School of Theatre > For teens > Classes
Teen classes
The Berkeley Rep School of Theatre aims to provide committed high-school students with the opportunity to study with professional theatre artists. Students will learn the fundamentals of professionalism, the rigors of the rehearsal process and the art of performance.
Our winter session of classes will begin the week of January 9, 2012. Course descriptions available below.
For our current students, the fall class schedule is listed at the bottom of the page. Enrollment for the fall classes is closed.
register now
Audition / Dialect Lab: Prepare for College and High School Auditions
Grades 9–12
Instructor: Deborah Eubanks
Students will learn what is required to audition for some of the top drama schools in the country. Using exercises to make strong and interesting choices, as well as practicing how to introduce their pieces, each student will be able to enter the audition space with ease and confidence. Each student will work on two contrasting pieces and can choose to perform one piece in either an Irish or British dialect. Key signature sounds, placement and unique pitch glides and nuances of each dialect will be emphasized. Undergraduate drama programs will be discussed and critiqued. Students may work on a chosen text, but the instructor must approve the choice and be given time (one week minimum) to read and study the play.
Deborah Eubanks majored in theatre arts at Harold Pinter Studios in England. She has performed with BBC’s Hugh Stoddard and designed and implemented workshops with Stephen Hawking’s Company at Covent Garden Arts Center (Cambridge). She has written and directed for London’s Age Exchange, created and produced two teen operettas and has been teaching and directing in the Bay Area for 16 years. Deborah has taught at A.C.T., San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and USF.
WED 4:30–6:30pm • 1/11, 1/18, 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22, 2/29, 3/7, 3/14 • $280
Demystifying the Interview Process
Grades 9–12
Instructor: Rachel Fink
Whether it’s for college admissions, auditions or employment, learning how to successfully navigate the interview process is a critical skill for today’s high schoolers. What do you do to prepare? How do you create a résumé from scratch? How do you present your best self while also appearing unrehearsed? And what do you wear? In this class, we will explore the interview process from the perspectives of both the interviewer and the interviewee to provide strategies for success. Each student will identify core strengths, participate in goal-setting exercises, learn how to prepare for each situation individually and strengthen their “interview muscles” through a series of mock interviews with peers and working professionals. Learn how to put your best foot forward in a fun, supportive atmosphere with other teens.
Rachel Fink has led Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s educational programming for the past 11 years. A strong advocate of arts leadership development and cultural policy, Rachel was chosen to be the first U.S. delegate for the British Council’s Cultural Leadership International Programme and selected for the inaugural class of the American Express/Aspen Institute Fellowship for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders (2010). She has served on the boards of Theatre Bay Area and Tehiyah Day School, and chaired Theatre Bay Area’s Theatre Services Committee and Berkeley Arts in Education Steering Committee. She has spoken on conference panels for Theatre Communications Group and Theatre Bay Area and has served on grant review panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and Theatre Communications Group. She has worked at Yale Repertory Theatre, International Festival of Arts and Ideas, Long Wharf Theatre and the Cleveland Play House. Rachel has taught at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Case Western Reserve University and the Cain Park School of the Arts. She received her MFA in theater management from the Yale School of Drama.
SAT 10am–1pm • 1/14, 1/21 • $85
Improvisation
Grades 9–12
Instructor: Ben Johnson
Students will develop habits that are essential for creating improvised stories. Through games, scene work and interactive play, we will encourage spontaneity and creative impulses, while doing away with the need to be clever or funny. Topics of particular interest: the role of listening, honesty and accepting offers as the foundation for collaborative work. Our emphasis will be on creating a safe environment for students to take risks, make mistakes and learn through doing. We will also explore developing a performance troupe that could eventually put on shows for the public, in addition to participating in Theatresports matches against other groups of young performers.
Ben Johnson has worked as a professional performer and teacher since 1997. He has performed at A.C.T. in Scapin, including understudying Bill Irwin. He has also appeared as a featured clown in Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria and as a company member of BATS Improv. Ben holds an MA in teaching from Brown University and has taught for the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, BATS Improv, Cal Shakes, Pixar University, TheatreWorks, Mills College, Berkeley Playhouse, UCSD, URI, Wheaton College, the ArtsLiteracy Project at Brown University and at public and private schools in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and California.
