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Act, Film, Write, Dance by Wenda Reed

I’ve been talking about doing it for years. This fall I’m finally going to take an acting class.
With the lazy days of summer behind us, I figure it’s the perfect time to take a class to stretch my creative muscles. Our region has a huge array of enticing arts programs, and here are several that might also whet your appetite for learning something fun and new.

Adult Showcase at Taproot Theatre
One of my favorite memories in high school was playing the psychotically manipulative Abigail in The Crucible. I dabbled in theater in college and have acted in a couple of plays for children at church. Consequently, I’m the perfect candidate for this performance class: a beginner with no professional training but with a desire to be on stage. Having talked about taking this acting class for several years, this fall I’m finally going to enroll.

Taproot’s adult acting classes have been offered since 1992. In the eight-week “Adult Showcase,” we’ll learn about character, pacing and direction as we rehearse for a one-act play. We’ll then perform it for friends and family on the main stage, with a reception afterward.

“It’s a safe environment to explore the craft of acting; the focus is really on encouraging performers,” says Sara Willy, Taproot’s education director. “It’s low-key and not stressful.” On the first day of class, students will share what they want to learn, and Taproot staff will pick a one-act play from their repertoire based on who turns up, so that everyone has a part. “We make it work with the people we have,” Willy says. There’s usually a wide range of ages enrolled.

When: Tuesdays, Oct. 5–Nov. 21, 7–10 p.m. Performance Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.
Where: Classes at Timberlake Church Ballard, 1460 NW 73rd Street, Seattle; dress rehearsal and performance at Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th Street, Seattle.
Cost: $360; partial scholarships available.
Also offered: Youth classes, Professional Actor Conservatory. Contact: 206-529-3668; www.taproottheatre.org.

Fundamentals of Filmmaking at Seattle Film Institute
As I researched this class I almost switched my fall plans to study filmmaking rather than acting, even though I have no experience with film.

“We don’t assume any previous experience; the only prerequisite is a passion for making films,” says Seattle Film Institute’s Communications Director Chris Blanchett about the eight-session introductory class. “We do everything to demystify the process, beginning with ‘This is how you hold the camera, and this is how you load it.’” Classes are open to all adults; the typical age range is 18 to early 40s, Blanchett says.

Students have a camera in hand on the second week, and produce a three-minute film and later a six- to nine-minute film on any subject they choose. They’ll write a script, create a story board, shoot their film, show it in class, transfer it to video and edit it on Final Cut Pro software.
Briana Chicha admits to feeling intimidated on the first day of class at the Seattle Film Institute, but soon found out she had no reason to be. She had experience in acting and being an extra on Hollywood sets, and had done a little video production in high school. “I’d always been drawn to films; I’d seen them made, but I didn’t know how to make them,” she says. “I had a lot of fear on my first day, but then I thought, classes are where you’re supposed to learn.” She found the accompanying textbook very easy to understand.

When: Thursdays, Oct. 14–Dec. 10 (no class Nov. 25), 7–10 p.m.
Where: Seattle Film Institute, 1709 23rd Avenue, Seattle.Cost: $545, includes textbook and use of cameras and equipment.
Other part-time classes for beginners with no prerequisites: “Introduction to Digital Video,” “Nuts and Bolts of Screenwriting,” “The Language of Film,” “Animation and Effects.”
Contact: 206-568-4387; www.seattlefilminstitute.com.

Creative Writing at Richard Hugo House
Here is another temptation for me: The 44 classes on Richard Hugo House’s fall schedule are enough to make anyone who loves writing drool. Students can explore anything from memoirs and travel writing to short stories, poems and screenplays, with forays into editing, inspiration from experimental films, interviewing and marketing.

Many of the six-week classes are great for beginners. Marketing and Program Manager Brian McGuigan recommends “Giving the Essay a Try,” “A Fish Hook An Open Eye: Creating Tension in Poetry,” “Roughing It: Write a Draft of Your Book in Just Six Weeks” and “Exploring the Esoteric: Borrowing from Everything to Write New Work.”

The word “essay” actually means “to try” says Wilson Diehl, a longtime Richard Hugo House teacher who will teach the essay class this fall. “There’s a wide range of abilities and comfort levels in my classes — usually one person applying for a Master of Fine Arts degree and some who’ve never taken a writing class,” she says. Age range is 18 to 80. In her recently completed summer class on memoirs, she had a student who had never shown her work to anyone else but gradually felt brave enough to share in her small group. “I do a lot of brainstorming activities in my classes, so that no one’s confronted with a blank page,” Diehl says.

