Theater and Speech Arts Conservatory Courses
Unless otherwise noted, course enrollment is on a rolling basis.
Get to the Gist!
(To enhance the voice and order thoughts for audition and speaking)
Take command of your voice and communicate with confidence and style! This class will inspire you to explore the power and range of your voice and will give you the tools to shape your ideas into vivid and effective presentations.
Both hesitant and confident speakers will thrive in this safe learning environment, while enjoying solo and collaborative learning and presentation opportunities.
Your ideas will be front and center as you learn to outline and structure arguments, shape and embellish narratives, harnessing creativity and logic to create original stories and speeches that will captivate and engage your audience.
You will:
- Learn to develop speech topics and organize ideas using outline format
- Employ description, elaboration and commentary in original narrative
- Use narrative structure to shape presentations
- Develop a powerful and expressive voice
- Speak with meaning, confidence and purpose
- Explore tools to control nervousness and connect with the audience
- Analyze and deliver examples of great oratory and literature
- Appreciate the power of language to impact a listener and enrich communication
- Develop active listening and conversation skills
You will come away with a tool kit that will serve you in everyday life, academic situations, and even when seeking future employment.
You will come away with a tool kit that will serve you in everyday life, academic situations, and even when seeking future employment.
Breaking Down the Bard!
(For the intermediate actor wanting to study Shakespeare)
Students will break down a number of works of Shakespeare, demonstrating the basic meaning of plays, acts and scenes. The class will also demonstrate that Shakespeare isn’t hard, and anyone can read, understand and perform his works!
The class will culminate in a showcase of monologues and scenes for friends and family.
This 60 minute class will be offered once a week for 10 weeks. Students enrolling in the class will continue to grow their skills throughout the duration of the class. New students are always welcome to enroll! (class size 6 -10)
Debate Club
(For the intermediate actor to show debating skills)
This Debate course will provide you with the opportunities to learn the ins and outs of debate in an exciting, challenging environment. You will work in teams to research, practice and deliver powerful debates on a range of interesting topics.
All members of the Debate Club will explore public speaking skills. By prepared and impromptu debates, the student will explore a wide range of issues and students will find themselves with a richer understanding of current events, while having fun in a collegial atmosphere honing your own persuasive style.
Students will have the time to polish their speaking skills as well as becoming quick witted debaters. Whether you are involved in a school debate team and are looking for a competitive edge, or you are exploring debate for the first time, this club is for you.
This 60 minute class will be offered once a week. Students enrolling in the class will continue to grow their skills throughout the duration of the class. New students are always welcome to enroll! (class size 6-10)
Rhythm and Rhyme
(For beginner actors to connect words to pacing)
The developmental approach and small class size encourages actors to develop clear, expressive speech and confident communication skills. This class atmosphere is supportive and dynamic, allowing both shy and confident people an opportunity to learn and grow. This class will increase problem solving skills, self-confidence, and stimulate imagination through group collaboration.
While reading poems and many short stories, we will respond to them physically, vocally and imaginatively through movement, storytelling and choral speaking. We will accomplish this through many Drama Games and many fun role playing activities!
A 60 minute class once a week will be offered. Students enrolling in the class will continue to grow their skills throughout the duration of the class. New students are always welcome to enroll! (class size 4-10)
Teens Diving into Scenes
(Intermediate theater actors scene study)
Make a character, play a role, and let your drama shine in this dynamic acting class. Give life to characters and build a compelling performance from the ground up, learning how to study and analyze dramatic texts, rehearsing scenes, and moving and speaking with presence and purpose.
Theatre games will engage your creativity and voice, and will provide confidence and skills for you to take the stage. Students will have the opportunity to prepare a variety of monologues and group scenes, and a showcase of students work will be held at the end of classes.
Theatre games will engage your creativity and voice, and will provide confidence and skills for you to take the stage. Students will have the opportunity to prepare a variety of monologues and group scenes, and a showcase of students work will be held at the end of classes.
Act Out, Speak Up!
(For the beginner improv actor)
Everyone can have fun, build confidence, and discover the power of the voice in our Act Out, Speak Up program! This class’ dynamic atmosphere will provide everyone with a chance to build on their public speaking skills and self-esteem through storytelling, improvisation and many other works of creative drama.
Imagination and creativity takes center stage while working as a group. We will read many plays, short stories and scenes from modern and classic eras. We will take these great ideas and apply them to storytelling, improvisation techniques and group performance!
Imagination and creativity takes center stage while working as a group. We will read many plays, short stories and scenes from modern and classic eras. We will take these great ideas and apply them to storytelling, improvisation techniques and group performance!
Audition Workshop
Students will study many aspects of the audition process, such as keeping it real, monologue development, character analysis, audition protocol, slating, attire, basic acting techniques, movement, cold reading, sides, dialect, stage presence. This is a masterclass style workshop in which the student will have instruction on the spot and present to the class with reaction and discussion from the class and instructor. Some preparation time by the student will be required outside of class.
Life is better when you improvise!
(For experienced Improvisers)
This fun and collaborative class is a great place for improvisers at all levels of experience! The course provides a safe and fun environment for all ages who enjoy collaborating with other actors and learning strategies to grasp all the key principles and fundamentals of improvisation.
Improvisation builds the skill of listening to others, the art of action/reaction, and the importance of being truly authentic while being encouraged to take risks and think quickly and clearly under pressure. Participants will learn instant forgiveness, fearlessness in failure and celebration in success! We will learn how to communicate ideas clearly, establish relationships, locations and intention between characters on stage, and have a great time while doing it!
This 90 minute class will be offered once a week. Students enrolling in the class will continue to grow their skills throughout the duration of the class. New students are always welcome to enroll! (class size 6-12)
Meet Our Teachers!
Sara Caligiuri
Dawn Harkins
Robin Rotela
Richard Trost
Justine Izewski
Justine Izewski attained a Bachelor of Music (Vocal Performance) degree, as well as a Bachelor of Music Education (Choral) degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is Illinois state certified to teach Music K-12. She currently teaches grades P-8th at the Queen of the Rosary School in Elk Grove Village.
Alex Murphy
Alex Murphy, a native of St Charles, IL and graduate of DePaul University in Jazz Piano, is considered one of the "young lions" working his way into the Chicago Jazz Scene. He has performed at the Jazz Showcase, Andy's Jazz Club, The Drake Hotel, House of Blues and the Chicago Jazz Festival. In early 2018 he was featured in a "Jazz at Symphony Center" Masterclass with jazz great, Bill Charlap. He also freelances throughout the Chicagoland area, Northern Illinois and the Midwest. He can be heard playing keyboards on an EP from the band "Fade" that can be found on Spotify and Apple Music.
Dennis Brown
Jocelyn Adamski
Jocelyn has been studying Shakespeare for the majority of her life! Her lifelong study began as a child at Valparaiso University’s Young Actors Shakespeare Workshop in which she studied and performed Shakespeare’s plays for several seasons. Jocelyn continued to grow her love of the Bard through several professional Shakespearean productions and at Renaissance Festivals. She studied further at the Chicago Academy of the Arts, Northwestern University’s prestigious “cherub” program and at Wright State University, where she earned her BFA in Acting.