Theater at Sunnyside Environmental

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.

 
 

Tuesdays & Thursdays

September 10 - November 16

3:30-5:30pm

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 (at school AND at home). For younger kids this will require more parent help at home. You know your child best. 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.

WHO: All Sunnyside Environmental School students in grades 5-8
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: Sunnyside School Auditorium

WHEN: Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30-5:30pm, September 10-November 16 with Shows November 15 and 16

HOW MUCH: $400

  • we offer a 10% sibling discount

  • payment options

  • PDC offers partial scholarships (scholarship request form)

    • A limited number of full scholarships are available. To apply for a full scholarship please apply for a 50% scholarship on the request form AND also email fundraising@sesptsa.org.

QUESTIONS? Feel free to contact us

ADDITIONAL INFO/details:

Getting to class:  Students will head straight to the auditorium when school is out for a snack and bathroom break before class begins.

ABSENCES: Since the after-school program only meets twice 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 not be available, do not register your child. We have a limited number of weeks to learn a whole musical. Putting on a show is a lot of work for kids and staff and absences create problems when planning what scenes to rehearse. 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 playdates for other days of the week. We take theater seriously.

REFUNDS: We will refund minus a $35 admin fee up to the start of class. Afterward we will refund (minus $35 admin fee plus $30 per class) up to the 3rd class. After the 3rd class there are no refunds. 

WAITLIST: There is no charge to be on the waitlist. 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 waitlisted families unless a spot opens up.

SNACK: Please pack an extra snack in your child's lunch/backpack. We will have a short break after school so the kids can have a snack, go to the bathroom, etc. Rehearsals are hard work and a snack will fuel us. Students should not leave the building to get a snack - late arrivals miss our important circle up at the top of each class. Thank you!

CELL PHONE POLICY: Many kids in grades 6 - 8 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.