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What does a typical Academy day look like?
The Academy meets beginning Monday, July 18th, and continues through Sunday, August 14th.
Monday, July 18th will be a “full-day” that begins at 10.00a with a meet and greet theatre games, and a group warm-up, then lunch followed by auditions (see below) and will finish with a group Q&A period which will end at 5.00p. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Students are invited to bring their own lunch or visit one of the nearby Main Street cafés in groups on their lunch break with parental authorization. We will be offering “warm-down” exercises on this same day until 6.00p.
Beginning Tuesday, July 19th, classes will be held six days a week, from Monday through Saturday, with Sundays off. Days begin at 10.00a with a warm-up. Students are encouraged to attend these warm-up sessions, which will prepare their bodies, voices, and minds for the day ahead. Formal classes begin at 11.00a. Lunch is scheduled daily for 1.00p-2.00p, after which classes will resume Days end with a warm-down from 5.00p-6.00p. Students are encouraged to stay for this period which will answer questions and help them digest their day, but there is a possibility for students to be picked up promptly at 5.00p.
A finalized Week 4 schedule will be sent out for our “tech” and performance week.
What happens if I’m on vacation? What if my child is absent?
Please fill out the “conflicts” section of the application. If your child and family will be on vacation for more than a few days, please communicate this to us as soon as possible. If your child will miss an entire week of the Academy due to a vacation, or should your family’s vacation fall during the rehearsal and performance weeks, we ask that you refrain from applying to this year’s Academy.
How do I get into the Academy?
The Academy is a FREE program open to all students going into 7th grade through their year exiting 12th grade, approximate age range 12/13-18. Students are accepted on a first-come-first-served basis upon receipt of their completed application forms until the class is full. A maximum of 30 students will be allowed into the program. Should the program reach its maximum capacity before your child has been accepted, your child will be placed on a waiting list, should another student drop out. We cannot at this time guarantee that your child will be able to move off the waiting list, should they be placed on it. Please, do not let this discourage you; The Glove Theatre is planning more youth educational programming similar to The Academy.
Are there auditions?
Yes and no. There are no auditions to enter the program. Enrollment is based on a first-come-first-served basis. The first day of classes—Monday, July 18th—we will have several hours of “auditions” to glean your child’s level of acting, singing, and dance. We ask that students prepare a short song (32 bars) with or without pre-recorded accompaniment. They may also prepare a short monologue. We will have scenes for them to read and they will be taught a short dance combination. These auditions are not for any particular role, nor will they dictate the level of role your child might receive. They are purely for the instructors to see their level and begin preparing personalized teaching plans to ensure your child’s growth and success.
Why the age restriction?
The pedagogy of Lead Teaching Artist, Michael Maricondi, holds that this intensity of training, creating, rehearsal, and critical thinking skills should be reserved for children entering middle school to those who have graduated in June of the same year as the Academy. This ensures that all children are on “equal footing” in terms of personal growth, communication skills, and maturity so as to be able to support each other and move forward collectively. In Mr. Maricondi’s experience, mixing children from too wide an age gap leads to an unfocused and unfair environment, especially towards our youngest artists who need more care, attention, and explanation and whose skills and maturity might not be developed enough for such a long day.
Will there be programs for younger artists?
Yes! The Glove Theatre is looking into creating educational programming for children grades K-6 including storytelling workshops, puppet theatre, introduction to acting and stage terminology, introduction to vocal and instrumental music, and more! To suggest a program to us, please go HERE (<—link to survey page?)
What is a “conservatory-style” program?
Think of a “conservatory-style” program as a regular school day, except that, instead of math, history, and French, your child is learning acting, singing, and dancing. Each class is structured with its own curriculum that will teach students the basics of key elements of the performing and technical theatre arts, as well as writing and composing for the stage. Students might be assigned homework or at-home exercises to go along with their courses and it is suggested that they journal their experiences.
What are my child’s responsibilities as a participant?
Your child should arrive promptly to all classes and rehearsals and be ready to jump in creatively and energetically. They should bring a notebook or tablet to classes so as to be able to take notes. They should ask questions and remain well-behaved so as to allow their classmates the opportunity to learn without being distracted. Your child should have all “homework” completed for their classes. “Homework” might include: vocalization exercises, line memorization, character biography creation, plot and character brainstorming, script and lyric sketching and writing, and should also be ready to rehearse their roles, lines, choreography, and songs at home. Students must also be available for all performance dates and arrive at the designate call-times so as not to delay production.
What are my responsibilities as parent/guardian/family support?
First off, you should keep being the wonderful parent, guardian, or family member that you are! We ask that you ask your child about their day, what they’re learning, and how they feel their creation is coming along. Make sure that they do their at-home exercises and try running lines with them for ease of memorization.
We ask that, other than Monday, July 18th, no parents be present for the first two weeks of The Academy. It is important to our students that they be able to explore their own artistry and styles of expression without the “need to impress” parents or guardians. Any and all questions you might have regarding your child’s progress may be asked directly to the Lead Teaching Artist, Michael Maricondi, who will gladly fill you in.