SAT 10am–noon • 2/18, 2/25, 3/3, 3/10, 3/17 • $165
or
MON 4:30–6:30pm • 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26 • $165
Acting Violence: Theatrical Combatant Certification—Level 1 Unarmed
Ages 16 and up
Instructor: Dave Maier
Learn to take a punch! Unarmed combat is the most common form of violence found in theatre. Increase your skill set and versatility while honing your craft as an actor. This class will cover falls, slaps, punches, hair pulls, fighting with found objects and other theatrical violence techniques essential to creating the illusion of violence. Students will rehearse and perform a scene containing unarmed violence. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to take a skills proficiency test for recognition as a Theatrical Combatant with Dueling Arts International. This class is a perfect precursor to all other theatrical violence techniques, including Single Rapier.
Dave Maier is a founding member of Dueling Arts San Francisco. Dave’s local fight direction credits include work at Berkeley Rep, A.C.T., San Jose Rep, Magic Theatre, SF Playhouse and Impact Theatre. He is a company member with the Shotgun Players and the resident fight director at Cal Shakes. His performance credits include serving as fight double for Placido Domingo in the SF Opera production of Cyrano de Bergerac. He is the outreach coordinator at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre.
MON 7–10pm • 1/9, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13 • $210
Acting Violence: Theatrical Combatant Certification—Level 1 Single Rapier
Ages 16 and up
Instructor: Dave Maier
Release your inner swashbuckler! This course will cover the basic skills of theatrical swordplay, stressing safety and partnership. Participants will learn footwork, cuts, parries, thrusts, wounds, kills and many other skills that allow them to create the illusion of violence. It will be fast-paced, fun and a pretty good workout, too! All students will have the opportunity to rehearse and perform scenes that include stage combat, and take a skills proficiency test for recognition as an Actor Combatant with Dueling Arts International. Class size is limited to 12.
Please see teacher bio above.
MON 7–10pm • 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26 • $210
Private Voice
Grades 9–12
Instructor: Rebecca Castelli
Learn to sing with ease and confidence, eliminating vocal pain and fatigue while improving your range and breath control. Each session includes breathing and relaxation exercises, vocal exercises and technique and vocal coaching on songs, including how to act a song and how to prepare a musical theatre audition.
Rebecca Castelli holds a BA in voice and theatre, and an MFA in acting. She also dialect coaches for various Bay Area theatres, including Shotgun Players, Theatre Rhinoceros, Town Hall Theatre, Mendocino Theatre Company and Ross Valley Players.
TUE & THU 3–3:50pm & 6–6:50pm • $60/session
One-on-One Audition Coaching
Grades 9–12
Don’t be caught unprepared for an upcoming high school or college audition. Berkeley Rep faculty members are available to work with actors on contemporary and classical monologues. Make choices that you feel confident about. Be directed by and collaborate with working professionals. Please call the School of Theatre at 510 647–2972 to schedule a coaching session.
Dates/Times: to be scheduled with the instructor • $60/hour
register now
fall class schedule
(Enrollment for the fall classes is closed.)
Musical Theatre Performance Ensemble: West Side Story
TUE & THU 4–6pm • 9/20, 9/22, 9/27, 9/29, 10/4, 10/6, 10/11, 10/13, 10/18, 10/20, 10/25, 10/27, 11/1, 11/3, 11/8, 11/10, 11/15, 11/17, 11/22, 11/29, 1/10, 1/12, 1/17, 1/19, 1/24, 1/26, 1/31, 2/2, 2/7, 2/9, 2/14, 2/16, 2/21, 2/23, 2/28, 3/1, 3/6, 3/8, 3/13, 3/15, 3/16
“I enjoyed it immensely. There was a lot of focus on the process as opposed to the product, and it was very worthwhile. I learned skills that will be very helpful to me in theatre as I grow older.”
—Student, Teen Performance Lab: Spring Awakening, Winter 2011
summer theatre intensive
Register now for Summer Theatre Intensive. Session 1 for grades 6–8 will be held June 18–July 13. Session 2 for grades 9–12 will be held July 17–August 10.
scholarships
Berkeley Rep School of Theatre is pleased to be able to offer financial aid for students enrolling in our youth and teen classes. Scholarships will be granted to students attending classes who demonstrate a strong financial need. Financial aid will be disbursed on a sliding scale—eligible families generally receive scholarships covering between 30%–100% of tuition.
Families applying for financial aid must submit a minimum $25 deposit per student at the time of registration. This amount secures the student’s place in the program while their financial aid application is under consideration. This deposit is refundable if the registration is cancelled by the end of the first week of class.
Download our application form or call the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre at 510 647–2972.
(You must have Adobe Acrobat to view this PDF. Download a free Adobe Acrobat reader.)
school of theatre
major sponsors
The S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation / The Mosse Foundation for Education and the Arts / The Woodlawn Foundation
