MONDAY COMMUNITY PROGRAM

6th - 8th grade

when kids train to put on a show, they are learning life skills:

Empathy, Teamwork, Patience, Listening, Focus, Hard Work, Awareness, Confidence, Discipline, Personal Responsibility, Body Control, Problem Solving... the list goes on! Theater is social emotional learning in action.

 

Spring 2025

 

MonDAYS (and some Fridays)

January 6 - May 17

4:15-6:00PM

WHO: This Community Program is open to ANY and ALL 6th-8th graders in the Portland area. We meet once a week (sometimes more) and work together to put on a show. Every student gets a part and this is a great program for those with experience and those just starting out. Come see what theater is all about!

WHAT: A 60 minute musical performance! Come learn how to put on a show. All kids will sing, dance and act in this wonderful show - complete with costumes and sets. 

WHERE: St. David of Wales Parish Hall, 2800 SE Harrison Street, Portland 97214

WHEN: Mondays (and some Fridays) 4:15-6:00pm January 6-May 17 with shows May 16 & 17.

Class Dates: January 6,13,20,27. February 3,7,10,21,24,28. March 3,7,10,17,31. April 7,14,21,26,28. May 5,12,15,16,17.

HOW MUCH: $525

  • We offer a 10% sibling discount (automatically applied at registration)

  • Payment plan options (payments are automatically deducted)

    • Pay in full: At registration

    • 2 Payments (with a $15 fee): 50% at registration and 50% January 5

    • 3 Payments (with a $25 fee): $150 at registration, January 5 and March 5

  • Financial assistance available (please complete the request form)

QUESTIONS? Feel free to contact us

NEW PARENTS please note: Our production classes are a huge commitment! Please be aware the purpose of this class is putting on a show for which we can be proud. All kids will be asked to work hard to memorize lines, songs, and dances for the performance (sometimes outside of rehearsal as homework). We believe theater is a discipline to be respected and practiced. This is not just an after school child care class! Attendance is extremely important as your child is bonding with their cast each time they are present. Whether we are learning necessary songs, dances or blocking or playing games that strengthen our technique your child's presence is necessary. When casting we must take into consideration kids who have a history of not attending class. Please be sure your child truly wants to participate before registering.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

NEW POLICY - REFUNDS:

  • Up to one week before class starts: Full refund (minus $35 admin fee)

  • From one week before class until casting announced: 50% refund (minus $35 admin fee)

  • After casting announced: No refunds

ABSENCES: Since the after-school program only meets once a week, attendance is very important. If you know in advance your child will miss a certain class because of an out-of-town absence, please let us know as it will help us plan our schedule. If you know of more than 2 rehearsals where your child will definitely not be available, do not register your child. We have a limited number of weeks to learn a whole musical - it’s actually less time than for a two week summer camp. Putting on a show is a lot of work for kids and staff and absences create problems for everyone. Please remember the end result is a show your kids can be proud of and confident with onstage. If your child misses a great number of rehearsals, we reserve the right to recast their role. Of course, we know we can’t plan illnesses - when your child is sick they can watch our rehearsal videos and practice the music posted on our class materials page. Please try to plan appointments and play dates for other days of the week. We take theater seriously. It is possible that if your child misses a crucial blocking or choreography day they may be removed from that scene or number.

WAITLIST: There is no charge to be on the wait list. If you do not hear from us by the 3rd week of class there will no longer be spots opening up for the semester. We don’t reach out to wait listed families unless a spot opens up.

CELL PHONE POLICY: Many kids have their own cell phones or smart watches. We don’t think they are needed in theater and can distract us from creating special bonds with our cast mates. Once class has begun kids are instructed to put their electronics away in their bag/backpack. If you need to get a message to your child during class time please know they can not check their phones until the end of class. If you have an emergency message for your child or for the instructor during rehearsal please TEXT us. We will be able to see a text right away, but may not answer a ringing phone during instruction. 

CLASS CANCELLATIONS: If it is necessary for our classes to be canceled we will prorate each class as a refund at $25/class canceled OR move to Zoom for as long as we need to. If we choose to do zoom classes there will be no refunds. There is no refund for classes you choose to pull your child from or if your child is absent for any other reason.

General CASTING Info: Typically, the larger roles will go to kids who have been in the program a while and have proven their abilities to be a good leader, memorize lines, learn songs, etc, and the ensemble/chorus roles will go to the younger or new kids. Younger kids will learn by the older kids' example. Of course, sometimes there are exceptions. Sometimes it depends on the show we do or the individual kids we have attending class. Each class dynamic is different. Some kids are eager for a large role and some kids would like to be a supporting member no matter their age. Sometimes all of our students have been in our programs and have equal abilities. We want all kids set up for success. We want them to feel comfortable and finish the show feeling proud and having had a fun time. We start immediately on Day One doing assessments to see how kids interact, how they treat other kids, how willing they are to jump in, and whether they want to sing something in a small group or stay quiet. We understand that some kids shine on stage who typically are shy and reserved in a large group. We also know some kids can not sit still for two hours straight but have a strong interest in performance and also deserve to shine. All kids deserve a “win” and we will not only base our casting decisions on how well your child sits still. We are not interested in casting stars, but in developing a strong cast as a whole. With such a short class time, we move quickly to cast the show and get to practicing our parts within the first 2 or 3 weeks! Since we have been at this for quite some time both as teachers and directors, but also as actors ourselves, we ask that you respect our final casting decision. Your child will have a better time with your full support at home.