We welcome any donations of packs of water bottles, snacks, notebooks, or anything else you would like to donate to help ensure that all of the Academy students succeed together and remain comfortable!
For the third and fourth weeks of the program, we invite all parents, guardians, and/or family members to sign up for production support. These might include: costumes, set, projections, front of house, backstage help, street team, etc. We want you to share in this unique opportunity to create a brand new, original piece of musical theatre!
We also ask that the family of each student guarantee the purchase of 4 tickets to the performances and spend a minimum of $20 on program advertising. These materials will be made available to you on the first day of classes. The income from ticket and advertising sales will allow The Glove Theatre to continue offering educational programs to students of all ages.
What are lateness and absence policies?
Though not recommended, students are permitted to miss classes during the first two weeks, but we ask that they retain full availability for the last two weeks of the Academy, which will be their formal rehearsal period. Students who miss classes can check in with their classmates for what they missed, or can catch up during warm-up the day that they return. Any “homework” exercises or duties will be e-mailed after each session. Please be ready to provide reasons for your child’s absence.
Three absences will most likely disallow your child from receiving a lead role in the show, especially if these absences would occur during rehearsals and technical days. Absences during brainstorming and writing periods might result in your child’s ideas and words not making it into the final show libretto, but we will try our best to allow students to Zoom in for these sessions with their assigned groups.
For any additional questions, please e-mail the.glove.academy@gmail.com
CLASS OVERVIEWS
-Acting:
What is a “scene”? How do I read a script? What’s my “motivation”? How do I prepare a role? What does it mean to be “specific”. Students will be introduced to general acting techniques, theatre games, and strategies to help with memorization and character creation.
-Singing Technique:
How do I hit that note? Why am I running out of breath? How do I stop “squeaking”? Students will learn proper breath support, tone placement, extend their range, and be exposed to the famous Bel Canto technique, used by Broadway and Pop stars!
-Vocal Performance:
How do I interpret lyrics? How do I not focus on my technique when performing a song? How do songs fit into musical scenes? Students will learn to look at song lyrics as monologues, glean a story and a character, and synthesize how the song moves the plot forward. They will learn how to question and analyze composer choices that might affect their “reading” of the song and become star interpreters of all genres of vocal music!
-Voice, Speech, and Breathing:
My voice always gets tired! What is “projecting” and how do I do it? People say I “mumble” and I’m always out of breath! Help! Students will learn deep breathing techniques to help calm their nerves, focus their minds, and naturally release their natural vocal tone by finding the power behind their diaphragm. They will learn elocution and articulation exercises to help them become clear speakers able to communicate their ideas in front of any audience!
-Musical Scene Study:
What is a musical scene? Why are these people singing?! Why is there a five-minute dance number? Students will learn the basic structure of musicals and the scenes within them, understand the “musical moment”, and the importance of song and dance to move a narrative forward.
-Music Theory:
What are all these blobs on notebook paper? What’s the difference between 4/4 and 6/8? What’s a “clef”?! Students will learn basic musical terminology, rhythm and ear training exercises, and how to communicate with music directors, composers, and each other to sing in harmony, rap on rhythm, and write their own songs!
-Choreography and Movement:
I’m scared I can’t dance! How do I pirouette? What is choreography?! Students will learn choreographic terminology, basic movements such as pliés, pirouettes, and jumps, and how movement can be used to move a narrative forward. They will learn short combinations and how to choreograph themselves! Led by choreographer and dance teacher, Heather Mattioni!
-Character Creation:
I’ve learned my lines, but it’s still “me” on stage! My character is much older than I am! I’m a guy playing a girl! Help!!! Students will learn techniques from Ann Bogart’s Viewpointing and Tadashi Suzuki’s famous technique to help transform their bodies and voices into all sorts of different characters, each with their own truth!
-Improvisation:
What is “Yes…And.”?! How do I think “in the moment”? How can I use improvisation to help create a character, scene, or script?! Students will learn to trust their own instincts in the moment as well as those of their peers and colleagues to create collaborative stories, bits, and scenes, using these skills to help with their brainstorming and writing processes!
-Storytelling:
What is a story? How do I uncover the “moral” of a story? I don’t get this story…HELP!!! Students will learn to identify the beginning, middle, and end of narratives, glean character traits and analyze stories to uncover a moral, lesson, or discussion inherent within. They will use these skills to help them create their own, original versions of World Mythologies, as well as to become shrewd “readers” of all sorts of stories from myths to modern media and the news! Led by Literary Specialist, Jameson “Sonny” Duross!
-Theatre Tech:
How do those lights work? What’s that button do? What is a stage manager? Students will learn technical terminology, identification of theatre equipment, production team names, roles, and protocols, and how a show really gets put on. Students will be invited to try their hand at one or more technical positions including “lighting designer”, “set designer”, and “stage manager”!
-Collaboration:
The lynchpin of the whole shebang. Students will learn how to work together, how to accept the ideas of others, how to propose their own ideas, and how to create a piece collectively that is representative of all involved.
The Glove Theatre 