Be the star of your own show

Think it is too late to fulfill that lifelong dream? Well with the coming of the new year we are encouraged to revisit those past goals and aspirations and seek them out - that it is never too late.

There are many opportunities in the arts community to try acting. Classes are offered to adults by KAS and Bumbershoot Children’s Theatre and acting for film workshops are also being held through organizations such as OSIF.

(Photo: Bonnie Gratz)

Kendra Hesketh in 'BINGO!'

The organization I run, New Vintage Theatre, has been offering Adult Acting Classes since August of 2012. Our instructors are all professional directors and actors themselves and have a lot of experience as teachers as well. That is what makes our program so strong-you can work with people that could potentially cast you in a New Vintage play, improvised soap opera or TV show that we are directing. Since our mandate is to pay all of the artists, interns included, who work on our professional shows, who knows, maybe you might even end up working with us someday. Our classes are Acting for Adults - a workshop class, Improvisation For The Stage/Screen - to learn the techniques of long form improv that we use in our soap opera and Acting Intensive - where you get to do a full play in the spring. This session's actor/directors are Matt Brown (The Woman in Black, The Bone House), Angela Lavender (Five Women Wearing The Same Dress) and me (BINGO!, Confessions of A Paperboy & A Christmas Carol). Classes are fun, friendly and for all ability levels.

Another cool opportunity our theatre company fosters is to write a play or screenplay through our Playwright’s Hot House program. Starting in January each Tuesday evening prospective playwrights will work with me on developing their writing into a play or screenplay. We workshop the writing each week with an eye to March when the writing will be staged with the help of New Vintage Company actors. The final class is a public reading of the work. This will be the third year of the Playwrights Hot House and I am proud to say it has yielded six full plays and one screenplay as well as many other works in various stages of development. As a Playwright’s Guild of Canada Member and a Member of LMDA-Literary and Dramatic Dramaturges of America it is my great pleasure to guide writers through this exciting and challenging process. This year is particularly exciting as well will be working in the opportunity for playwrights to be part of two local playwriting contests developed by New Vintage Theatre. More on that coming soon!

(Photo: Bonnie Gratz)

'For You Play' Reading - Actors Graham Daley, Thomas Fournier, Dana Murphy, Ashley Plomp and Brock Gratz with playwright Kim Fournier.

So what are you waiting for? If you have always dreamed of writing a movie, play or being in one there is ample opportunity right here in Kelowna. Stand up and start! Make 2015 the year you do it.

For more information on New Vintage Theatre’s classes, check out www.newvintage.ca , email [email protected] or call 778-214-1456

Kelowna’s Actors Studio website is www.kelownaactorsstudio.com

Bumbershoot Children’s Theatre website is www.bumbershoottheatre.com

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.