Teatro Mayo is proud to offer the newly-developed Creative Scriptwriting/Improvisation Workshop with playwright/photographer/artist Isaac Hernández, in Santa Barbara, this summer, for kids 10-14 years old, starting the week of June 7, from 9 am to 1:30 pm.
Improvisation and creative writing have many things in common. In our workshop, children apply what they learn from one into the other, and viceversa, while playing improvisation and writing games, just like we did for The End of Rainbows play. During the course, we will also draw, make masks and work on storyboards.
The kids craft their own original plays and skits, which they performed at the end of each week, featuring the masks the children made. We videotape the performances for the kids to take home their creation, posting on YouTube and social media sites, and sharing it with family.
Workshops will be offered from June 6 to July 8. In order to accomodate kids with different schedules and budgets, we have designed the workshop in a way that kids could join for any of the weeks, or all five.
The format is kept the same each week, but the projects are completely fresh, allowing children to join the workshops for any or all of the weeks. Kids that are joining the workshop for more than one week will build upon the writing they have done the previous week/s. The more time they have to dedicate, the more fantastic of a project they can create (or they can start a new one). It’s about the process: that’s where the fun is!
Tuition is $149 per kid per week. Scholarships are available. Children interested in doing all five weeks receive a 10% discount. We also offer discounts to families with more than one sibling in the workshop.
Outline for a typical week
Monday and Tuesday: We play a number of fun writing and improvisation games, and make masks. During this process, the children write their own skits. If a child is joining the workshop for more than one week, they can add their new writing to the previous work to develop a longer piece. The kids will also make their own masks that they can use during the improvisation sessions. We will also play painting games to practice not being attached to the result.
Wednesday and Thursday: The children are directed to put their skits together as a play. Working in small teams, they rehearse and combine their skits as needed. We continue to play improvisation games.
Friday: Each team performs a dress rehearsal, and a final mini-play. Parents are welcome. We will videotape each performance for the kids to take home with them.
To Register
We are taking reservations now, with a 25% deposit. We expect the courses to fill very quickly. Please email Isaac at isaacarte@gmail.com for more information and to reserve your space. Please indicate in which week/s you’re interested in.
Week 1. June 6-10
Week 2. June 13-17
Week 3. June 20-24
Week 4. June 27-July 1
Week 5. July 4-8
Depending on demand, we may offer a workshop for Week 6, July 10-14.
Let’s play!
Isaac,
Where are we meeting tomorrow?
Yasmin Gomm