Virtual & In-Person Theater Programs for Teens 11-20

Virtual & In-Person Programs for Teens 11-20

Registration is now open for winter classes and performance opportunities for teens at Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown. Most activities will be held virtually on Zoom, with a few exceptions. Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater is committed to creating high-quality theater by and for young people, to promoting the growth of young people through the performing arts, and to offering opportunities, especially to underserved and at-risk youth, to promote the development of a genuinely multiracial, multicultural society.

Writing Plays: Thursdays, 6:30 – 8 pm, January 14 – February 18 VIRTUAL

This virtual class offers the opportunity to work with a professional playwright to learn and develop the art of writing for the stage. The program will culminate in a “New Plays Festival” on February 20.  The class meets virtually with Kristen Palmer . Tuition is $50.

The Actor’s Tool Kit Mondays, 6:30 – 8 pm, January 11 – February 15 IN-PERSON

This in-person class provides what every teen actor needs in their back pocket: facility with voice, body, breath, text, emotional literacy… train together and come out with tools of the trade – and a monologue, to boot. This class, taught by ARTFARM Artistic Director and classical actor Marcella Trowbridge, will meet in-person in the Oddfellows theater (with masks, social distancing, and other safety protocols) as long as COVID allows.  Tuition: $50.

Virtual Mainstage Production (ages 11 – 14): Tuesdays, 6:30 – 7:30 pm & Thursdays, 5 – 6 pm, January 18 – March 20. Virtual performances March 19 & 20

Our Junior Rep Company will be creating a “Virtual Mainstage Production” under the direction of Laugh Sanchez and Jacqueline Brown. The production will consist of original work created by the students over 8 weeks of rehearsals, focusing on finding their own voice through spoken word assignments and generative theater activities.  Tuition: $75,

Circophony: The Movie  January 9 – February 25 VIRTUAL

Circus enthusiasts (ages 12 – 20) may join this 8 week production complete with live and virtual classes, on-line tutorials and opportunities for students to work with designers to make a circus feature presentation. Students are invited to build their own rehearsal schedule and can participate in as many or few classes as they like. Classes include Juggling, dance, Acro fit, and contortion. Students will create content which will be edited and compiled in a final digital production. Directed by Allison McDermott.

Full group virtual sessions Saturdays, 11 – 12 pm, plus other training and coaching opportunities. Tuition: $75.

Contortion and Flexibility Thursdays, 4:30 – 6 pm, January 14 – March 4 IN-PERSON

An in-person class with Naja Muller will be offered in association with “Circophony: The Movie”. The class meets at Oddfellows (masks/social distance/no touch coaching). Tuition for this class is $120. Limited to 5 students.

Financial Aid is available for all programs. It is Oddfellows Playhouse policy that no one will ever be turned away due to inability to pay.   

To register, or for more information, go to www.oddfellows.org, call (860) 347-6143, or email info@oddfellows.org. Space is limited for all programs, so timely registration is encouraged.

Oddfellows Playhouse programs are made possible thanks to generous support from The Fund for Greater Hartford; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch/Youth Violence Prevention; Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; Middletown Commission on the Arts; Stare Family Fund; Middletown Youth Services Bureau; American Savings Foundation; Thomas J. Atkins Fund; New England Arts Resilience Fund; Community Foundation of Middlesex County; CHEFA Cultural Relief Grant; the Hoffman Foundation; Long Foundation; and generous individual donors.