Backstage Glimpses: Improv Class

Students in the Teenage Drama Workshop's Improvisation Elective got a workout today as instructor Ronnie Sperling put them through their creative paces. 

Working in pairs, students created short scenes based on suggestions from the class. After running their scenes twice, the students had to think on their feet as Sperling changed things up, asking them to re-do the scene in a different genre. 

Students acting as home-repairmen suddenly had to redo their scene as a horror movie and as an MTV reality show.  A scene involving a pregnant woman and her husband stuck in an elevator suddenly became a game show, then was redone in the style of "Glee."  Another scene involving astronauts battling an asteroid field was redone as a samurai film and then as a Nickelodeon cartoon. 

Later, students worked in groups to tell a short story, with each actor adding the next word, one at a time.  After that, students played an improv game called, "Clue," in which an actor tries to convey the details of a crime using only gestures, movement and gibberish. Lots of laughter ensued, but the kids came away with real-life acting skills, too.

Sperling encouraged the class to stretch their imaginations--and their vocabularies--in their scene work. 

Beginning next week, students in the improvisation class will be cast in plays written by students in the play writing elective.  The short plays will be featured in TADW's upcoming "10-Minute Play Festival," which will run Aug. 5 and 6 in the Studio Theatre in Nordhoff Hall.

Talented TADW Staffers: Rebecca Lester

When she's not whipping up beautiful costumes for the Teenage Drama Workshop, costumer Rebecca Lester enjoys baking unique cupcakes.  Today, for the TADW staff meeting, she brought homemade treats that looked just like individual portions of spaghetti and meatballs. Lester says the trick is using piped frosting for the pasta, jelly for the sauce, a Ferraro Rocher chocolate for the meatball and shaved white chocolate for the parmesan cheese.  Word from the staff is they were "delizioso"!

TADW on CSUN's Blog

The Teenage Drama Workshop is featured on Cal State Northridge's blog today. Link to the story here.

The All-New "Short Company Meeting" Song

Like the working theatre company we are, members of the Teenage Drama Workshop take part in "short company meetings". We kicked today's off with the new "Short Company Meeting" song. Thanks Owen, Daniel, Ian & Matt.

We're in a Time Warp! It's 'Decades Day' at TADW

It's Decade's Day at TADW.  See our Flickr or Facebook pages for more pix!

How to Get Tickets to TADW Shows

Now is the time to get your tickets for the Teenage Drama Workshop's 2010 summer plays for youth.

Because our productions are so popular with local camp groups, we already have some weekday matinees that are sold out! So don't delay. Get your tickets today!  Here are some helpful hints for your ticket-buying:

If you want tickets for the Teenage Drama Workshop's upcoming productions of "Seussical," "Alice in Wonderland" or the "10-Minute Play Festival," you have several options:

1.  Visit the Associated Students Ticket Office on the CSUN campus in person.  This allows you to avoid all fees.  The ticket office is located near Plaza Del Sol in the University Student Union complex on the Zelzah Ave. side of campus. Due to construction in the area, the closest parking is lot G3. (See campus map for reference.) The ticket office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. (Note: You can request a free 30-minute parking pass to visit the ticket office from the parking guard gate in lot G4.  Or, if you've already purchased a one-day pass in another lot, you can use it on the same day in lot G3 or G4.)

2.  Call the AS Ticket Office and place an order by phone.  There is a small service charge applied to the entire order and your tickets will be mailed to you.  The phone number is (818) 677-2488.

3.  Order online via Ticketmaster.  This may be convenient for out-of-town guests, however a service charge is applied to each ticket.

4.  Use the onsite ticket booth in Nordhoff Hall. The AS Ticket Office will operate a satellite ticket office in Nordhoff Hall once our shows are up-and-running.  The box office will open two hours before each show and you can purchase tickets for same-day performances or in advance for other TADW performances.

5. Take advantage of our group rate.  If you are organizing lots of friends and family to see our shows, take advantage of our group rate of $7 per ticket for groups of 10 or more.  All tickets for a particular performance must be purchased together to get this special rate.

TADW Playwrights Hard at Work

Students in the Teenage Drama Workshop's playwriting elective are putting the finishing touches on their short plays in advance of meeting with their directors for the first time later this week.  The student-written plays will be featured in TADW's upcoming "10-Minute Play Festival."

Once scripts are finalized, the short plays will be cast with students from TADW's improvisation elective, explained playwriting teacher Doug Kaback.

The 10-Minute Play Festival runs two nights only, Aug. 5 and 6, in the Studio Theatre in Nordhoff Hall.  Annually, this program always sells out, so buy tickets early.  (Note: Some themes may not be suitable for very young children. Parental guidance is suggested.)

Backstage Glimpses: Dance Class

Students in the Teenage Drama Workshop take voice class with Lindsey Lorenz. Class begins with warm-ups, stretching and isolations, followed by ballet and other dance technique and choreography.

Backstage Glimpses: Voice Class

Students in the Teenage Drama Workshop take voice class with Diane Ketchie.  Class begins with warm-ups and vocal exercises, followed by work on group and solo pieces.

Early Dismissal July 28

Dear TADW Parents:

There will be no afternoon rehearsals called on Wednesday, July 28. There will be an 11am Seussical final preview and an 11am Alice performance. Seussical will have its opening night performance later that evening at 7pm.

We would like to give the students a chance to rest as we begin our very strenuous performance schedule throughout the final two weeks of TADW.

