Scene Study & Acting Technique [Thespians]
Deepen your acting skills by rehearsing and performing a scene of your choosing! Use theatre games, text analysis, and character development to make yourself a bold and inventive performer.
For current 6th* – 8th graders
* 6th graders can also chose to join our Acting & Improv class for 4-6th graders
- Dates: Oct 1 – Dec 10; 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
- October 1: FIRST CLASS (welcome!)
- November 26: NO CLASS (Thanksgiving weekend!)
- December 10: FALL CLASSES SHOWCASE (show what you know!)
For performers eager to deepen their acting training, this scene study class gives students practice preparing a role in a play while developing strong basic acting technique, the foundation of all advanced performance work.
We will delve into the core of the scenes through rehearsals and improvisational games that teach basic acting skills: clarity of thought and action, commitment to choices, active listening and responding while in character. While rehearsing scenes, students will learn to research and explore their character, balance logic with imagination, identify their character’s journey, collaborate with scene partners, and rehearse productively.
Traveling Players classes and summer camps/conservatories offer expert training in acting, character creation, physical comedy, stage combat, improvisation, and text analysis. We also value the spirit of the ensemble. Our ensemble- and team-building activities create a strong, supportive cast — and friendships that can last a lifetime!
Your final class is your Showcase Performance, held alongside all the other Fall classes!
- When: Saturday, December 10, 1:30-4:00 pm (note: this final performance is at a different time than class)
- Where: The Traveling Players Studio!
- Who: Invite your friends and family!
Showcase Schedule:
- 12:45-1:15 pm — Warm-ups/get into costume/Final dress rehearsal (All Thespians & Players students)
- 1:15-1:30 pm — Family, friends & fans join us at the Studio!
- 1:30-4:00 pm — Showcase Time! Perform your scenes & improvs; watch performances by the other classes
- 4:00 pm — Celebration & Volunteer Toast! We honor our performers & 2022 volunteers with sparkling apple cider for all!
- Classes are in-person.
- Temperature is checked upon arrival.
- All staff are fully vaccinated.
- All students are required to be vaccinated.
- High-touch surfaces are disinfected between classes.
- Our Studio is fully compliant with CDC recommended safety standards, guidelines, and practices, in addition to Tysons Corner Center, Fairfax County and Virginia Department of Health (VDH).
- We are continuing to monitor local community transmission levels. If appropriate, we are prepared to move the class and the showcase online to Zoom (as we successfully did last year).
In 2021, Traveling Players welcomed 90+ students and 25+ staff for 6 weeks of in-person residential camp without a single case of COVID-19. Our community’s vaccination rate greatly exceeds the local average (between 85% and 95%).
In 2020, Traveling Players’ programs were held online. We produced five highly successful play festivals over Zoom, ranging from ridiculous farces to stark tragedies.
Needless to say, we’re prepared for whatever the future holds!
Tuition: $350 ($375 after the Early Bird flies away on Sept. 5 at midnight)
Location: Traveling Players Studio
Tysons Corner Center (Tysons-1 Mall), 1961 Chain Bridge Road, Tysons, VA 22102
Teacher: Morgan Shotwell, BA
Class Size: 12 actors
As a parent, it has been such a thrill over the years to see all of these positive developments in my daughter and to have found such a unique and innovative program where she has received intensive and constructive theater training in an environment that takes the participants seriously, wants them to improve and strengthen their skills, but also wants them to have fun!
— Parent