Haliburton Highlands theatre company Ctrl-ART-Del is offering an acting course for teens and adults this fall, which will culminate with a public performance on October 15 when the company will also announce its 2024 season.
Ctrl-ART-Del was formed last year to present contemporary theatre that appeals to young working age adults as opposed to families with young children or seniors, and also to provide local younger people with opportunities to participate in theatrical production.
According to Amy Leis, Ctrl-ART-Del’s production manager and a Haliburton County resident, the company has decided to expand its focus this year to include teens as well.
“Last year I volunteered to help with the Drama Club at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School,” Leis says in a media release. “I met many very talented kids that are hungry for more theatre than they can get at school alone. They kept asking me if they could get involved with Ctrl-ART-Del. Who am I to say no to that? The whole point was always to get young people into the theatre.”
To help prepare teens to perform in mainstage productions with the company, artistic director Tim Nicholson wanted to start out with some solid basic training.
“What a lot of people don’t realize is that acting is a skilled trade,” Nicholson says. “Raw talent exists, but there are also technical skills that can and should be taught. Once you have those technical skills in your mental toolbox, you can apply them to any role you take on.”
“Contemporary Scene Study: Learn the Basics of Acting” will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekends of September 23 and 24 and September 30 and October 1 at Minden Lions Hall (166 Bobcaygeon Rd., Minden).
The two-weekend course will be followed by a weekend of rehearsals on October 14 and 15, with individual scenes called for an hour each between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on October 14 at the Lions Hall, with a full cast rehearsal day at the Haliburton Legion (719 Mountain St., Haliburton) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. culminating with a public performance at 4 p.m. that’s open to everyone.
During the course, students will get a hands-on taste of working as an ensemble, be cast in a scene from a contemporary play, get individual rehearsal time with a professional director, and finish off by performing their scene for an audience at the end of the course.
“The course is ideal both for people who have never been onstage before but want to learn some of these technical skills, and for people who have been onstage in school or community theatre and want an idea of the skills needed to thrive in a post-secondary theatre program or a professional rehearsal room,” Nicholson says. “It’s open to anyone age 14 and up.”
Following the October 15th performance, Ctrl-ART-Del will announce its 2024 season of plays.
“I will say in advance that all the pieces we’re doing have roles for both teens and adults,” Leis says. “We’re also doing open auditions. Our big focus this season is on getting fresh blood onto the stage. If you’ve always wanted to be onstage in Haliburton, we want to meet you. The more new people, the better.”
The cost for the fall acting course is $60 per participant, although Ctrl-ART-Del can arrange for a bursary if the cost is a barrier. Registration is open for a maximum of 20 participants until Friday (September 22).
For more information and to register, visit www.ctrlartdel.ca/workshops.
