Spring Acting Academy Begins Tomorrow

Registration for the spring acting academy with Theatre Victoria is open, and classes begin Tuesday. The classes, teacher Michael Teer said, will teach children improv skills and character development. The classes are broken into two sessions; one for children in first through fourth grade and the second for children in fifth through eighth grade. "With the younger kids, I take a children's story, and we develop a small skit from the illustrations," Teer told the Victoria Advocate. "The kids then make up their own lines. This way, they are able to understand the story better, and they are able to memorize the lines much faster." The older class follows the same concept, Teer said, except it's with more detail, and students work from either a published script or monologue. "For some of these kids, this is the first time they've had to talk in front of people - much less have to perform on stage," Teer said. "These classes offer a wonderful exposure for kids to get comfortable talking and being in front of an audience."

Teer said the classes usually hold about 15 to 20 students and registration is open until the first day of class. Registration forms are available online at theatrevictoria.org or at the Welder Center Box Office.