. 9/10/26 Register Today
Instructor: Amelia Hays-Rivest
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With material drawn from contemporary scripts, monologues, and improvisation, students learn how to approach a script, how to stage a scene, and how to bring a character to life. Students explore subtext, motivation, and relationships and learn about character development, improvisation, timing, and movement.
Introduction to Scene Study (ISS) Ages 10-14
Wednesdays, 4:15-5:45PM, beg. 9/10/26
Instructor: Amelia Hays-Rivest
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Through improvisation, ensemble forms, writing, and scene work, students will develop monologues and scenes using material and stories from their own lives. The class will learn how to create a range of characters, interact in a performance ensemble, and further refine acting and movement skills. This course will create a series of pieces that highlight each student’s personal narrative.
Inside Out (IO)
Ages 11-15
Wednesdays, 5:50-7:20 PM, beg. 9/9/26 Register Today
Instructor: Amelia Hays-Rivest
IMPROVISATION AND COMEDY
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Using techniques of story theatre, students will create pieces based on the well-loved Aesop’s fables. They will select fables that have meaning for them and set them in improv pieces relating to their own lives. They will gain experience in creating a range of characters, both fabled and realistic, and develop monologue, movement, and ensemble skills.
Aesop’s Improv, (AI)
Ages 10-15
Saturdays, 11:30–1:00 PM, beg. 9/12/26
Instructor: Amelia Hays-Rivest
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An introduction to the basic concepts of Improvisation for Actors. Students will learn how to create clear scenes by focusing on the Who, What, and Where. We will understand how to craft a good scene in the moment, using the tools of Yes And. A variety of fun and fast-paced games and exercises will give students a strong base from which to grow their improv skills.
Improv Technique (IT)
Ages 11-16
Tuesdays,5:00-6:30pm, beg. 9/8/26
Instructor: Phoebe Olin
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Building on the fundamentals of Improv Tech 1, Improv Tech 2 focuses on developing longer-form scenes and strengthening students’ ability to sustain engaging improvised performances. Students will deepen their improv understanding by exploring character development, relationships, and emotional stakes, while continuing to apply the principle of “yes, and.” Students will practice heightening, finding patterns, and building long-form scenes, while gaining confidence as they take creative risks and grow their individual comedic voice.
Improv Technique (IT2)
Ages 13-18
Tuesdays,5:00-6:30pm, beg. 9/8/26
Instructor: Anna Fox
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Students will develop an ensemble approach to improvised comedy scenes, with an emphasis on long form improv and character development. *Enrollment by audition.
Advanced Improv Troupe (AIT)
Ages 13-18
Wednesdays, 6:00-7:30 PM, beg. 9/9/26
Instructor: Phoebe Olin
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Comedy has been at the heart of theatre for over 2000 years, and plays from that long ago are still hilariously produced to this day. From Ancient Greek plays of Aristophanes and the merriment of the Roman Plautus to the French Neoclassic plays of Moliere and the social satire of Oscar Wilde, audiences have always come together to laugh. In this course, we will explore comedy as a genre as we dive into pre-20th century comedies. What made each of these plays hits and how are they still funny today? And importantly, how can we as actors bring each of these comic styles to life on stage? Come dive into the styles of Comedy of Manners, Restoration Comedy, Comedia del arte, to name only a few, and begin to take Comedy seriously!
Comedy for Actors (CA)
Ages 14-18
Mondays, 5:00-6:30 PM, beg. 9/14/26
Instructor: Patrick O’Konis
ENSEMBLE AND MOVEMENT
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No previous experience needed for this fun introduction to choreography! This course introduces students to basic dance technique, emphasizing foundations of creative movement, modern and jazz dancing. Students will grow in body awareness, strength, flexibility, and coordination as they learn basic dance vocabulary, contact technique, and choreograph their own dances.
Introduction to Dance for Actors (IDA)
Ages 9-18
Saturdays, 10:00-11:00 AM, beg. 9/12/26
Instructor: Amelia Hays-Rivest
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ICW is an intensive workshop class for dancers wishing more experience with choreography. Students will focus on developing small group dance pieces, working one on one with the instructor to develop the work, using choreographic principles, music, poetry, lighting, and...who knows? Enrollment by permission of instructor.
Intermediate Choreography Workshop (ICW)
Ages 13-18
Fridays, 7:15-8:15PM, beg. 9/11/26 Register Today
Instructor: Amelia Hays-Rivest
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A course in the art of stage combat, introducing students to hand-to-hand, quarterstaff and pole exercises, then moving to rapier and dagger, broadsword and longsword. Students will learn the rudiments of fight choreography and the rules of performing safe combat on stage.
Stage Combat (SC)
Ages 14-19
Saturdays, 11:15-12:45 beg. 9/12/26
Instructor: Drama Studio Faculty
SPECIAL INTEREST COURSES
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An exciting course for students interested in the craft of playwriting, based on the premise that playwriting is an extension of acting. Students will learn the basic principles of playwriting through written exercises as well as improvisation work and complete a one-act play (10-15 pages in length). Plays written on the adolescent experience will be eligible for production in the Studio's annual Winter Shorts Festival of one-act plays.
Playwriting (PW)
Ages 9-adult
Tuesdays 6:30-8:00 PM beg. 9/8/26 Register Today
Instructor: Anna Fox
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An intensive course in musical theatre, with the emphasis on classical American song from the period 1910-1960. Students will build repertory, explore acting choices in presenting songs and develop a musical revue of songs to be presented at the final class each semester. Private coaching is a vital part of this course. As in recent years, the students will meet as a group about 5 times a semester; the remaining classes will be individual and can be flexibly scheduled.
Permission of the instructor is required.
Musical Theatre (MT)
Ages 13-18
Tuesdays, 4:15-5:15 PM, beg. 9/15/26
Instructor: Steve Hays