Playhouse Arts offers youth workshops in creative theater-making with a variety of focuses including mask, puppetry, pageant performance, clowning, and more.
Our workshops range from ages 5-18 and take place in the spring and summer.
Our goal is to host an inclusive space for students to explore what is means to be a creator. Participants are able to move through classes that are focused on physical movement, craft and collaboration.
Upcoming workshops are listed below!
Cirque 2023
SPRING BREAK CAMP
April 10th-14th
Ages 6-8
Class Name: Creation
Teacher Name: Krupa
Time: 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM
In the morning class, we will be studying storytelling and drama. We’ll be analyzing story structure and using popular real-life examples in media to break down the fundamental
elements of the process of telling a story. We will talk about the primary roles in a theatrical production, with a focus on the actor. We’ll discuss genre and decide as a class what kind of performances we want to put on. The majority of the week will entail discussing the foundations of acting and what it means to bring a character to life. The morning class will usually involve acting exercises that explore voice, physicality, emotional recall, and how to do character work.
Class Name: Performance
Teacher Name: Krupa
Time: 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM
The afternoon class will involve putting the skills we learn to practice. At the start of the week, we will be assigning roles from a collection of scenes and monologues. Over the course of the workshop, students will learn how to break down their piece and create a character and world using the material they’re given. Most importantly, students will learn what kind of
questions to ask themselves in order to tell a meaningful story. We’ll be asking “Why does this character behave this way?”, “How does the current situation affect them?”, “What are their
motivations and goals?” and then exploring answers together. Students will understand the responsibility of portraying another person and how to make that character their own. An exploration of other people, real or not, is encouraged. At the core, this workshop aims to nurture a curiosity in students about the world around them and the potential and part they play
in sharing meaningful stories and experiences.
Ages 9-12
Class Name: Creation
Teacher Name: Cindy Marcus
Time: 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM
In this class, Disney and Star Trek writer, Cindy Marcus, will lead creators through an exciting story creation process!
Class Name: Performance
Teacher Name: Cindy Marcus
Time: 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Screenwriter Cindy Marcus will teach performers acting & comedy techniques while they rehearse for the Cirque du Shwazee!
Final Performance CIRQUE DU SHWAZEE
Friday, March 14th at 6PM
Meet the teaching team!
KRUPA : Age 6-8 Teacher
is a 24 year old starting out in the film industry in Los Angeles, California. She majored in Cinema and Media Studies and minored in Songwriting at the University of Southern California, where she graduated in 2021. Before that, she attended high school at the Performing Arts Academy in New Jersey as an acting major and song/dance minor. Over the last decade, she has performed in a number of stage productions and directed theater and film alike.
HALEY DAVIS – Administrator is a teaching artist in Humboldt County. They work for the Arcata Playhouse, the Morris Graves Museum and the Humboldt County Office of Education. Haley specializes in observational drawing, mask-making, shadow puppetry, arts integration and social emotional learning.
CINDY MARCUS : Age 9-12 Teacher brings a wealth of experience to the English Language Arts courses she teaches for iLEAD Online.
As a professional writer, she has partnered with her husband on many projects, including Disney’s Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (they created the characters Kovu and Kiara), Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. They have also published over four dozen plays and three nonfiction books.
NOËL AUGUST – Workshop Director is a single mother of 5, performance artist, show producer, choreographer, activist, and magic wielder. Noel lives in the Redwoods where Noel is the office manager for a theater. Noel homeschools children, and participates heavily in the local community.
LAURA MUÑOZ – Cirque de Shwazee Director is a Hispanic-Spanish dance and theater artist, somatics practitioner and educator.
She is also a community organizer, bringing people together through the arts. As an arts instigator, she feels strongly about the public space being public for all, a public space without marginalized communities.
Wonder Wagon
Coming to you in multiple locations throughout Humboldt County.
The Playhouse Wonder Wagon travels to local elementary school parking lots and community centers to deliver art packets with information about music, dance, and craft to hubs around Northern Humboldt.