Want to learn to act? The San Gabriel Library may have a workshop just for you.
“Play in a Day is a free workshop that we’re offering to teens from 12 to 17,” said Fiona Reimers, an adult/teen librarian for the San Gabriel Library. “Participants will receive guidance in acting, improvisation and using their bodies to express their creativity.”
In the span of just four hours, volunteers will be able to work with other teens to create a narrative from scratch and to act out a spontaneous scene. Their goal? To create and showcase a play at the Mission Playhouse.
A mighty task indeed.
While participants will learn about acting and story-telling, the workshop’s real goal is to help teens refine their public speaking skills and build the tools necessary for successful team-work. To help build these toolsets, the workshop will be led by actor Whitney Rydbeck. “Whitney was a long-time teacher at Pasadena City College, and he’s had an impressive acting career,” Reimers said. “He’s appeared in over 50 television and motion-picture titles, including Scrubs, 7th Heaven and Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
With a background in acting, Rydbeck will be instructing participants on how to build a story from scratch in a short amount of time. The class will also involve lessons on how to engage in improvisation from a professional actor. Once these fundamentals have been taught, the workshop will culminate in a performance at the Mission Playhouse, where the participant’s friends and family – as well as members of the public – are invited to attend.
“You don’t need to have any experience. This program will be building the basics, and it’s available for anyone who is curious at improvisation or acting,” Reimers said.
The workshop will be held on January 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Space is limited, so be sure to register with Fiona Reimers at 626.287.0761 or via email at freimers@library.lacounty.gov. Click here to learn more.