MPN Summer Classes
Do something fun & different this summer.
Take an inspiring class at the HAT!
ACTING — DIRECTING — CREATIVE WRITING
Get into the Act
Instructor: Bailey Osborne
4 sessions: June 5, 12, 19, 26, 2023: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm (Mondays)
Student Fee: $125
Course description: Experience the basic principles of acting. Work with the instructor and fellow classmates to develop confidence in acting and communication skills. You’ll use your imagination in scenes and simple improvisations and practice techniques that ensure clear delivery and projection.
Meet the Instructor—BAILEY OSBORNE: Originally from Spokane, WA, Bailey Osborne has been performing in Helena since 2014. She graduated from Carroll College in 2019 with a BA in Theatre and Elementary Education. She currently teaches at Helena Middle School and runs the Carroll College Improv Group. With her combined experience (and lifelong love) of teaching and acting, Bailey hopes to make a difference in the Helena theatrical community.
Adult Acting Class Series at the HAT!
Ages 16 and up. Each acting course is limited to 12 students. No experience necessary.
The Actor in Character
Instructor: Bruce Hall
4 sessions: June 27, July 11, 18, 25, 2023: 6:30 – 8:30 pm (Tuesdays)
Student Fee: $125
Course description: This course will focus on the fundamentals of acting, through exploration of self in relation to character. Using monologues and two-person scenes, the actor will explore how to identify and personalize a character’s driving need (objective) and engage themselves in its active pursuit.
Meet the Instructor—BRUCE HALL: Bruce is a theatre director and educator with an MFA in Acting from Yale University, a BA in Drama from the University of Montana, and an MA in Psychology from Antioch. He has taught Drama and Music in Seattle schools for twenty years and has produced works as a director, writer, and composer for regional theaters and Broadway. Bruce has directed for The Yale Cabaret, Cornish College of the Arts, Santa Monica College, and Montana Repertory Theatre. He was Artistic Director of The Virginia City Players and founded The Brewery Follies. He is also a playwright whose works have been produced by Seattle Children’s Theatre, Minneapolis Children’s Theatre, Pittsburgh Playhouse, and Seattle Repertory Theatre.
Playwriting and Directing Classes at the HAT!
Ages 16 and up. Each acting course is limited to 10 students. No experience necessary.
Write Now!
Instructor: Pamela Jamruszka Mencher
4 sessions: June 6, 13, 20, 27, 2023 6:30 – 8:30 pm: (Tuesdays)
Student Fee: $125
Course description: Create compelling plays & stories through inspiring creative writing exercises. Class activities focus on student interest in developing short stories for readers and storytellers, as well as writing plays and scripts for live theatre and film.
Meet the Instructor—PAMELA JAMRUSZKA MENCHER: Pamela has been directing plays in educational and professional theatres throughout the Rocky Mountain West and Wisconsin since 1978. She earned a BA in Theatre Arts, English & Speech Communications from Montana State University, and an MFA in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Pamela’s professional careers include professor emeritus of theatre, arts administration, and arts advocacy, as well as producer, playwright, lighting and costume designer. Educational specialties include acting, directing, playwriting, costume design, theatre production, creative writing and theatre history. Currently, Pamela serves as the President of the Montana Playwrights Network, and Executive Director of the Helena Avenue Theatre in Helena, MT.
Directing for Live Theatre
Instructor: Pamela Jamruszka Mencher
4 sessions: July 10, 17, 24, 31, 2023: 6:30 – 8:30 pm: (Mondays)
Student Fee: $125
Course description: Explore techniques for directing plays and working with actors for live theatre. This course explores directing practices and offers hands-on exercises to learn methods of guiding actors to create characters based upon clues discovered through script analyses and rehearsals.
Meet the Instructor—PAMELA JAMRUSZKA MENCHER: Pamela has been directing plays in educational and professional theatres throughout the Rocky Mountain West and Wisconsin since 1978. She earned a BA in Theatre Arts, English & Speech Communications from Montana State University, and an MFA in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Pamela’s professional careers include professor emeritus of theatre, arts administration, and arts advocacy, as well as producer, playwright, lighting and costume designer. Educational specialties include acting, directing, playwriting, costume design, theatre production, creative writing and theatre history. Currently, Pamela serves as the President of the Montana Playwrights Network, and Executive Director of the Helena Avenue Theatre in Helena, MT.