Registration is now open for Spring classes and performance opportunities at Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown. Spring 2021 at Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown holds an array of programs for students ages 3-20. Programs will run from April 10 - May 29th. Our in-person, socially distanced, covid-safe programs feature crafts, circus arts, improv, greek theater, acting, poetry, juggling, acrofit, contortion, and an outdoor performance! Most classes will be held on the Front Lawn of Middletown’s City Hall. For details, and more information, go to www.oddfellows.org, call (860) 347-6143, or email info@oddfellows.org.

CIRCUS SATURDAYS

The fun starts on Saturday April 10th with “Welcome to Circus” for ages 3-5 and “Circus 1” for ages 6-8. Both classes will be led by Maegan Fuller. 

“Welcome to Circus” offers participants the chance to have a blast tumbling and playing with scarves, ribbons, and other fun pieces of circus equipment for an exciting introduction to circus. These classes will run every Saturday from 10-10:45am. Tuition is $100. 

“Circus 1” gives participants the chance to have fun discovering their inner clown while learning how to manipulate different pieces of circus equipment including; flower sticks, diabolo, juggling, poi, and more! Classes run on Saturdays from 11am-12pm and Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30pm. Tuition is $120. 

AGES 6-8

Students ages 6-8 will have a ball with our selection of of classes such as “Cookie’s Crafts,” with Cookie Quinones,”Circus 1” with Maegan Fuller, “Tales from South America” with Nicki LaPorte, and “Creative Movement” with Sasha Biagiarelli

In “Cookie’s Crafts” all students will have the chance to create animals, flowers, fun jewelry, and others. Classes will be held on Mondays from 4:30-5:30. Tuition is $120. 

“Circus 1” gives participants the chance to have fun discovering their inner clown while learning how to manipulate different pieces of circus equipment including; flower sticks, diabolo, juggling, poi, and more! Classes run on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30pm and Saturdays from 11am-12pm. Tuition is $120. 

During “Tales from South America” students will hear stories from South America and create theater pieces from those stories. They will use their bodies, voices, and imaginations to explore the various characters in the stories. This class runs on Wednesdays from 4:30-5:30pm. Tuition is $120.

Get moving and grooving through “Creative Movement”! This class features fun movement and dance routines that are entertaining, engaging, and exciting! Exercises are designed to encourage expression and creativity through movement, and to promote team-building and body/spatial awareness. This class runs on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30pm. Tuition is $120. 

AGES 9-11:

For students ages 9-11 we have the following programs: “Intro to Acting” with Gianna DiMaiolo, “Circus 2” with Allison McDermott, “Yes, and…” with Diamond Wynn, and “Greek Theater” with Nicki LaPorte. 

“Intro to Acting” invites all young thespians to learn the basic concepts of acting through movement, song and theatre games. This class welcomes all sensationally serious and silly students— so let the games begin! This class runs on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30pm. Tuition is $120. 

“Circus 2” Juggling, plate spinning, hula hooping and more! This class runs on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30pm. Tuition is $120. 

Together we will discover the fundamentals of improvisational comedy, improve your storytelling skills, learn techniques to think quickly on your feet and to be more creative in “Yes, and..”. Wednesdays from 4:30-5:30pm. Tuition is $120. 

“Greek Theater” Students will work with Greek stories (myths) to create a short ensemble driven piece of theater. Classes run on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30pm. Tuition is $120

AGES 11-20:

For students ages 11-20, our Spring offerings include: “The Rhythm in Repetition” with Laugh Sanchez, “Circophony Spring Training” with Allison McDermott, “Contortion 1 & 2” with Naja Muller. 

In “The Rhythm in Repetition” students will learn how to add rhythm out of repeating lines of their poetry. It’s not about how much, but how often. We will be attempting masterpieces from the bare minimum of literature. This class runs on Wednesdays from 4:30-5:45pm. Tuition is $120.

“Circophony Spring Training” gives participants a chance to learn Acrobalance and fitness and Juggling + more for the price of one. Classes are Tuesdays - Acrofit runs from 5:30-6:30 and Juggling runs from 6:30-7:30pm. Tuition is $120 for one class or two for the price of one. 

“Contortion 1” will be held indoors at Oddfellows Playhouse. Spots are limited. Masks are required. Social distancing will be enforced. Take some time this spring to learn the limits of just how far your body and bend. Classes run on Fridays from 5-6:30pm. Tuition is $120. 

