OSU Outreach to offer "Acting Basics"
Monday, July 7, 2014
OSU Outreach offers ‘Acting Basics’ series at Stillwater Public Library
OSU Arts and Sciences Outreach, in partnership with the Stillwater Public Library, is offering “Acting Basics” for budding thespians and anyone who would like to become more comfortable in front of an audience. The six-session course, which will meet at the library each Tuesday evening from Aug.26-Sept. 30, will be taught by local actor and director Shane O’Mealey. Get a discount on the course fee if you register before August 19.
“This course is an exciting mix of discussion, activities, games, lectures and practice with your colleagues,” said O’Mealey. “It offers a supportive environment to work out some of your fears or inhibitions about acting in front of others.”
The classes, held from 6:30-8 p.m., address everything from learning lines and analyzing characters to finding ways to eliminate stage fright. Specific classes include:
•Aug. 26 - “Nuts and Bolts.” What is acting? Learn basic stage and acting terms, suspending the audience’s belief and using imagination when reading a script.
•Sept. 2 - “Prepare to Act.” Learn warm-up techniques, projecting on stage, listening and relating to fellow performers, memorizing lines, bad habits to avoid and staying in character.
•Sept. 9 - “What’s My Motivation?” Learn to define a character’s traits and emotions.
•Sept. 16 - “Deep Thought.” Learn modern acting techniques and how to analyze what is behind the lines.
•Sept. 23 - “Stage Fright.” Learn relaxation and breathing techniques and how to deal with mistakes.
•Sept. 30 - “At Rise.” Students will perform a short scene using the techniques they have learned and begin to develop their own acting technique.
“Whether you're new to acting or you've been doing it for years, there will be something for everyone to learn,” said O’Mealey.
O’Mealey has appeared onstage in 17 theater productions and has directed two. Some of his portrayals include Chris Keller in “All My Sons,” Scarecrow/Hunk in “The Wizard of Oz” and Sherlock Holmes in “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” He was both the playwright and director of “Strange Times in Sacred Oaks,” and has written two other plays.
O’Mealey is a past president of Town & Gown Theatre (2007-2009) and a former member of the Town & Gown board of directors (2006-2009). He has been a member of OSU Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers and is currently a member of the Stillwater Chamber Singers.
“Acting Basics” is a non-credit course open to the community. The course fee is $89 for students who enroll prior by Aug. 19, and $109 thereafter. To register, go online to the OSU Marketplace at http://bit.ly/1gUmDBO or call (405) 744-8459.
For more information, please email Christine Nichols at christine.nichols@okstate.edu.
Stillwater Public Library is located at 1107 S. Duck St. (the corner of Duck and 12th Ave.). Library hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visit the library online at http://library.stillwater.org.