For Immediate Release: August 1, 2006
Media Contact: Karen Gross, Arden Theatre Company, 215.922.8900 x49

Arden Theatre Company is proud to announce Arden Kids' Crew, the newly-renamed roster of popular theatre classes for kids offered in our 2006/2007 season. Arden Kids' Crew (formerly known as ACT) provides fun, high-quality, interactive theatre classes that enliven imaginations, get kids working together and instill a lifelong love of theatre. Arden's classes are taught by professional theatre artists with a penchant (and talent!) for teaching kids. All Kids' Crew classes develop speaking, problem-solving and listening skills while increasing kids' confidence and self-esteem.

Classes allow kids to experience first-hand how designers build sets as well as learn about acting, choreography and improvisation. Offerings include one-day workshops, four- and eight-week classes - perfect for any schedule! In the summer, Arden Theatre Company will offer THREE sessions of Summer Day Camp where children entering grades one through six partake in a week-long theatre intensive. Last year's Summer Camp hit a record number of participants, so we have added an extra session of camp this season.

Arden Kids' Crew Classes and Summer Camp are taught by some of Philadelphia's most talented and experienced theatre artists. "Our classes are energetic, inclusive and confidence building. We work with kids to ignite their dramatic imagination and to develop their innate performance skills," says Amy Dugas Brown, Arden's Associate Artistic Director, who spearheads the program.

Classes, workshops and Summer Camp are held at Arden Theatre Company, located at 40 N. 2nd Street in the heart of Old City Philadelphia. Participants can register by calling the box office at 215.922.1122.

ARDEN KIDS' CREW 2006/2007

EIGHT-WEEK CLASSES - tuition $175 per session

Saturday mornings
SESSION 1 - September 30 to November 18, 2006
SESSION 2 - January 13 - March 3, 2007
SESSION 3 - March 17 - May 12, 2007 (no class on Easter Saturday)

Treasure Trunk - Kindergarten / 10 am - 11 am
Kindergartners discover the power of creation by inventing their own stories. Boxes full of hats, baskets full of costumes and trunks full of props inspire kids to new heights of creativity.

Storycrafters - Grades 1 and 2 / 10 am - 11:30 am
Star in your favorite book! Kids learn acting and storytelling by reading favorite stories and working together to act them out. Learn how to create a character and tell a great story! Every session - in fact, every class - of Storycrafters is unique. Take it once, or take it six times, it's always a new journey.

Acting - Grades 3 and 4 / 10 am - 12 pm
Kids will begin to learn the techniques that actors use on stage! They will use their bodies, voices and minds to create characters, play intentions, and work together to create new pieces of theatre. Kids will work with scripts they create as well as scenes from plays. Session 1 focuses on movement, session 2 focuses on language, and session 3 focuses on teamwork.

Acting - Grades 5 and 6 / 10 am - 12 pm
Kids will begin to learn the techniques that actors use on stage! They will use their bodies, voices and minds to create characters, play intentions, and work together to create new pieces of theatre. Kids will work with scripts they create as well as scenes from plays. Session 1 focuses on movement, session 2 focuses on language, and session 3 focuses on teamwork.

FOUR-WEEK CLASSES

Costume design class - Grades 1 - 5 / $115
Saturdays 1 pm - 4 pm
October 21 - November 11, 2006
Kids learn the elements of design and how to come up with a design concept and create a costume rendering. Sewing techniques are introduced as well.

Choreography classes - Grades 3 - 5 / $125
Saturdays 1 pm - 4 pm
January 20 - February 10, 2007
Kids not only dance but learn how to choreograph their own numbers in this high-energy four-week class.

Set design class - Grades 3 - 5 - $100
Saturdays 1 pm - 4 pm
April 14 - May 5, 2007
Kids learn the elements of design, how to come up with a design concept in three dimensions, and how to create a set design drawing.

ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS - $25
No time to commit to a full eight-week session? We have one-day workshops to fit into any aspiring actor, writer or designer's schedule.

All workshops are from 1 pm - 3 pm and for grades 1 - 5 unless otherwise noted

Saturday, September 30 - SINGING MUSICAL THEATRE
Saturday, October 7 - IMPROVISATION **grades 2 - 5**
Saturday, October 14 - CHOREOGRAPHY / DANCING MUSICAL THEATRE
Saturday, October 28 - HALLOWEEN/STAGE MAKE UP *extra $12 charge for take-home makeup
Saturday, November 4 - SCENIC PAINTING AND DESIGN
Saturday, December 9 - ACTING SHAKESPEARE **grades 3-5**
Saturday, December 16 - SINGING MUSICAL THEATRE
Saturday, January 6 - IMPROVISATION **grades 2 - 5**
Saturday, January 13 - PUPPET MAKING
Saturday, January 20 - SCENE STUDY
Saturday, February 10 - CHOREOGRAPHY / DANCING MUSICAL THEATRE
Saturday, February 17 - CLOWNING
President's Day, Monday, February 20 - PUPPET MAKING
Saturday, March 10 - SCENIC PAINTING AND DESIGN
Saturday, March 24 - IMPROVISATION **grades 2 - 5**
Saturday, April 21 - SINGING MUSICAL THEATRE
Saturday, April 28 - SCENE STUDY
Saturday, May 5 - ACTING SHAKESPEARE **grades 3-5**
Saturday, June 2 - COSTUME DESIGN

PLAY IN A DAY - grades 1 - 5 - $60
Kids work together to conceive, write and perform a play of their own creation! Parents and other guests can enjoy the fruits of the kids' labor at the end of the day.
From 10 am to 3 pm
Saturday, November 25
Saturday, January 27
Saturday, March 31
Saturday, May 19

SUMMER CAMP - $300 per session
For students entering grades 1 to 6
Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm
Session 1: June 18 - 23
Session 2: July 9 - 14
Session 3: August 13 - 18
An action-packed theatre camp led by Arden's Associate Artistic Director Amy Dugas Brown and taught by working theatre professionals! Arden Summer Camp is filled with all the care, focus and enthusiasm we give to our award-winning, full-scale productions. Kids take two acting classes a day (one basic class and one "specialized" class like improv, storytelling, musical theatre or Shakespeare), and at least one design class a day. And each afternoon the kids rehearse for the Camp Show that is presented to parents and family on Saturday. At lunchtime, kids are treated to a special presentation from guest artists who perform for-and sometimes with!-them.

Go to News Releases»