“Contortion 2” This invitation only class allows experienced students time to hone their skills. This class runs on Fridays from 3-5pm. Tuition is $120. 

TEEN REP:

Young people ages 13 - 20 who have successfully registered and auditioned in March are eligible for for the spring mainstage Teen Repertory Company production of Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Twilight: Los Angeles,1992,written by Anna Deavere Smith, is a multi-racial ensemble piece based on the Los Angeles riots following the Rodney King verdict in 1992. Rehearsals will begin March 29 and will be held on Mondays & Thursdays, 5 - 7 pm outdoors in Middletown. All rehearsals and performances will take place outdoors, with rehearsals held on Zoom in the case of bad weather.

Performances of Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 will take place May 20 - 22 and 27 - 29. Anyone interested in auditioning, or wanting more information, should contact the Playhouse at info@oddfellows.org or call (860) 347-6143.

Spring classes will begin April 10 and run for seven weeks, culminating in a Spring Festival/Share Day outdoors on Saturday, May 29. Most classes will take place on the front lawn of City Hall in Middletown and COVID protocols will be practiced in all classes.

For more information, or to register for any of the above classes, auditions or events, go to www.oddfellows.org, email info@oddfellows.org, or call (860) 347-6143. Financial aid is available for all tuition-based programs; it is Playhouse policy never to turn anyone away because of inability to pay.

Oddfellows Playhouse productions, classes and special events are made possible with the generous support of the Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; Middletown Commission on the Arts; The Fund for Greater Hartford; American Savings Foundation; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch (Youth Violence Prevention); Middletown Youth Services Bureau; Thomas J. Atkins Memorial Trust Fund; Middlesex United Way; CHEFA Cultural Relief Grant; New England Foundation for the Arts New England Arts Resilience Fund; Community Foundation of Middlesex County; Stare Family Fund; Evan Boyd Knoll Memorial Circus Fund; Community Development Block Grant; and many generous individual donors.

Spring classes and performance opportunities for kids range from circus, play writing and acting for teens to classes and performances for younger kids. Go to www.oddfellows.org for more info.

Petit Architect was born in 2017, with the mandate to make architecture more accessible to children and youth and inspire them to become educated citizens involved in their cities. Maia Tarassoff teaches fun, hands-on after-school programs and intervenes in schools, for all ages ranging from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Her curriculum is focused on sustainability, social impact and energy efficiency. In parallel, she continues to work as a passive house and interior designer.

Spruill Center for the Arts is offering a wide variety of youth programs to complement students’ remote learning this fall. To help provide hands-on learning experiences during a virtual learning fall semester. 

Fall Break Camps

Weekday Afternoon Art Classes

Wonderful Wednesday School Break Day Camp

Thanksgiving Break Camp

Weekend Art Classes

Creative Writing Workshops offer children of all ages avenues towards understanding and experiencing the creative writing processes. Personal essays, journaling, and storytelling compel students to take a chance and compose pieces that are salient to their perspective. Through prompts, the students write beyond the facts and chronicle events to create essays and storylines that are fun to write and a joy to read. The workshops include the editing and researching processes and review the value of kind critiques.  School author visits and professional development workshops are available live or through a virtual platform. 

 Four  Stories Served Around The Table Creative Writing Workshops are available NOW:

1. Becoming Daily Bread is an author presentation and reading of how Daily Bread came to be. Listening to stories and understanding the backdrop of place and time are key to weaving a compelling tale. Students are encouraged to participate and brainstorm stories.   
2. Journal On! A Writer’s Daily Workshop presents the value of daily journal practice for both students and teachers. Journal writing is a creative outlet. With practice, the written words paint the pictures and feel the emotions of the moments. Memories stir. Reflection reveals paths, solutions, and gratitude. Storytelling is born. Students are guided with prompts and strategies to create a means to fit journal writing into their day.
3. Writers Write Workshop presents the core of written storytelling. Compelling personal experience stories, tales told around the dinner table or in the cafeteria, and reminiscences of people who touched our lives all have a voice that draws a reader into the journey. Students have the opportunity to interview, write short narratives, employ editing tactics, and participate in a kind critiquing session.
4. Creative Writing With History Workshop takes students through the research process of writing historical fiction. Every major event has had a ripple effect on ordinary people and their stories. Finding and reading through interviews, articles, photographs, and maps are part of the process (and the fun). The styles of dress and hair and what people ate during a specific period provide the details that make a fictional story, in a period of time, believable. Students will brainstorm a premise during an era they are currently studying and use a template to guide their research.