Time to Sign Up for TAP’s 2017 Acting and Playwriting Classes

Richard Carlson

Third Avenue Playhouse (TAP) offers courses in acting and playwriting from the first week of January through the second week of February. Classes are taught by TAP’s professional Company at the year-round professional theater in historic downtown Sturgeon Bay.

Five- to seven-year-old StageKids explore creative play on stage in “Theatre Games,” focusing on gentle guidance toward purposeful play. The $20 class runs Jan. 7 – Feb. 11, 1:15 to 1:45 pm.

“Elementary Acting Class” (ages 8 to 10) takes a look at theater vocabulary, focus, intention, and best rehearsal practices in order to prepare for theater performance. The class meets Jan. 7 – Feb. 11, 2 – 2:45 pm, and costs $25.

StageKids’ middle school performers (ages 11 to 13) will study the development of character, place setting, and intention, all within the context of fun games followed by work on a performance piece to show friends and family on the last day of class. The class meets Jan. 7 – Feb. 11, 3 – 4 pm. The cost is $30.

Amy Ensign will teach these three StageKids classes on Saturdays.

High School performers can hone their skills in the “TAP Acting Lab I” on Saturdays from Jan. 7 through Feb. 11. Each of the six sessions runs from 1 to 4 pm. Course work begins with improvisation technique and moves into monologue work. Students will learn best rehearsal practices and experience the excitement and rewards of a final group sharing for friends and family on the last day of class. The class is taught by Richard Carlson and costs $50.

Spencer Milligan’s “Film Acting Lab” is for adults who are interested in acting for camera and stage. By the end of the course, students will have a polished performance reel to take home. The lab meets on Wednesdays, Jan. 4 – Feb. 8, from 7 to 10 pm, and costs $100.

“Playwriting Lab I,” taught by Carlson and Paulette Laufer, will help participants discover a playwriting voice while building their own one-act play. Hands-on exercises geared toward lively discussions are designed to spark out-of-class writing. The class meets Mondays and Thursdays from Jan. 5 to Feb. 9. Meeting 5 to 7 pm, the class culminates in readings of participants’ plays for an invited audience. The cost is $125.

For more information or to sign up, call 920.743.1760.