So! You want to be an actor?

Acting is believing! That is what they say. It also seems that every mother wants to believe that their son or daughter is the next major star. Every generation has their own names to fill in this spot, but we all want to believe that what we see our children (or grandchildren) do is “special” and of course, “perfect”. I believe that most people have some talent, but for many this cannot be brought to the surface without some special and often very intensive training. Yes, there are people who are what they call “naturals”, but even they need some fine tuning. There is a school on the North Shore that is perfect for taking young “would be stars” to the next level> The school has a name that says it all. The Performers School. Now isn’t that perfect!

The school, co-founded by Liz Fauntleroy and Stacey Flaster, local talents who understand the nature of this business from start to finish, is located off the beaten path at 432 Green Bay Road in Highwood. FYI-Highwood is known for its great restaurants, but now they are also producing young budding stars, thanks to the ladies and their able bodied staff of local Thespians, dancers and the talents of the performers who are in town, even for a short time.

Want to learn IMPROV? You can do so with the very talented and physical Joe Dempsey, who will start his session on February 6th from 10 a.m. – noon

grades 5th and up, Joe will teach the kids how to think on their feet and have fun. Learning the improve skills from Dempsey will also make future auditions a breeze, because you will now know how to change horses in mid-stream!

In April (the 4th) there will be two sessions (from 5-7 p.m. and from 7-9 p.m.) called the “Matilda” workshop, where Natalie Wisdom of the Broadway Touring company of the hit show “Matilda”  will teach some of the original choreography from the show.

Love Andrew Lloyd Webber? Michael Gillis will be conducting the Andrew Lloyd Webber Master Workshop January 11th from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. (5th thru 8th grade) where students can learn how to interpret and project the wonderful music of Webber at their next audition.

Auditions are what it is all about. Many talented kids, have the talent and raw energy as well as the excited mentality, but lack the expertise of gliding through the process. Stacy and Liz offer a special course- Build your Musical Theater Tool Kit and offer a workshop on Saturday, January 9th from 1-1:30 P.M. again, 5th-8th grade. Learn how to audition. Learn how to select the song(s) to perform at the audition! Learn how to put together your headshot/ resume and to build the songbook you bring with. Know every song in that book and have movement for each and you have moved up the rung of the ladder with ease.

There is a steady flow of activity at this very special school that will help your young performer exceed your expectations. Visit tem online at www.theperformersscholl.com and if you want to talk with them, info@theperformersschool.com. To those of you who do go on, please let me know when you are performing and I will see you at the theater!