Acting, Voice, Dance Classes this Winter at Media Theatre with The Meisner Technique

, 104 East State Street in Media, directly across from , has educational opportunities of its own throughout the year for all ages.

All Media Theatre classes follow the Sanford Meisner Technique, which is based on the premise that, as the legendary acting coach stated, "Acting is living as truthfully as one can under an imaginary circumstance." Now, for those of you who do not know, Sanford Meisner was an American actor and acting instructor who developed a new approach to acting as he taught at The Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actors Studio.

The goal of the Meisner Technique emphasizes that in order to carry out an action truthfully on stage, it is necessary to let emotion build based on the action and the other actors who surround you, while listening to them and sensing what they are doing. This is referred to as "the truth of the action." One of Meisner's best known exercises is the Repetition, in which one person spontaneously makes a comment based on his or her partner, with the comment being repeated between the two actors in the same manner until it changes or evolves on its own, with no "planned" manipulation by the actors. This assists in creating the habit of always reacting truthfully, without a "pre-planned" or "thought out" reaction when performing on stage. (With the Meisner Technique, there is no such thing as a character's backstory or history. This allows each actor, particularly the young, to develop their unique personality in a class setting.)

The Winter Theatre School at The Media Theatre begins the weekend of Jan. 7. All acting classes, plus the new dance class, meet for eight weeks and have 90 minute sessions.

The Children’s Acting Class meets on Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. Focusing on building confidence and self-awareness, with lessons on diction, volume, and stage direction, the class is a fun, improvisational course for the beginner or experienced performer ages 6-11. Partnering exercises are developed, while the students are reminded that while acting is fun maintaining discipline is important to their growth as actors.

Teens Acting meet on Sundays from 6-7:30 p.m., focusing on memorizing and performing monologues, scene work, and theatre exercises which assist in strengthening the personalities of the participants. The class strengthens the ability to deal with peers both on and off the stage.

Adults who hope to begin a career in theatre, or who may have a profession that involves public speaking, will meet on Sundays from 7-8:30 p.m. Monologues and scene work are developed and the structure of the class strengthens basic skills.

The new Dance Technique Class will meet on Sundays from noon until 1:30 p.m. for eight weeks and is best for ages 10 and up. Students will work toward establishing a strong structure which will be a beneficial asset for any genre of dance. The course will focus on proper body alignment, foot and spinal articulation, isolation, and exploration of dance dynamics. There will also be instruction on maintaining proper health for dance strength.

The popular Voice Class returns for ages 8 and up on Tuesdays with a new time, 4:30-6 p.m. Individual instruction and song rehearsal take place within a group setting as the students learn, developing skills while rehearsing on their own and by listening to others.

The Winter Glee Experience is a course in which choral music and choreographed simple movement allows each participant to be a part of a group and to use the practice of listening and "blending" while singing in harmony. The class is a fun, upbeat way to assist each student with a focus on performance and working as a team. The 10 week course meets Tuesdays at 6 p.m. for two hours.

The Songwriting Class returns Jan. 15 and meets every other Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. With six courses, the focus is on lyrics with the style based on the unique perspective of each student. Discussions include the importance of song title, subject matter, and how to approach the song as an artist.

The Media Theatre also continues its New School which is a conservatory-style music theatre program for advanced students ages 8 and up. It meets Mondays from 4:30-7:30 p.m., with the second semester starting up Jan. 23 and is a continuation of a course already in session, with Artistic Director Jesse Cline and Music Director Tom Fosnocht.

For information on all Media Theatre acting, vocal, or dance classes call 610-891-0100 or visit mediatheatre.org.