The Coterie Theatre

2008 Summer Camps and Classes

NDS
Kansas City South at Notre Dame de Sion Upper School
(106th and Wornall Road)
June 2 through June 27
Showcase for Young Talent performance June 30 at the Coterie Theatre
How to Prepare for College, June 23 through June 27

PHS
Kansas City at the Pembroke Hill Lower School (400 W. 51st Street)
June 2 through August 8
No classes the week of June 30 through July 4
The Monster Hunters performance August 7 & 8 at the Coterie Theatre

LCC
Liberty at the Liberty Community Center (1600 S. Withers Road)
July 21 through August 8
No classes the week of June 30 through July 4

LSLP
Lee’s Summit at the Market Street Neighborhood Center (307 SW Market St.)
June 23 through August 8
No classes the week of June 30 through July 4
How to Eat Like a Child performance July 19 at the Coterie Theatre

The Coterie is also pleased to offer
Master Classes
Performance Camps
Coterie Signature Classes

Registration and Policies

To register for classes offered at Sion, Liberty or Lee's Summit click here.

Registration for Pembroke Hill is available online at
www.pembrokehill.org

General Information and Policies about our Summer Classes

Master Classes

The Coterie offers Signature Classes for advanced students to meet throughout the year, including:
- The Coterie's Master Class in Acting
- The Coterie's Young Playwrights' Roundtable
- Comedy Masters Troupe

Master Class enrollment is offered by invitation only from resident master teachers Nancy Marcy, Matt Rapport or Jeff Church. All of our summer class students are eligible for consideration.

To see a sample of the work done by the Comedy Masters Troupe, UPDOG'S SPECIAL FRIENDS, there will be an open-to-the-public showcase at 7 p.m. Monday, July 28, at the Westport CoffeeHouse. Admission FEE ~ A cup of coffee!

Coterie Theatre Summer Camps at Notre Dame de Sion

Grade levels indicate incoming 2008-09 school year
Each child will receive one complimentary ticket to a Coterie performance

Download summer registration form here

Acting Classes
•Any of the following Acting classes can be repeated from year to year•

Wanna Act? (Foundations in Acting)
Summer is a great time to try out the wonderful world of acting! Whether it’s just for fun or to start your career, this beginning acting class is designed to lay the groundwork for young actors. We use a variety of theatre exercises to have a whole lot of fun while we explore character, improvisation, concentration, movement, voice and imagination. In the midst of the fun we also introduce you to basic terms, skills and ideas to build technique.

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: June 2-6
Grades: 3-4
Instructor: Trish Neuteboom
Fee: $120

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: June 2-6
Grades: 5-6
Instructor: Jason Reynolds
Fee: $120

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: June 2-6
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Ashlea Christopher
Fee: $120

Acting Up! (Intermediate Acting)
You’re not a beginning actor anymore and you’re ready to take your acting experience to the next level. So – it’s time to “act up” in this intermediate acting class! We will play theatre games and do dramatic improvisation to have fun and to learn more about how to use the voice and body to create characters of all kinds. We will also use short scenes to further develop acting technique and stage presence.

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: June 9-13
Grades: 3-4
Instructor: Ashlea Christopher
Fee: $120

Magical Scenes: Prince Caspian
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian provides a wealth of wonderful characters and situations for an aspiring young actor’s imagination and talent. Imagine acting the role of one of the Pevensie siblings, Prince Caspian, Reepicheep, Trufflehunter or Nikabrik! The book will come alive as we act out scenes taken directly from the book. This Coterie acting class is an introduction to the actor’s craft of developing a character and establishing relationships with other characters. We will also develop the technical skills of memorizing lines and understanding stage movement. The class will end with a special sharing of our scenes with family and friends.

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: June 23-27
Grades: 3-4
Instructor: Tara Varney
Fee: $120

Sideways Scenes from Sideways Stories
Young actors become characters in Louis Sachar’s popular Sideways Stories from Wayside School and act out scenes. Like the book, our scenes are filled with a marvelous combination of imagination and quirky humor! This Coterie acting class is an introduction to the actor’s craft of developing a character and establishing relationships with other characters. We will also develop the technical skills of memorizing lines and understanding stage movement. The class will end with a special sharing of our scenes with family and friends.

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: June 16-20
Grades: 3-4
Instructor: Trish Neuteboom
Fee: $120

Intermediate Acting
You’re not a beginning actor anymore, so it’s time to take your acting experience to the next level! This intermediate acting class uses vocal and physical warm-ups, theatre games, advanced dramatic improvisation and short scenes to further develop acting technique and stage presence. All students will have the opportunity to audition for the 2008-2009 Coterie season with a member of the Coterie Theatre artistic staff.

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: June 9-13
Grades: 5-6
Instructor: Trish Neuteboom
Fee: $120

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: June 9-13
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Jason Reynolds
Fee: $120

Advanced Acting: Scene Study
Scene study is for students who have taken other acting classes or have had prior experience in theatre. Under the leadership of a professional actor, students will have the opportunity to work on scenes from plays in roles matching their age and type. Students will perform their scenes for a member of the Coterie Theatre artistic staff as an audition for the 2008 – 2009 Coterie season. In addition, class members will be considered for a position in the Coterie Master Class in Acting.

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: June 16-20
Grades: 5-6
Instructor: Tara Varney
Fee: $120

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: June 16-20
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Jason Reynolds
Fee: $120

Basics of Auditioning
Would you like to audition for plays in your school, church or community theatre? If you need help to understand what happens in auditions and how to best prepare for this experience, this Coterie class is for you! The instructor will help you find a monologue that matches your age and personality. Students will also practice “cold reading” (reading scenes from a play for which they are auditioning) skills: how to hold the script, listen, make eye contact and read with confidence. A member of the Coterie Theatre artistic staff will observe the student’s work during the week as an audition for the 2008 – 2009 Coterie season. (This means that you don’t have to wait in line for the Coterie’s “cattle call!”)

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: June 2-6
Grades: 4-6
Instructor: Ashlea Christopher
Fee: $120

Acting: Musical Theatre Skills
Perform showstoppers from Broadway’s biggest hits! We’ll use vocal and physical warm-ups, short scenes, songs, movement and dance to develop the skills needed for acting in musicals. You’ll spend the week being a triple threat: singing, dancing and acting at least one chorus song and dance number. Students in this class will also have the opportunity to polish 16 bars of a song that could be used for an audition.

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: June 16-20
Grades: 5-10
Instructor: Ray Ettinger
Fee: $120

Acting: Audition Lab
This unique Coterie class offers young actors an opportunity to polish their monologues for theatre auditions, class placement, college entrance and/or scholarship auditions. The instructor is a professional actor who will also help students explore new audition monologues that match their age, personality and individual audition needs. Students will develop successful strategies for cold readings, polish their audition pieces and learn how to prepare a professional resume. Jeff Church, Producing Artistic Director for the Coterie, will hold a special audition for the 2008 – 2009 season with class members during the week.

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: June 9-13
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Nathan Norcross
Fee: $120

Coterie Playwriting: Reaching the Write Minds
Find your voice as a playwright! This playwriting seminar is based on Coterie Producing Artistic Director Jeff Church’s acclaimed program that originated at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Students will learn to create settings, devise scenarios and build characters. Upon completion of this seminar with a Coterie professional playwright/facilitator, young playwrights will have devised a beginning scenario for a complete play and will have several fully written scenes. In addition, students in this class have the opportunity to be considered for a position in the Coterie’s nationally recognized Young Playwright’s Roundtable, facilitated by Jeff Church.

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: June 2-6
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Cristina Pippa
Fee: $120

Cristina Pippa is an award-winning playwright whose plays have been produced by the Hangar Theatre, Gallery Players, The Looking Glass Theatre, and Axial Theatre.

NEW! Theatre Education after High School: How to Prepare for College
This new Coterie class is just what high school thespians have been looking for! Your high school counselors can help you through the application process to any college, but they may not know how to help you decide which university or conservatory to attend, what the audition requirements mean or how to select material for the audition. Some of the benefits of this class include:
• A college guide to the performing arts
• An opportunity to talk to professional actors who have been through some of these undergraduate programs
• Selection and preparation of material for the college and scholarship audition

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: June 23-27
Grades: 10-12
Instructor: Nathan Norcross
Fee: $120

Performance Camp

Sion Showcase for Young Talent
Only students who have enrolled in a Coterie Theatre class in the 2008 Sion Summer Program have the opportunity to enroll in this unique performance class. Students will be cast in monologues, scenes and/or short plays and will spend one week in intensive scene study and rehearsal at the Sion Wornall campus. On Monday, June 30, students arrive at the Coterie (level one of Crown Center Shops) and rehearse at the Coterie for their evening showcase performance on the Coterie stage.

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: June 23 – 27 at NDS
AND
Noon-5:30 p.m. June 30 at the Coterie
Grades: 5 – 12
DIRECTOR: Nancy Marcy
Fee: $160

PERFORMANCE:
Sion Showcase for Young Talent
7:00 p.m., June 30
The Coterie Theatre,
Level One Crown Center Shops
Admission: Free and open to the public

Coterie Theatre Summer Camps at Pembroke Hill
Register only at Pembroke online.

Grade levels indicate incoming 2008-09 school year
Each child will receive one complimentary ticket to a Coterie performance

Theatre Exploration Classes

Folktales and Talking Beasts: Act the Stories
Folktales are great inspiration for creativity because there’s lots of action, humor, rhyme and repetition. Coterie actors and teaching artists are quite skilled at telling famous (and not-so-famous) folktales. Your job is to put the stories “on their feet” by acting them out! Become human and animal characters and objects, then use the actor’s tool of improvisation (or “let’s pretend”). We will also play fun-filled theatre games and explore how to make our folktales exciting using just our voice, body and a few creative props that we’ll make ourselves. On the final day of class we will invite our families to join us and experience highlights from our week.

Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Dates: June 2-6
Grades: 1-2
Instructor: Lisa Miller
Fee: $160

Animalia Gone Wild: Animal Yoga, Games and Stories
Animalia (celebrating its 20th anniversary) and Gone Wild (a 2007 Caldecott Honor Book) provide the springboard for creative movement, sounds, games, crafts and stories. We’ll start our day with animal yoga and other fun warm-up exercises, but after that every day will be different. Some of the things we’ll do:
• Create animal masks
• Act out stories for all the animals in our class
• Move with narrative pantomime
• Tell stories with puppets
• P.S. We’ll learn a lot about the wonderful animals in our world!
On the final day of class we will invite our families to join us and experience highlights from our week.

Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Dates: July 14-18
Grades: 1- 2
Instructor: Meghann Henry
Fee: $160

Acting Classes
•Any of the following Acting classes can be repeated from year to year•

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: June 2-6
Grades: 4-6
Instructor: Tara Varney
Fee: $160

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: June 9-13
Grades: 4-6
Instructor: Debra Washington
Fee: $160

Magical Scenes: Prince Caspian
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian provides a wealth of wonderful characters and situations for an aspiring young actor’s imagination and talent. Imagine acting the role of one of the Pevensie siblings, Prince Caspian, Reepicheep, Trufflehunter or Nikabrik! The book will come alive as we act out scenes taken directly from the book. This Coterie acting class is an introduction to the actor’s craft of developing a character and establishing relationships with other characters. We will also develop the technical skills of memorizing lines and understanding stage movement. The class will end with a special sharing of our scenes with family and friends.

