Plaza Branch Hosts Young Actors Workshop for Budding Thespians

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

 

Kids in costumes and a teacher during a theater class

The Young Actors Workshop at the Plaza Branch was launched over a decade ago as part of the annual Summer Reading Program at the Library.  

“The intent was just to provide an opportunity for kids to experience something that they may not be able to otherwise," says Julia Kingsbury, Plaza youth services manager. “For some, drama classes are out of reach financially. This is just another service that the Library can provide.” 

The workshop – for toddlers through teens –returns July 8-12. The classes are free, but space is limited and an RSVP is required. For children ages 3-7, sign up here; for ages 7-11, sign up here; and for ages 11-18, sign up here. 

Theater instructor John Mulvey teaches the three daily classes ranging from 30 to 90 minutes, and each session takes place on the Truman Forum stage.

"I think that's really important to get them more in tune with their body and their voice and their imagination, the three tools I work with that don't cost a dime," he says, "you know, we're all born with it."

Mulvey, an actor, teacher, and director, has worked with Theatre for Young America for three decades. He also leads workshops and teaches classes with Kansas City Young Audiences and the Community School of the Arts. 

Kingsbury says Mulvey's workshop at the Library provides a low-commitment exposure to theater, which “may spark a great interest.” 

“John’s had kids start in his little kids’ class and go up through it and they are majoring in theater in college now,” she says.  

Here are a few more details about the three sessions for ages 3 to 18:  

Director, at left, and a group of kids on stage.
  • Ages 3-7: 10:30 a.m.-11 a.m. (30 minutes). The youngest kids focus on creative movement. Mulvey tells a story, and the children act out the roles. “They just warm up their bodies and their voices and pretend – if you were a frog on the moon, what would that look like?,” asks Kingsbury. "Just kind of silly little things like that that get them playing and engaged.”  

  • Ages 7-11: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (60 minutes). School-age kids are encouraged to tell stories from the stage. “They’re going to do more with stage directions,” she says. “They have more lines that they deliver in more of a role. Acting like it’s a school play they’ve just put together in a couple of days.” 
  • Ages 11-18: 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (90 minutes). The teenagers will perform improv games like a comedy club or the game show, Whose Line is it Anyway?  “You are going to see some of the same games that these teens get to experiment with,” says Kingsbury. “It’s imaginative and funny and the kids just get to explore that silly sense of humor.” 

Kingsbury says each year she’s impressed by the skills the children and teens gain in a short amount of time – from thinking quickly on their feet to public speaking.  

“One of the girls was just terrified of being on stage,” she recalls of a 3-year-old. “And by the end of the session, she was not only on stage confidently participating, but she had the big closing line and shouted out her line very loud and proud.”  

She adds, “And just the confidence she got from that was really remarkable.”  

"For many, it is their first time on a stage – and hopefully it can be memorable," says Mulvey. "That's really what this is all about."

The public is invited to the finale on July 12 at 6 p.m.