A Theatre Near U

A Theatre Near U provides a higher standard of training and hands-on experience in theatre and filmic arts than can otherwise be found in our region. Other forms of artistic study, such as dance and music, have well-established, advanced programs for the most dedicated and passionate students under their tutelage. Oddly, we’ve found that that type of education for theatre and filmic arts students, a style of training that goes beyond standards-based education, is wanting and/or entirely absent in our community.

A Theatre Near U exists to fill that gap.

In order to achieve this we annually develop original pieces of full-length theatre, plays that are driven by the social and cultural issues many, if not most, teenagers encounter often. We present these plays at professional venues, and work hard to get them reviewed by legitimate members of the Bay Area’s critic’s circle. We strive to give our kids the experience of working in professional theatre in as many ways as we possibly can. We are not a “pay-to-play” children’s theatre company, rather, our acting troupe members are invited to participate at no cost to themselves or their families.

Our film academy training is patterned after the master art studios of the past. Before Picasso could become Picasso, he had to study and emulate the Masters that had preceded him. So rather than thrusting a camera into someone’s hands and saying, “go make a movie,” we gather excerpts from classic films (e.g. a scene between James Dean and Julie Harris in East of Eden), study them, and then try to copy them as closely, frame by frame, as we can. We believe that the technology of filmmaking always advances at warp speed and that, too often, young storytellers get caught up in the slickness of these improvements. We teach that the camera doesn’t create the story, the person behind the camera does. Learning and understanding how great filmmakers like Kurosawa, Hitchcock, Spielberg, Scorsese, and Lean control the pacing, movement, and shape of their films is an endless study, but one, once undertaken, that returns great dividends to the budding film artist.

The most successful form of entertainment in High School is the sports team. Enormous demands are placed upon student athletes. Pick any team sport and you’ll find that players are run through grueling exercises, are required to learn intricate plays, and are trained to work, work, work together until they can operate as a single unit. It is understood and expected that the best players will be given the most responsibilities, and it is accepted throughout our culture that some students won’t make the team at all.

A Theatre Near U patterns itself upon the qualities found in an elite sports program. We work with the best students, and we expect an all-out effort from those we work with.

Always.

A typical high school student’s theatre experience is a good one.

For a select few gifted students, however, the process of working over and over again with other kids who aren’t as dedicated and passionate about their craft, can be discouraging and enervating.

A Theatre Near U collects these gifted young artists from schools across the Bay Area and casts them together with other like-minded kids. We teach them that, given the right colleagues and challenges, they are capable of producing top-notch, professional grade film and theatre today, now, and that they need not wait for a rosy future to arrive for them to accommodate their dreams. By associating and working closely with others who encourage and inspire excellence, our students advance into collegiate programs and professional theatre companies with a firm understanding of the hard-driving effort and deep commitment a true career in the arts requires.

The troupe benefits tremendously from our dedication to creating new works.

Students get first-hand experience in developing something out of whole cloth rather than simply re-interpreting an oft-performed bit of theatre. It is rewarding to see that several of our veteran players don’t hesitate to express concern over a line of dialogue, or speak up with worries that a character’s motivation is unwarranted, or will fearlessly explore a characterization in rehearsal that runs counter to all expectation. This ability to create, mold and adapt from a blank page to a full-blown production, is virtually absent in their scholastic training; and yet it is a vital skill in every dynamic professional’s arsenal.