Southeastern NEWS
Southeastern Louisiana University
Public Information Office
publicinfo@selu.edu
SLU 10880, Hammond, LA 70402
985/549-2341/fax 985-549-2061
Date: 4/19/02
Contact: Christina Chapple 95
Editors: Photo accompanies release
ACTSINGDANCE! OFFERS MUSICAL THEATER TRAINING FOR CHILDREN
HAMMOND -- ActSingDance!, a two week summer program for children at
Southeastern Louisiana University, will give young people in grades kindergarten through 10th
the opportunity to create and present their own music theatre performance.
Scheduled for June 10-21, the program will be conducted by New York City director and
choreographer Wendy Taucher and Southeastern Opera/Music Theatre Workshop music director
and conductor Chuck Effler.
Taucher was the director and Effler the conductor of Southeastern's sell-out production of
the musical "Annie" at last summer.
"As a follow-up to the huge success we had with 'Annie,' we're hoping to again offer a
summer Broadway musical in 2003 at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts," Effler
said. "This summer, Wendy and I want to offer this workshop to show that Southeastern still
supports summer musical theatre and, more importantly, cares about community involvement."
"During the two-week program students will create and present their own original
musical theatre performance," said Effler, who has also served as music director and conductor
for many Southeastern Opera/Music Theatre productions. "The final performance piece will be
loosely based on a familiar fairy tale -- a sort of 'mangled myth.'"
ActSingDance! will culminate in a "Family Performance Event" at 6:30 p.m. on Friday,
June 21. Effler said students will perform the script, lyrics, music and choreography that they
have helped to create.
Rather than cast a few children in a few roles, the program will promote an "all star-no
star" environment, Effler said.
(MORE)
ACTSINGDANCE! -- Add One
"All students will be challenged to actively participate in the creative process," he said.
"The workshop will encourage creative thinking and build skills in acting, singing and dancing.
In each workshop session students will participate in movement warm-ups, vocal warm-ups and
theatre games that will teach them as a group to create the words, music and dance for the final
performance."
Inspiring creativity in children is Taucher's forte. For the last seven years she has
been head administrator and a teaching artist at a summer theatre workshop in New Jersey.
"I use a lot of theatre and movement games in these workshops concentration games,
counting games, imagination games," she said. "Every class activity has a direct purpose for the
task at hand in this case inventing a new performance piece but the kids don't always realize
that: they think they're just having fun!"
ActSingDance! is open to children entering kindergarten through 10th grade in the 2002-
2003 school year. A more advanced adult acting and movement class will also be offered for
high school students entering 11th-12th grade, college-aged students and adults. No theatrical or
dance experience is required to participate in the workshop.
Students will work in four groups divided by school grade: kindergarten-first,
second-third, fourth-sixth and seventh-tenth.
"Each workshop class will concentrate on four major areas: building skills in acting,
singing and dancing; building concentration; creative risk-taking; creating text, music and lyrics,
and choreography," Effler said.
"I was very impressed last summer with the level of talent in this area," said Taucher. "I
really enjoyed working on 'Annie' and, was thrilled to be asked to return this summer! In the
meantime, it can only be beneficial for future productions to have kids who have been through
this workshop and learned the skills being offered, whether it's me or someone else directing."
Classes for children will be conducted Monday through Friday at the following hours:
9-9:45 a.m., kindergarten-first grade; 10-11:25 a.m., second-third grades; 11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.,
fourth-sixth grades; and 2-3:25 p.m., seventh-tenth grades.
The adult class will meet Monday through Thursday from 7-8:30 p.m. Effler said the
(MORE)
ACTSINGDANCE! -- Add Two
class will concentrate on developing acting technique through movement, vocal choices,
characterization and intention and will not involve music. One hour of the last class will be open
to family and friends for an informal showing.
Tuition for the children's classes is $150, with a $15 discount offered for each additional
family member. Adult class tuition is $75. Enrollment is limited and a $25 late fee will be added
to the tuition after May 15.
The classes are sponsored by Southeastern's Continuing Education Department and
Community Music School. Registration forms and complete information are available online at
www.selu.edu/actsingdance, by email at actsingdance@selu.edu, or by calling the Southeastern
Community Music School at 985-549-5502.
-SLU-
Press release available online at www.selu.edu/news/spring02.html