Double (y)our fun

Just over a year after we started this crazy awesome place (with the help of a lot of you crazy awesome people), we got the opportunity to add a second classroom right across the hall from our existing space. 

That's huge, because it means we can run two things at once - improv classes, standup classes, voice coaching, music lessons, you name it.

It used to be a woodworker's gallery, so the space is beautiful. It'll need a coat of paint and a sign, but otherwise we're ready to rock. Let's do it!

Oh, and we also bought a desk:

 We just updated our list of improv classes & standup classes!

Directing at CHMS!

We are excited to announce that Nathan will be directing a series of three one-act plays at Camel's Hump Middle School in Richmond this spring!

While our good friend Heather Schoppmann - who runs a fantastic theater program at CHMS - is out having a baby this year, Nathan will be directing three plays that he has written and published. The students are excited to be able to work with a director who is also the author of the works!

The plays are: The Ever After (a story of fairy tale characters reconciling on a talk show 20 years later), Cafe Murder (a whodunnit about a hypochondriac who thinks she's allergic to water), and The Great Nursing Home Escape (about a group of seniors who plot to break out of the home).

Today's informational meeting was a little intimidating - 90 students showed up who were interested in being part of the production! But it's exciting and fun - you'll hear more about this later - the show goes up in March!

Give the children what they want

Our improv troupe was asked to perform at the 75th anniversary celebration of the Sara Holbrook Community Center this weekend. Although we knew it would be a family-friendly show, we didn't anticipate that most of the audience would be under the age of 10.

Upon seeing this, we quickly changed our plan. Step 1 was to retool our "set list" and brainstorm some silly games we could play WITH the kids. Step 2 was to call our teammate Bob and have him bring the bucket of water, because young children dig slapstick.

Because there was no place to park and no access to water, Bob filled a bucket of water at his apartment on Church Street and carried the thing all the way to Battery Park.

It was worth it - after 30 minutes playing fun games with the kids, we had them sit, and performed the game for them wherein Bob (poor guy) submerges his head in the bucket repeatedly during the scene.

As our finale, we asked a little girl to describe her trip to Disneyworld so we could act it out. Imagine our delight that the story ended with a ride on Splash Mountain. As our grand finale, Bob took [yet another] one for the team and we doused him with the bucket of water.

All in all, a fun time. And a good reminder that you never know what you're going to encounter in life, and it helps to remain flexible and playful! There are a few more pictures here. Happy birthday, SHCC!

Summer Fun!

Krystal Joy Brown on Broadway.Hey everybody!

After several months of producing the Green Mountain Comedy Festival (exhausting, but a huge success!) through our other business, the Vermont Comedy Club, we've shifted our focus back to Spark Arts!

We've tweaked our summer camp offerings for kids/teens a little, based on some feedback we got from parents about kids' interests, family schedules, and the like.

Also, we're offering a couple of exciting one-day masterclasses for anyone 16 and up. Jonathan Flom, a professional theater director, will be offering a workshop on auditioning on July 7. If you're looking to get into a performing arts school, or book more theater, film or TV gigs, you'll want to check it out!

Then on July 14, Broadway performer Krystal Joy Brown will be spending the day with us. She'll start with a Q&A about the business of theater, film & TV, and then offer a 4-hour musical theater intensive. Krystal has been in the Broadway National Tour of RENT, and on Broadway in Hair and Leap of Faith. She's the real deal!

Check it all out, and spread the word - we're looking forward to an exciting summer! Thanks for all your support!

Cheers,

Nathan & Natalie

Comedy Camps!

Photo by Matt ThorsenOver the winter, Megan James wrote a nice little article for the monthly magazine Kids VT about the standup comedy class we offer for teenagers at Spark Arts.

Summer is coming up and we'll be offering this class as a week-long camp for teenagers between July 30 and August 3. With that in mind, we thought we'd post a link to the article, in case you missed reading it the first time around.

Don't forget to check out our other offerings, too! We have camps for kids and teens all summer long.

See you soon!

- Nathan & Natalie