Dr. Tom Crochunis, and English professor with a background and research interests in theater is helping to develop the curriculum along with our lead teacher (whom he recommended for the job): Tyler Wonders. I loved Tyler before I even met him because: Wonders! Perfect fit for the wonder collective, eh? When we met in person, I was struck with his warm and sincere self. A Newville native son, he's been in loads of local productions since catching the theater bug, and has also developed a passion for teaching. We'll fill in good adult:child ratios with more university students with theater love.
Here's his official blurb:
TYLER WONDERS is super excited to join forces with The
Wonder Collective in its inaugural season leading the Theater Team. Tyler is a senior English Education Major at
Shippensburg University. Along with his
major in English Education, he also has a minor in Theater. Tyler has been in the theater for almost 10
years. Through his theater career up to
this point, Tyler has been in around twenty shows (including one on Broadway),
produced ten shows at Big Spring High School, and has just recently started to
teach theater workshops around the area.
Tyler is super excited to bring his theater experience to The Wonder
Collective and hopes that you will join him for a fun and exciting journey at
The Thought Lot!
And on the course design:
In this theater workshop, students
will get an extensive look into theater and what goes into acting. Even
though the class is only two hours long, students will be participating in many
activities and will learn a lot about themselves as actors. Since this
workshop is about acting, the students will be able to apply the knowledge from
the workshop to everyday and classroom situations. Public speaking,
working with others, and thinking on your feet are just a few ideas we will be
working with during the duration of the workshop. Most of all, the
students are going to be able to have fun throughout the entire course.
Many activities are being planned including an optional field trip to see
a play with a cast talk back (ticket to play, Big Spring HS's You Can't Take it With You, included in workshop
registration).
I don't know much about theater (my personal dramatic career peaked in 4th grade with my role as Alice Wendelken in our school's production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever), but I love hearing them plot and plan with you in mind. We decided we wanted an experiential theater workshop, focusing on what Dr. Crochunis calls "the grammar of theater" rather than a production-focused sessions, to give each participant equal attention and instruction. "Real" theater is, of course, a great experience, but gives a disproportionate amount of attention to the few with lead roles. This will truly be a team experience, starting relationships and mentorships that will last past the initial 8 weeks.
I love The Thought Lot for this team. There is plenty of room to move and break out into groups, a stage with full AV support, and an inspirational art backdrop of rotating exhibits.
Meeting Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:30 pm, for 8 consecutive weeks--skipping Thanksgiving--starting October 18th. $120 includes the play ticket and 16 hours of instruction. Course is designed for middle school and high school students (though we have been known to make a slightly-younger exception if you think your child's attention span is good...).
Join us? Questions to thewondercollective@gmail.com & registration details on the sidebar, with both right-now electronic buttons or a mail-in option:
c/o Shannon Heckman
600 Big Spring Road
Newville, PA 17241
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