Nicole Hardy will be teaching “Creating Tension in Poetry,” her first class at Richard Hugo House. “Students can expect a collegial, warm, student-centered environment where, like the old TV commercials used to say, reading is fun,” she says. “One of the cool things about ‘the House’ is its ‘come-one, come-all’ approach.”

When: Six-week classes meet Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays beginning Oct. 5–9 and ending Nov. 9–13; times vary.
Where: Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Avenue, Seattle.
Cost for six-week classes: $230 (members $207).
Also offered: Ten-week master classes, one-day classes.
Contact: 206-322-7030; www.hugohouse.org.

Classes at Velocity Dance Center
Velocity provides drop-in classes — designed for beginner, intermediate, advanced or “all level” dancers — so I decided to try a session of “Beginning Modern Dance.” I hadn’t done modern dance since high school, but it wasn’t difficult to fit in with the warm-up exercises and the initial movements following the enthusiastic encouragement of teacher Kristin Hapke. We had to know a few words, like “plié,” “relevé,” “first position” and “second position,” but it was easy to pick up. I had more trouble following the steps of the longer piece — it turned out this was the third class of a three-session series in preparation for a performance at the annual Strictly Seattle festival.

A live violinist accompanied the 20 women and one man in the class. Most participants were in the 20- to 30-year-old range, but a few of us were older. No one was in terrible shape, and some, like the teacher, were incredibly lithe and flexible. Still, Hapke emphasized that all are welcome in her modern and contemporary dance classes and don’t have to have prior experience. At the same time, there’s room to move up to more advanced classes when students are ready.

The “Beginning Ballet” classes, taught by Ricki Mason, are open to those with little or no ballet training. “It’s a perfect class for actors, social dancers, burlesque performers and people who think moving around to music is fun,” he writes in his class description.

When: Fall quarter begins in early September; daytime and evening classes are offered daily.
Where: 1621 12th Avenue, Seattle.
Cost: $10 for one-hour classes; $15 for 1.5 hour classes (most are this length).
Also offered: Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Bottom Heavy Funk, Hip-Hop, Body Rock, West African Dance and others.
Contact: 206-325-8773; www.velocitydancecenter.org.

Performance Ensembles at MusicWorks Northwest
Full disclosure: I don’t know a G from a C, off-key from on-key, so music lessons are not something I’d consider for myself. But if I were musical, this nonprofit community music school would be a great choice.

In the labyrinth of studios and performance spaces, beginning to advanced students of all ages can take private or semiprivate lessons in classical, jazz, rock or ethnic music on a wide range of instruments and in voice. Most of the group lessons are for children, but there’s a “Voice Class for Teens and Adults.”

Once older teens and adults have three years’ experience in any kind of music they can join one of nine performance ensembles, ranging from various jazz combos to the “Vivace Flute Choir” and the “Metallica Cello Band.” Ten-week sessions are held every quarter.

I watched a rehearsal of the “Brazilian Jazz Combo,” led by charismatic, internationally known musician Eduardo Mendonca. He led with a combination of demonstrations, vocalized beats, fascinating asides about Brazilian musicians and lots of collaboration and “noodling” with the four male and three female members of the combo.

Brandi Ledferd plays the vibraphone and has been a member of the ensemble for more than two years. She especially enjoys the fact that the group performs at malls, the Center House, correction centers and nursing homes. “If we don’t think we’re ready, Eduardo pushes us to get out there,” she says.

Lindsey Dabek joined the ensemble as a vocalist in February, saying she has always loved Brazilian music. She’s learned Portuguese to sing the lyrics.

When: Fall quarter for private lessons begins Aug. 30, but they can be scheduled to begin at any time; fall session performance ensembles begin in late September; various evening times.
Where: MusicWorks Northwest, 14360 SE Eastgate Way, Suite 102, Bellevue.
Cost: Private lessons, 30, 45 or 60 minutes, $38-$68/month; ensembles $230 for 10 weeks.
Contact: 425-644-0988; www.musicworksnw.org.

Other Enticing Programs

DANCE

American Dance Institute
8001 & 8007 Greenwood Ave N
206-783-0755
www.americandanceinstitute.com
Offers a full range of classes from ballet and jazz to hip-hop and Irish step dance.

