Introducing The Lemon Bay Acting Studio
Training for Actors of All Experience Levels
The Lemon Bay Playhouse is pleased to announce the opening of THE LEMON BAY ACTING STUDIO. The new enterprise will provide training in acting techniques and movement for beginning and advanced actors. Classes will be based in methods developed by Constantin Stanislavsky and interpreted by Sanford Meisner, Lee Strassberg, Uta Hagen, Michael Chekov, Sonia Moore and other gurus of modern Method Acting.
Our mission is to help actors develop and improve Acting Technique for the Stage; and to build partnerships with High Schools, Colleges and Theatrical Arts programs throughout the Sarasota area.
Commitment
Class schedules will commence on the first Tuesday of January, April and October, beginning 1/3/2023 (see schedule below). Each class will offer eight weeks of sessions designed to help the actor build their performance and presentation skills.
No auditions are required. However, selected students will be invited to join the Studio’s Acting Company. The mission of the company is to expand awareness of Lemon Bay Playhouse to new audiences through offsite readings and full productions of new works in development.
Acting Class Schedule
Scene/Character Study
Led by Alan Kitty
Students will select an acting partner and develop a scene of their choice for class presentation. The performance will be critiqued by the instructor. The goal is to enhance the believability of each character in a fully developed scene. At the end of the class, selected students may be invited to present their work to an invited panel of industry professionals who will offer a supportive critique of the finished work.
Tuesday or Wednesday, 2:30 – 4:00 PM
FEE: $240 for 8 – 1.5 hour sessions.
Class size limited.
Character Development
Led by Alan Kitty
On the first day of class, the actor should be prepared to present a 2-5 minute monolog. Their work will receive constructive criticism. Following initial presentation, they may be asked to repeat or select another monolog in subsequent classes. In the last session, the actor may be given the opportunity to present their scene to a virtual Industry panel, who will offer critique.
Tuesday or Wednesday, 4:00 – 5:30 PM
FEE: $240 for 8 – 1.5 hour sessions.
Class size limited.
Developing and Delivering the Long Monologue
Led by Alan Kitty
Story-telling is the heart and soul of the human experience. It has been used by our species for countless millennia to organize and share ideas that have been changing our world since Eve took a bite of the apple. Everyone has an idea they would like to share, but the act of engaging an audience can be intimidating. Alan Kitty, best known nationally for his portrayal of Mark Twain since 1982, will teach the actor how to develop, present and market their story.
Wednesday, 4:00 – 5:30 PM
FEE: $240 for 8 – 1.5 hour sessions. (Schedule TBA)
Class size limited.
Movement Training
Led by Claire Constantikes
Claire teaches movement for the stage using the exercises of Stanislavsky Method interpreter Michael Chekhov. These exercises augment the process of character development, helping the actor achieve the ultimate goal of acting for the stage: enacting situations so real that audiences believe they are actually happening.
Thursday, 4:00 – 5:30 PM
FEE: $240 for 8 -1.5 hour sessions (Schedule TBA)
Class size limited.
Warm-up and Training Exercise Class
Led by Jill Schroeder
Ongoing class, recommended for actors at all levels. This class is intended as an emotional gymnasium aimed at freeing the actor from the self-policing that limits their character’s ability to enter the stage. Participants will learn and practice techniques for Breathing, Listening, Observation, Improvisation, Substitution and Mimicry that help define a character.
Friday, 4:00 – 5:30 PM
FEE: $240 for 8 – 1.5 hour sessions (Schedule TBA)
Class size limited.
Instructor Bios
Alan Kitty
SAG-AFTRA, DG (Dramatist Guild)
Alan trained under Uta Hagen (HB Studios) and Terese Hayden (Strassberg Institute, Circle in the Square). He has appeared in principal and starring roles Off-Broadway, on Tour and in Regional Theater productions. He has appeared as, and lectured on, Mark Twain throughout the U.S. since 1979 in Theater, Film, School and Corporate events. His one-man show, Mark Twain’s Last Stand, opened in a limited engagement in New York, launching a national tour that ran for 12 years. He has authored numerous plays and a pilot for Manhattan Cable (Reel Exposure), resulting in a request for a full series. While in New York City, he coached actors for 10 years, directed new works for the stage, and provided Dramaturgy and Literary Executor services.
Claire Constantikes
Claire received her MFA in Dance and Choreography from Temple University in 1999. As artist and educator, Claire explores the idea that dancing is not simply a way of moving; it is a way of being. Her Master’s thesis, exploring the role of authenticity in performance, was selected for an award by the Society of Dance History Scholars. Before moving to Nokomis, Claire taught movement workshops at Blacksburg High School’s theater department, performed and collaborated with local artists, and served as a guest lecturer at Virginia Tech. She firmly embraces the notion that dance is for everyone, and derives great pleasure leading classes and workshops for both “dancers” and “non-dancers”.
Jill Schroeder
Jill holds a bachelor’s degree in Acting and Directing. She has toured with multiple children’s theatre companies based out of the Twin Cities, appeared in many stock and dinner theatre productions throughout the Midwest, and instructed and choreographed for Steppingstone Theatre. Jill is also a corporate learning instructor, specializing in development of listening, emotional intelligence, influencing, and relationship-building skills using role play. In other words, improvisation in a corporate environment.
Register Online
Interested in joining us? Review the Class Descriptions, then complete and submit the form below: