Majestic Education Announces the Launch of New Curriculum and Classes Starting April 2nd- June 7th at The Majestic Theatre.
Following on the huge success of A Thousand Cranes, Majestic Education is proud to announce the launch of a new series of classes and curriculum for kids and teens beginning this Spring.
The inaugural session will run April 2nd-June 7th, for Ages 1-19. Intrinsic to the Majestic Education mission is that its performance season and education programs combine to create a unique artistic and learning experience that complements student development by using the performing arts. Majestic Education presentations inspire students of all ages to explore their imaginations and the world around them; while using the best practices in the field of arts education. All skill levels welcome! Spring Session Classes will culminate in a showcase of the student’s work on the last day of classes.
Majestic Education is designed to encourage confidence, creativity, and communication skills amongst kids and teens within the Linn-Benton community. Guided through dynamic studio-style programs, students investigate their interests and challenge their potential. From exploration to application, students are able to see the world through the diverse lens of the performing arts.
Signing Up & Participation Fee
Per Child, Per Class, Participation Fee: $165 (sibling discounts & scholarships available). Please fill out one Registration Form per participant, but one check is fine for multiple participants from the same family. Payment is to be included with Registration Form.
Sing, Groove, Bust a Move! Class is an $85 participation fee, due to the class being shorter.
Please sign up for classes by filling out a Registration Form, available at the theater during business hours (Tuesday- Friday 12:00-5:00), or by printing out the Registration Form below. Registration Form plus payment can be dropped off at The Business Office of The Majestic Theatre during business hours. Email questions and concerns to Education Coordinator, Willow Norton: willow@majestic.org or 541-758-7827.
Class Descriptions:
Playmaking- SUPER HEROS- All Levels
Monday: 4:00 – 5:15
Ages: 6-8, (Brave 5 year olds, and leader 9 year olds welcome)
Instructor: Willow Norton
The world of Super heroes comes to life in this exciting and creative class. Bring your imagination and be ready to become Storm, Wolverine, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman or even a Green Lantern. Each week we will explore a super hero origin story and turn it into a play. We will be breaking down the core structure of storytelling (beginning, middle, and end), creating new subplots, and transporting the class to worlds beyond.
The final stage of the class is to have students pick their favorite story to share with their family and friends in a performance. After the story is selected, students work to illustrate the world and characters through drawings and images that make a gallery of their chosen story. This culmination of performance and show- and- tell gives each student a way to showcase their interests and imagination.
Original Works- Teens Ensemble Theater
Monday: 5:15 – 7:00
Ages: 13-19
Instructor: Willow Norton
This is a performing, writing, and ensemble generating class. The class is part acting and movement exercises to get the brain and body open and responding imaginatively, and part writing to explore the ideas and questions of young people today. Students will be writing, revising, and performing scenes and monologues that they have created around subjects that are important to them.
This class promotes literacy, creativity, problem solving, academic skills, motivation, and self-empowerment for students with varying backgrounds and abilities. Students invest in their own stories, get excited about the playwrighting process and assume ownership of their writing. When students write plays about their lives, they are given a new language to express themselves, and a dialogue with their peers.
Sing, Groove, Bust a Move!
Tuesday: 12:00pm – 12:45pm
Ages: 18-36 months, with care giver.
Instructor: Victoria Wills
This is a fun energetic and creative mix of grooving and singing in a carefully structured class. Caregiver and child share in the joys of exploring music and movement in this class which flows from an inviting warm-up into invigorating opportunities for voice, music making and dance and reuniting in a closure activity. We’ll discover songs, rhythm games, body percussion, creative movement, fun stretches and jam together!
Sing, Groove, Bust a Move!
Tuesday 1:00-1:45
Ages: 3-5 years, with care giver.
Instructor: Victoria Wills
This is a fun energetic and creative mix of grooving and singing in a carefully structured class. Caregiver and child share in the joys of exploring music and movement in this class which flows from an inviting warm-up into invigorating opportunities for voice, music making and dance and reuniting in a closure activity. We’ll discover songs, rhythm games, body percussion, creative movement, fun stretches and jam together!
Dance Explosion- All Levels
Tuesday: 2:15 – 3:15
Ages: 6-8
Instructor: Victoria Wills
Engage your child in the satisfaction of creative movement in its true form. Students explore and create though movement as they learn about the elements of dance. Fundamentals of healthy alignment, composition, the joy of dance and fun are all put to use as we expand our vocabulary of movement choices and creative pathways; build creative reasoning skills and stay fit! This class culminates
with an informal performance created by the students.
Standard Acting- All Levels
Tuesday: 4:00 – 5:30
Ages: 13-19
Instructor: Willow Norton
Scene work and script analysis is a staple of theater training. Practice an exciting and challenging technique that relies on observation and physicality in creating multi-dimensional characters. Learn how to connect with your audience and other performers as you work moment to moment on scenes with partners from the class.
Part theater games, part scene work, and a lot of fun. This is the perfect class for the new or advanced performer that wants to audition for the next school play or to polish those already existing skill sets.
Story Dramatization
Wednesday: 1:00 – 2:30
Ages: 9-14
Instructor: Victoria Wills
Immerse your child in the art of theater as we use dramatization as a creative pathway to explore fascinating subjects ranging from Folk tales to life sciences. Favorite subjects will be dramatized as a fun and effective way to facilitate learning and love of theater for every student. This class culminates with an informal performance created by the students. We’ll be busy with a warm-up of creative movement games and theater games.
Dramatization strategies are learned to bring our subject to the stage. Storytelling, tableaux to create a still scene with a group, development of narrative to accompany the tableaux, and reflection for students to learn to engage in the constructive feedback processes. This class makes all participants comfortable, as it uses multiple creative approaches to learning. Students see that a story can be created in a detailed way without paper and pencil and with lots of moving around.
The Joy of Music- All Levels
Wednesday: 4:00 – 5:25
Ages: 6-8
Instructor: Erin Cross
The Joy of Music is based on the philosophy that all children are innately musical and cooperative. When children are inspired and honored in an environment where beautiful things are being created a sense of belonging will occur naturally. The Joy of Music is a safe circle in which all children are encouraged to grow and learn. The class involves singing as a group, supportive solo opportunities, creative movement and dance, interactive musical theory, and dramatic play and rhythm work with instruments from around the world.
The Joy of Music- All Levels
Wednesday: 5:30 – 6:55
Ages: 9-12
Instructor: Erin Cross
The Joy of Music is based on the philosophy that all children are innately musical and cooperative. When children are inspired and honored in an environment where beautiful things are being created a sense of belonging will occur naturally. The Joy of Music is a safe circle in which all children are encouraged to grow and learn. The class involves singing as a group, supportive solo opportunities, creative movement and dance, interactive musical theory, and dramatic play and rhythm work with instruments from around the world.
Dramatic Play- Fairy Tales- All Levels
Thursday: 3:30 – 4:25
Ages: 6-8
Instructor: Cindy Preece
Come explore the creative land of imagination! Build a castle or a cave, fight dragons, prowl through jungles – the possibilities are endless! Children use costume pieces and props to act out stories told by the teacher. They also practice listening and working together while building communication, confidence and problem-solving skills. As their confidence grows, children begin to improvise dialogue and elements of the story, all while having a great time. The final class of the session will be a story showcase for family and friends.
Dramatic Play- Choose Your Own Adventure- All Levels
Thursday: 4:30 – 5:25
Ages: 9-13
Instructor: Cindy Preece
Let your imagination soar! Students use drama techniques to bring both original and teacher-led stories to life as they learn about the key elements of a story and the hero myth construct. Using costume pieces and props, they can build worlds where dragons rescue knights, the littlest guy always wins or the moon can be touched in a single jump. The students practice listening and working together while building communication, confidence and problem-solving skills. In this collaborative environment, students learn to express their ideas and to respect the ideas of others. The final class will be a showcase for family and friends.
Majestic Education Teaching Artists
WILLOW NORTON is a Director and Teacher focused on new work development. Recent directing projects include; A Thousand Cranes for The Majestic Theatre (OR), S.H.A.V.E.D. at HERE Arts Center (NY) and The Philly Fringe (PA), Instructions Included for The Midtown International Festival (NY), REACH for At Hand Theatre Company (NY), School House Rock for ACE Academy (OR), In the Way for Philadelphia Young Playwrights (PA), and POP in the Night for At Hand Theatre Company (NY). Assistant Directing for THE UNDERSTUDY by Theresa Rebeck at The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, Continuous City for The Builders Association at The Kitchen & St. Ann’s Warehouse (NY), Dreams of Friendly Aliens for Abingdon Theatre Company (NY), The Man at the Sea for Emerging Arts Theater Company(NY), and Henry V for Cornish College of the Arts (WA). As a Teaching Artist, Norton has worked at ACE Academy, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, Washington Academy of Performing Arts, Cornish College of the Arts, and Brooklyn Kids. She has also worked for Culture Project, 3101 Arts, and The Painted Bride.
ERIN CROSS is a full spectrum music teacher with over a decade of experience teaching in both public and private schools. She has the proven ability to create and arrange programs and productions for a variety of school and community events. Cross was the Music Director for Pinecrest School, Grades K – 6; Music Director for KidsArts in Venture, where she taught original music and art Summer camps for K – 6. Cross also taught music and arts classes at Bellevue Santa Fe Charter School, Santa Maria Montessori and Family Partnership Charter, and at the Gilroy Unified School District. Directing projects include The Lorax, The Great Kapok Tree, Fiddler on the Roof, and The Jungle Book. Cross was also awarded a 21st Century Grant for her after school music enrichment for the Gilroy Unified School District.
CINDY PREECE has been working in professional theatre since 1993. She holds a BA in Dramatic Arts from Centre College in Kentucky and a M. Ed from the University of North Texas. Ms. Preece has been teaching exciting and enriching drama classes to children of all ages for over twelve years. She was the co-founder and drama instructor for an award winning dramatic arts camp in Dallas, Texas. She taught classes and summer camps as an outreach drama instructor for Capers for Kids (Dallas, TX), and developed after school drama clubs for middle school students. Ms. Preece has also taught courses in stage management at the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas). She was the Resident Production Stage Manager at the Theatrical Outfit (Atlanta, Georgia) and Stage Manager for the Atlanta Opera’s touring education programs.
VICTORIA WILLS has enjoyed over twenty years as an experiential educator facilitating young people to enjoy learning while developing their own creativity. She excels at balancing planned activities with taking advantage of spontaneous teachable moments and letting the students influence the material. While her degrees are in both dance and environmental biology, her teaching specialties include both environmental education and the arts. Victoria’s teaching modalities apply interdisciplinary narrative art forms, (dance, drama, music, visual arts) to reach and motivate students of all learning styles and abilities. She likes to facilitate and transform the traditional classroom into a group of folks moving around, making things, and having fun learning.