Century Ballroom
915 E Pine Street
Seattle
206-324-7263
www.centuryballroom.com
Sign up alone or with a friend to learn East and West Coast swing, salsa, Argentine tango or Lindy hop.

eXit SPACE School of Dance
414 NE 72nd Street
Seattle
206-949-8643
www.exitspacedance.com
Classes include ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and hip-hop for students of all ages and levels.

ACTING

Freehold Theatre
2222 Second Avenue, Suite 200
206-323-7499
www.freeholdtheatre.org
Resettled in Belltown after the move from Odd Fellows Hall on Capitol Hill, this venerable organization offers classes, performances, workshops and guest artist programs.

Unexpected Productions’ Improv School
1428 Post Alley
Pike Place Market in Seattle
206-587-2414
www.unexpectedproductions.org
Whether you are looking to perform on stage or to hone your public presentation skills, you can expect to have fun at the largest school for improvisation in the Northwest.

MUSIC

Seattle Drum School
12510 15th Avenue NE
North Seattle
206-364-8815
1010 S Bailey
Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood
206-763-9700
www.seattledrumschool.com
Offers instruction for beginners and professionals in drums, guitar, bass and other instruments.

Music Works Northwest
14360 SE Eastgate Way, Suite 102
Bellevue
425-644-0988
www.musicworksnw.org
In addition to a strong youth program, this nonprofit school offers opportunities for adults in private and group lessons.

Wenda Reed is a Seattle-area writer and dabbler.

....Or make fine art

In Seattle, the art-addicted or art-curious are lucky. Not only are there places to pursue college art degrees, but there’s a wealth of nonprofit studio art schools where anyone at any level can make art. You can take one class and call it quits, or you can stay forever. Here are several schools to check out this fall if you’re looking for an outlet for your inner artist.

PRATT FINE ARTS CENTER
1902 S Main Street, Seattle
206-328-2200
www.pratt.org
Of the area’s nonprofit studio art centers, Pratt Fine Arts Center is the largest in scope and square footage. Situated in Seattle’s Central District since 1976, Pratt’s scruffy exterior belies its 15,000 square feet of studio space packed with some of the most sophisticated art equipment in the area. Students can blow glass, cast bronze, weld steel, carve stone, fabricate jewelry, create prints, and draw or paint.

GAGE ACADEMY OF ART
1501 10th Avenue E #101, Seattle
206-323-4243
www.GageAcademy.org
Walk into the Gage Academy and you’ll know you are someplace special. The hushed halls, paired with the school’s commitment to foundational instruction, create an almost monastic feel. At Gage, you can learn drawing, painting and sculpture, and while the emphasis is on realism, abstract art is equally respected.

PHOTOGRAPHIC CENTER NORTHWEST
900 12th Avenue, Seattle
206-720-7222
www.pcnw.org
Photographic Center Northwest is the only independent art school in our region dedicated entirely to photography. Just south of Capitol Hill, PCNW houses facilities equipped for both film and digital photography. Shooting studios, multiple darkrooms, a digital lab with a network of PCs and high-end printers, a viewing room with special lighting and even a library invite study, learning and exploration.

POTTERY NORTHWEST
226 1st Avenue N, Seattle
206-285-4421
SEWARD PARK CLAY STUDIO
5900 Lake Washington Blvd. S, Seattle
206-722-6342
www.sewardparkart.org
Clay is irresistible. Just try to walk by a hunk of wet clay without doing something — punching it, poking it, or grabbing a little wad and rolling it into a cold, wet ball. At both Pottery Northwest and Seward Park Clay Studio you can get your hands dirty — literally — and indulge your ceramic fantasies. At both studios you can learn to hand-build clay or “throw” it on a wheel to make anything from plates and bowls to full-sized figurative pieces and abstract sculptures. Artist-in-Residence programs afford students exposure to, and interaction with, artists on a professional track.

KIRKLAND ARTS CENTER
620 Market Street, Kirkland
425-822-7161
www.kirklandartscenter.org
Kirkland Arts Center offers over 250 introductory to advanced courses and workshops in ceramics, printmaking, drawing, painting, sculpture, glass and more. Housed in the oldest building in the City of Kirkland, this centrally located facility tenders natural light, views of Lake Washington, and all the charm and quirks of an old home. The center’s vibrant art gallery offers some of the most exciting contemporary art shows on the Eastside.

Adapted from “Making Room for Making Art” by Karen Rudd, originally published in Seattle Woman’s September 2007 issue. Click here to read the original article online,

©Copyright 2010, Caliope Publishing Company