News & Info
A post by Dr. James Ramsey, PAA Executive Director. From the 1980’s to present, American education has seen a continuing decline in funding support for music and arts in the classroom. In spite of all the written evidence of surveys, reports, and studies, creative outlets for the student are simply eroding to basic levels or disappearing because of…
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A post by Jenna Wilcox, PAA Artistic Director. Has this ever happened to you? You are in an audition that is going great and then the director asks you to take some pages from the script and read for a character. You have no idea who this character is and the director wants to “see…
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A post by Dr. James Ramsey, PAA Executive Director. Someone once posed this question to me and my immediate response was, “never, as long as you’re committed and patient.” One of our PAA supporters recently decided to start flute lessons and asked me for some advice as to what to do. She had never played…
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A post by Jenna Wilcox, PAA Artistic Director. At PAA learning about theatre and performance starts at age 3. Preschoolers are open to new ideas and ready for imaginative play, making acting, dance and music the perfect playground. We use games to start talking about Theatre principles such as parts of a story and parts…
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A post by Jenna Wilcox, PAA Artistic Director. Have you ever been to a show and been drawn into the world of the play right away? You walk in, sit down and feel as if you have arrived at a different time or place? A great scenic design can help the audience suspend their disbelief…
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A post by Jenna Wilcox, PAA Artistic Director. Did you know that scientists have discovered that the dancers among us have a different genetic make up and their genetic difference is what makes them great dancers? It adds to the notion that we were all born to be someone and make a mark in this…
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A post by Jenna Wilcox, PAA Artistic Director. It is true that a lot of people in this world suffer from such a thing as stage fright. Stage fright can have a lot of different symptoms including sweaty palms and a racing heart to trouble breathing, thinking and walking. It can be very serious and…
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A post by Jenna Wilcox, PAA Artistic Director. You may be wondering why we call our summer programs intensives. The name comes from the intense effort and learning that takes place in 10 short days. Our curriculum driven class time builds fundamental skills needed for all performers and technical workers and drives self confidence through…
Read MoreA post by Jenna Wilcox, PAA Artistic Director. Why Technical Theatre? All of our tech students would say things like, “because it is cool” and “it is fun” or “I don’t like being on stage but I like being a part of it”. I have also heard “this way I don’t have to memorize”. Whatever their…
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A post by Jenna Wilcox, PAA Artistic Director. There are so many theatre arts programs out there right now. The market is flooded with new opportunities. With all the choices out there it can be hard to know what to choose. Which program will be the best option for my kid and family? At PAA…
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A post by Jenna Wilcox, PAA Artistic Director. Memorization is the grunt work of the performing arts. Whether a jam poet or a Shakespearian actor, we all must memorize on a regular basis. So, how do you make it easier and faster? The first step is actually understanding your own learning style. Using the tips…
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A post by Jenna Wilcox, PAA Artistic Director. In the arts we meet and work with lots of different people. Some of these people are very much like us and making friends is fast and easy. Some are very different from us and it can be hard to understand where they are coming from. It…
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