Upcoming Classes

Writing and Acting in Real Time with Isaac Gilbert

After three highly popular 1-Minute Play Festivals and one successful 10-Minute Play Festival, we want to inspire more original work! These are our stories, so let’s tell them!
 
This 16-hour course spans 4 sessions and is led by improv wizard Isaac Gilbert who will highlight the inspiring skills of co-creation and playful exploration. Through the art of improv, actors will develop characters and stories together with the intention of creating one or more 10-Minute Play for Ignite the Arts 2025!
 
Perfect for emerging and experienced creators. 

​Isaac has designed this class to meet people where they are at and allow people of mixed abilities to collaborate. This includes the option of a small number of students who participate as seated writers and collaborators and engage in exercises without going on stage.

Saturdays and Sundays October 5, 6, 12, 13  @ 1pm - 5pm
(theatre open at 12:30pm for warm up)

Cost: $325 + GST ($275 + GST for paying Patreon supporters)
Payment by installation available upon request.
Contact [email protected] to enroll.

Scene and Self Study
​with Miriam Cummings ​

Want to build your confidence as a performer and deepen the connection between your body and mind? Want to bring nuance and depth to your acting practice and tell compelling stories? This four-week course explores the craft of acting by engaging the body, breath, voice, and imagination. Mindful physical practices will be used to strengthen your unique somatic (mind/body) connection. 
 
This empowering course aids artistic development by clarifying your personal process: examining how, when, and why to apply specific tools and techniques on the journey from preparation to performance. Join Miriam and other local actors to develop a dependable, thorough, and personal practice of the art of acting.

This class is open to any individual, at any experience level who has an open heart and curious mind!​

Tuesdays (November 5, 12, 19, 26) @ 5:30-8pm
(theatre open at 5pm for warm up)
+  Sunday, November 17 @ 2-6pm
(theatre open from 10am for individual rehearsals)

Cost: $325 + GST ($275 + GST for paying Patreon supporters)
Payment by installation available upon request.
Contact [email protected] to enroll.

How to Puppeteer Anything
workshop for adults age 13+

Instructor Ingrid Hansen puppeteers on television for The Jim Henson Company (Fraggle Rock), Sesame Workshop (Helpsters), Miss Persona (where she got to direct Fred Penner!) and Tiga Talk on APTN. She teaches puppet workshops for actors, dancers, adults, children, and prison inmates.

In this workshop we will puppeteer scarves, clothing, and objects, uncovering their hidden characters, and creating short pieces, and trying to stretch the limits of what these objects can do. There will be an emphasis on courage, breath, movement, creative abandon, and sharing our discoveries as a group.
​
You are invited to bring any objects or materials you are fascinated with (old blazer? Broken telephone? Cereal box?) and also work with the materials provided. (I will have lots of fabric here.) Together we will delve into the relationship of the object to the puppeteer, object to audience, and puppeteer to audience. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes and come ready to laugh try fail flop. ALL WELCOME. If anyone needs any accessibility support or has any special considerations please email us before the workshop:
[email protected]

Instructor Biography: Ingrid Hansen (she/her)
Raised by gregarious Danish immigrants, Ingrid is a television puppeteer and theatre creator.
She’s currently on tour with Epidermis Circus, the weirdest puppet show you’ve ever seen. Ingrid puppeteers on television for Sesame and Henson. She plays Heart, a lovable agender orange monster on Helpsters, Sesame Workshop’s Emmy-Award-Winning series for AppleTV+. She also puppeteers and voices characters on Henson’s new Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock series. For the TreehouseTV/Amazon show Miss Persona, Ingrid puppeteers Melissa the Dog, and also choreographed and directed on several music videos, including getting to direct scenes with Canadian TV legend Fred Penner and choreograph ballet for ‘Letterkenny’ comedian K. Trevor Wilson. (Both as magical in person as you would expect.)
In 2006 Ingrid co-founded SNAFU Society of Unexpected Spectacles. With SNAFU, Ingrid has co-authored and co-produced 21 live shows including Epidermis Circus, Little Orange Man, Kitt & Jane, Interstellar Elder, Table Top Tales, Snack Music and The Merkin Sisters. SNAFU’s work has been presented by the National Arts Centre, The
SummerWorks Festival, The Great Canadian Theatre Centre, The Centaur Theatre, the International Festival of Animated Objects, and festivals across Canada.
Hansen earned her BFA in Theatre at the University of Victoria, and studied clown with Sue Morrison, Viewpoints with the SITI Company in New York, and with the Old Trout Puppet Workshop at the Banff National Arts Centre.

January 18, 12pm - 3pm

Cost: $75 + GST & ticket fees

Buy tickets

​This workshop is all performing and playing, no building or crafting. (Crafting takes a very long time.)

Past Classes

The JOY of Auditioning with Jill Morrison and Judy K Lee

This workshop will focus on comedic material, timing and technique. Actors will work on multicam sitcom, single cam sitcom and/or feature film comedy sides- diving into the tones of these different categories. The process will guide actors on how to build creative yet genuine characters and will help find what makes each individual uniquely funny. Some of the concepts covered will be: pace, structure, vocals, energy, hitting the jokes, clarity of words, and playing the camera. The first day the actors work with the materials to find all the elements required to do an audition on a professional level as well as improvisation. Whether comedic or dramatic, improvisation nourishes creativity, trusting one's instincts connection to partners

The second day, actors will focus on all the elements learned on Day 1 and solidify their work as well as making themselves wardrobe and camera ready. Casting director, Judy Lee, will come in at the end of Day 2 to watch the scenes.

Jill has been acting and teaching for over 20 years. Studying theatre  and traveling across Canada doing shows gave her the tools she needed to one day become a strong and vibrant acting teacher. Her first film gig was the film ‘ Mean Girls’. From there, she continued to find success in comedy and drama. Working recently on the Fox drama like ‘ Murder in a Small town’ and Apple’s ‘Invasion’.  Some selected credits include A Million Little Things, Maid, To All the boys I loved before, Supergirl, Motherland, Package Deal, A Series of Unfortunate events, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Imaginary Mary, Benchwarmers and many Hallmarks and MOW’s!

Judy Lee has cast over 140 projects with notable networks including Hallmark, Netflix, Lifetime, Universal, CBC and more. Casting for large Television, Movie of the Week and Feature Film projects, Judy is currently one of the most active, successful and respected Casting directors in Canada.
Judy’s inspirations are the actors who come into her casting sessions and demonstrate unwavering courage and commitment and her young son who teaches her the beauty and bravery of picking one’s self up after falling and continuing on the journey.

​September 28 & 29
10am - 2pm 

Cost: $250 + GST ($200 + GST for paying Patreon supporters)
​Non-Refundable Deposit: $100

Payment by installation available upon request.
​
Contact [email protected] to enroll.

Perks: Enjoy a talk back session on Sunday
​hosted by Kate Twa with Judy and Jill! (Yes, there will be laughing)
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With Patreon, enjoy online classes, inspiring interviews, and hopeful and informative films made by Tempest Theatre and Film Society.