The Alice cast will be excused after their 11am show, and Seussical will have a break between their 11am preview and 7pm opening. If you are not able to pick up your child(ren) there will be supervision in between the shows.

Please let us know if you have any questions, feel free to call Doug at 818-677-5811 or Brent at 818-571-4007.

Thank You,

Brent Rosen, Managing Director

Parent Newsletter #2: July 7, 2010

Greetings TADW Parents.  Here is the text of the second parent newsletter that went home on July 7 with your child(ren). You may also have received this by email. (If you didn't, please contact Beth Lasky (info below) with your updated email address.)

NEWSLETTER #2 – JULY 7, 2010

Communication -  Please let us know how things are going. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Beth at (818)677-2725 (day) (818)883-7314 evenings or email her at beth.lasky@csun.edu. Ask your child if any important TADW information was given out for parents.

Parent/Guardian Advisory Committee -  We held our first meeting last week, that was very well attended. Thank you to the 20 parents and guardians who were able to attend. Our next meeting will be Friday, July 9th from 3:00 to 4:00 PM in conference room.

 

Pick-Up -  During these first few weeks TADW dismissal time is 4:15.  Most of the TADW staff are gone by 4:30-5:00pm.  After shows begin rehearsal schedules, we must be out of the building by 6pm.  Please pick up your children as close to the dismissal time as possible.  TADW is not responsible for their well being after hours.  If there is a problem, please let Beth know.

Guests -  Occasionally, a guest will accompany a student to TADW.  This MUST be cleared with either Doug or Brent beforehand!  Guests will be asked to leave if there is no previous notice or if the guest is disruptive.

Buying Tickets -  Tickets for all performances may be purchased at the Associated Students Ticket Office at the University Student Union or by going to the TADW website at www.csun.edu/tadw.  Their hours of operation are Monday-Saturday from 10 am - 6 pm.  Tickets may also be ordered by calling (818)677-2488.  Additionally, tickets may be purchased 2 hours before a performance, at the Ticket Office opposite the Little Theater in Nordhoff Hall.

 

Ticket Selling -  We need everyone’s help to fill up the theatre. We’re asking everyone to sell 25-50 tickets each. Please help your child by letting friends and family know they can buy tickets from you. We have PLENTY of brochures and posters. Come and take a handful.  The following matinee performances have already SOLD OUT: 7/28 – Alice; 7/30 Alice; and 8/4 - Alice and Seussical.

Photo Calls: -  Please be aware that photos of the cast and crew of each show will be taken after the first Saturday performances,.  This means that people will not be released until about 1-1:30 after the following performances:  Alice- Saturday, 7/24 and Seussical- Saturday 7/31.

Concessions Stand -  Families may donate canned sodas/bottled water/juice boxes (or other re-sellable drinks) and/or candy bars/cookies/chips/etc… for the TADW concessions stand.  All items should be pre-packaged. Bring your items when you drop off your children in the morning. TADW staff will be in the parking lot to accept your contributions. If families would prefer to make a cash donation for the purchase of snacks or drinks, that’s fine, too. All proceeds from the stand go to the Parent Advisory Committee scholarship fund.

Ushers -  We still need ushers for some of the shows.  A sign-up sheet for ushers is available at the Parent Meetings or you can email Beth at beth.lasky@csun.edu.  All ushers arrive a half hour before the show begins, take tickets, pass out programs, and work at the concession stand after the show.  A TADW staff member will serve as house manager and be able to answer any questions.  All ushers see the show for free.

Parking -  If you park on campus, you will need to buy a parking permit at all times. Permit parking on campus is enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Permit dispenser machines are located in Lot B1 and inside parking structure B3.  Daily permits are $6 and are available from 7am-9pm, at the kiosks on Prairie (just off Darby).  There are weekly passes that can be purchased for $10 a week.  This special pass can only be purchased through the Department of Public Safety (DPS) office.  The DPS building is on Darby at Prairie. 

Sponsors –  Can your family sponsor an organization for under-privileged youth by buying tickets for them to see our shows?  Please contact Doug Kaback if you would like to make a donation or to sponsor a group of your choice this summer.  We’ve invited 120 kids from Stone Soup Childcare in Norwalk and 50 kids from   They’re all thrilled!  Thank you!!

Carpool List -  A list of all TADW members is available and has been distributed.  If your son or daughter did not give it to you, please ask for it!

DVDs Order Forms -  Don't forget to order the DVD of the shows for this year.  DVDs will be available for Seussical, Alice, 10 Minute Play Festival and Munch and Crunch.  Each DVD is $25.00.

Schedules -  Rehearsal schedules for each show have been distributed.  If you did not receive one, contact Beth.  Please note that both Seussical, and Alice have Preview Shows the evening before their openings.  These shows are only for current and past TADW participants.  More will be included in next week's Newsletter about the Invitational (Previews).

 

Meet a Member: Brittany Williams

New to the Teenage Drama Workshop this summer is 18-year-old Brittany Williams.  The Canyon Country resident, who recently graduated from Golden Valley High School, will play the "Sour Kangaroo" in TADW's upcoming production of "Seussical".  Active in theatre, Williams recently played "Ronette" in her high school's production of "Little Shop of Horrors." Now at TADW, she is looking forward to seeing "Seussical" come to life. "I love watching a show come together," she said, adding that she is enjoying her first summer in the workshop. "I love the program so far. It's been an amazing first week and I know it is going to get even better."  Williams plans to attend College of the Canyons in the fall.