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: July 7-11
Grades: 3-4
Instructor: Vanessa Severo
Fee: $160

Sideways Scenes from Sideways Stories
Young actors become characters in Louis Sachar’s popular Sideways Stories from Wayside School and act out scenes. Like the book, our scenes are filled with a marvelous combination of imagination and quirky humor! This Coterie acting class is an introduction to the actor’s craft of developing a character and establishing relationships with other characters. We will also develop the technical skills of memorizing lines and understanding stage movement. The class will end with a special sharing of our scenes with family and friends.

Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Dates: June 23-27
Grades: 3-4
Instructor: Vanessa Severo
Fee: $160

Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Dates: July 7-11
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Debra Washington
Fee: $160

Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Dates: June 16-20
Grades: 4-6
Instructor: Nathan Norcross
Fee: $160

Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Dates: July 21-25
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Nathan Norcross
Fee: $160

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: June 16-20
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Nathan Norcross
Fee: $160

Comedy on Your Feet
Do you love watching “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Don’t just watch – come join us and make it your turn to be funny! In this popular Coterie class, you will experience the wide-open world of improvisational games, performance art, and mental workouts to help you think quickly on your feet. The week will end with a special showcase for family and friends. Students will have the opportunity to be considered for a position in the Coterie Comedy Master Class and the performing troupe: Updog’s Special Friends, directed by comedian and actor Matt Rapport.

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: July 21 – 25
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Matt Rapport
Fee: $160

Cristina Pippa is an award-winning playwright whose plays have been produced by the Hangar Theatre, Gallery Players, The Looking Glass Theatre, and Axial Theatre.

Performance Camp

Pembroke Hill Summer School: The Monster Hunters
Enroll in this unique Coterie performance class and spend two weeks preparing for a wildly funny play, directed by Nancy Marcy that you will perform on the Coterie stage! You’ll also get to work with guest playwright Joshua Mikel – winner of the American College Theatre Festival playwriting competition. He’s a musician as well as a funny writer, so his play will have two musical numbers in it, to be choreographed by Ann McCroskey.

Here’s what Joshua says about his new comedy: “At the weekly meeting of The Monster-Ghost-Goblin-Demon-Dragon-Evil Wizard Hunters Club, the gang discovers that to talk the talk, they'd better walk the walk as monster hunters – they have been sought for employment by the terrified leader of The Secret Society of Girls Who Like to Make Bracelets Club. She has seen a real monster in their town Bumblewood. Truth be known, The Monster Hunters have never caught, seen, or even tried to hunt a monster, but must go on their first hunt ever. Let the hilarity begin!”

Through the Kennedy Center, playwright Joshua Mikel will be in residence with the Coterie to work on his comedy, The Monster Hunters. Joshua won the American College Theatre Festival playwriting competition with this very play!

Time: 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Dates: July 28–August 1 at PHS (lunch provided)
AND
Time: 9:00 a.m.– 3:30 p.m.
Dates: August 4 – 8 at the Coterie
Grades: 4 – 9
DIRECTOR: Nancy Marcy
Fee: $525

PERFORMANCES:
The Monster Hunters
7 p.m. August 7 & 8
The Coterie Theatre,
Level One Crown Center Shops
General Admission tickets $5.00

Coterie Theatre Summer Camps at Lee’s Summit
Legacy Park, 901 Bluestem Drive

Download summer registration form here

Grade levels indicate incoming 2008-09 school year
Each child will receive one complimentary ticket to a Coterie performance

Theatre Exploration Classes

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: June 23-27
Grades: 1- 3
Instructor: Lisa Miller
Fee: $120

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: July 21-25
Grades: 1-3
Instructor: Meghann Henry
Fee: $120

Acting Classes
•Any of the following Acting classes can be repeated from year to year•

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: June 23-27
Grades: 4-6
Instructor: Jason Reynolds
Fee: $120

Acting Up! (Intermediate Acting)
You’re not a beginning actor any more and you’re ready to take your acting experience to the next level. So – it’s time to “act up” in this intermediate acting class! We will play theatre games and do dramatic improvisation to have fun and to learn more about how to use the voice and body to create characters of all kinds. We will also use short scenes to further develop acting technique and stage presence.

