Performing Arts Workshop

by Eileen Boevers
Brenda Segal

Dance develops both form and grace.

Apple Tree Theatre Company is the newest activity of the Performing Arts Workshop. Our first production, 'Finian's Rainbow", was seen by over 2,000 people and was well received in the community. Apple Tree's open auditions offer our students and others performance opportunities in a broader, more professional setting. Apple Tree Theatre Company provides quality family theatre for the entire community!

The Performing Arts Workshop staff serves as a resource personnel in the arts to local community groups, park districts, and school systems, presenting in-service consultation and workshop programs for teachers and students. We also serve as a consulting theatrical production team and can provide original scripts, music, choreography, musical arrangements or staging assistance for community theatre and school musical productions.

Students come to us for a variety of reasons . . . Some wish to become the "triple threat" of the theatre: one who has mastered all the skills—acting, singing and dancing! Some want simply to gain the confidence to participate in various projects with their peers, while others want to be in a creative and spontaneous activity that is fun!

A budding thespian with a million dollar smile.

We provide the environment for all of those needs to be met. Our staff has been selected, not only because they are gifted in their particular artistic specialties, but also because they have nurturing personalities. Their joy and excitement comes from watching the growth of a student as well as creating excellence in a successful theatrical venture!

Quality training in music, theatre and dance is the most satisfying path to artistic excellence. We dedicate our talents to assisting our students reach new heights of artistic self-expression and growth in the performing arts.

The Performing Arts Workshop provides training in basic performance skills through classes in drama, musical comedy, and dance for children and adults. Students learn the techniques of interpreting a character, sustaining a characterization throughout a

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performance, and ensemble play. They also learn vocal and movement techniques and the development of good critical evaluative skills. Using spontaneous activities such as theatre games, improvisation, story building and mime, our trained professional staff presents individual workshops and combined classes as well as performance opportunities for students of all ages at a variety of skill levels. Other specialty classes in the arts such as class piano are also offered. All of our classes provide a positive environment which is designed to build performance skills, stimulate creativity, nurture confidence and growth, and create an appreciation of excellence in the performing arts.

The techniques italicized are all adapted to the age and skill level of the individual student. It is not unusual for materials to span a wide range of difficulty within one class. The students become familiar with the literature studied by others while working on the assignment chosen for them.

Of course the emphasis will differ from class to class and reflect as well the style of each instructor. However, despite individual differences in technique and preference in activities and materials, our entire staff is united in the philosophy that we must provide a creative, positive environment in which to nurture personal confidence and to assure growth in performance ability for each student.

Classes are offered in Highland Park through the Performing Arts Workshop and in Deerfield and Glencoe through their park districts. Classes are handled on a contractural basis. The park district handles publicity, registration and provides the facility. The Performing Arts Workshop supplies quality instruction and also advertises and generally oversees the program. The image of the Workshop is excellent across the North Shore which helps in maintaining good levels of registration. Below are two examples of classes offered.

DRAMA WORKSHOP: A one hour course offering a variety of experiences; improvisation, mime, theatre games, and scene study. Adapted to the individual level of the student, scenes are studied to develop characterization techniques through analysis and the development of inner resources. Exercises in sensory recall and emotional memory are added to techniques in voice, diction and movement to train the total actor. Some classes also study musical comedy as one of the styles examined. There is a final showcase at the end of the second session only.

TRIPLE THREAT: The theatre world calls someone who can sing, dance and act a "triple threat." Our training ground for that performer is a two hour class for students grades 4-9 taught by three subject matter specialists simultaneously. Students will have one hour each of drama and dance and will be called out of class one at a time for individual vocal training. This class is recommended for students with previous drama training or experience. At the end of Session II, there will be final showcase musical revue or musical comedy presentation.

Our Traveling Troupe provides opportunities for the advanced student to broaden musical comedy and dramatic skills and techniques, gain performance experience before different community audiences and work in a repertory company learning a variety of roles. Enrollment is by audition only. Appearances of

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the Troups are funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

The Traveling Troupe is a group of 36 youngsters from Highland Park, Deerfield, Lake Forest and surrounding suburbs. The actors range in age from 11 to 16 years and they are all advanced students of the Performing Arts Workshop. Their repertoire includes productions of "Free to Be ... You and Me . . .!," "Snow!" (a rock-musical version of Snow White), "The Peculiar Predicament of Princess Penelope" (a contemporary fairy-tale with a twist), and "How Many Blocks to Broadway?" which is a musical revue of hits from the American musical theatre. Productions are between 45 minutes and one hour in length, appeal to an audience of ages 4-14 (although adults love them, too!), and all are musical.

Eileen Boevers is the artistic director of the Performing Arts Workshop that bears her name. With a B.S. and M.A. in Educational Theatre from Northwestern University, Boevers has been active on the North Shore in theater since the 1960's. Some of her accomplishments include director/writer of the Wilmette Children's Theatre, Drama Director at Niles Township High School, director/writer of the Children's Theatre of Deerfield, free lance director for area theatre groups and founder of Apple Tree Theatre Company.

Brenda Segal, a University of Michigan graduate, is the Managing Director of the Workshop. Also active in theatre for over 10 years, Segal has worked as a writer and composer for both the Wilmette and Deerfield Children's Theatres. In addition, size has served as Director of Musical Activities for Congregation Beth Or and president and member of the Board of Education. District 110 in Deerfield. In her spare time, Segal is employed with a private advertising firm and as a free lance writer and composer.

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