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: July 28-August 1
Grades: 4-6
Instructor: Julia Moriarty
Fee: $120

Time: 9 a.m, - noon
Dates: August 4-8
Grades: 4-6
Instructor: Tara Varney
Fee: $120

Intermediate Acting
You’re not a beginning actor any more, so it’s time to take your acting experience to the next level! This intermediate acting class uses vocal and physical warm-ups, theatre games, advanced dramatic improvisation and short scenes to further develop acting technique and stage presence. All students will have the opportunity to audition for the 2008-2009 Coterie season with a member of the Coterie Theatre artistic staff.

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: July 21-25
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Meghann Henry
Fee: $120

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: August 4-8
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Julia Moriarty
Fee: $120

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: July 28-August 1
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Matt Rapport
Fee: $120

Performance Camp

Lee’s Summit at Legacy Park: How to Eat Like a Child
Enroll in this unique Coterie performance class and spend two weeks preparing for a delightfully funny musical that you will perform on the Coterie stage! How to Eat Like a Child (and other lessons in not being a grown-up) is a hilarious musical romp through the joys and sorrows of being a child. Performers give lessons in such secret subjects as how to beg for a dog, how to torture your sister, how to act after being sent to your room and how to laugh hysterically. The show will be performed at the Coterie on July 19!

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Dates: July 7–July 11 AND July 14–18
AND
Noon-5:30 p.m. July 19 at the Coterie
Grades: 4 – 9
DIRECTORS: Ray Ettinger and Michael Smith
Fee: $375

PERFORMANCE:
How to Eat Like a Child
7:00 p.m. Saturday, July 19
The Coterie Theatre,
Level One Crown Center Shops
General Admission tickets $5.00

Coterie Theatre Summer Camps at Liberty
Liberty Community Center 1600 S. Withers Road

Download summer registration form here

Grade levels indicate incoming 2008-09 school year
Each child will receive one complimentary ticket to a Coterie performance

Theatre Exploration Classes

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: July 21-25
Grades: 1- 3
Instructor: Lisa Miller
Fee: $110/$120

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: August 4-8
Grades: 1- 3
Instructor: Meghann Henry
Fee: $110/$120

Acting Classes
•Any of the following Acting classes can be repeated from year to year•

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: July 21-25
Grades: 4-6
Instructor: Julia Moriarty
Fee: $110/$120

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: July 28-August 1
Grades: 4-6
Instructor: Vanessa Severo
Fee: $110/$120

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: July 21-25
Grades: 3-4
Instructor: Vanessa Severo
Fee: $110/$120

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: July 28-August 1
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Meghann Henry
Fee: $110/$120

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: August 4-8
Grades: 4-6
Instructor: Meghann Henry
Fee: $110/$120

Time: 9 a.m.-Noon
Dates: August 4-8
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Nathan Norcross
Fee: $110/$120

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: July 21-25
Grades: 5-10
Instructor: Nathan Norcross
Fee: $110/$120

Time: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Dates: July 28-August 1
Grades: 5-10
Instructor: Ray Ettinger
Fee: $110/$120

Comedy on Your Feet
Do you love watching “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Don’t just watch – come join us and make it your turn to be funny! In this popular Coterie class, you will experience the wide-open world of improvisational games, performance art, and mental workouts to help you think quickly on your feet. The week will end with a special showcase for family and friends. Students will have the opportunity to be considered for a position in the Coterie Comedy Master Class and the performing troupe: Updog’s Special Friends, directed by comedian and actor Matt Rapport.

Time: 12:30-3:30
Dates: August 4-8
Grades: 7-12
Instructor: Matt Rapport
Fee: $110/$120

Ready to get caught in the act with the Coterie?

To register for classes offered at Sion, Liberty or Lee's Summit click here

General Information and Policies about our Summer Classes