This is the second time it will be offered and taught by Randy White, founder and artistic director of the Cardinal Stage Company.
“It’s going to be very similar,” White said. “The basic purpose is that I’m focusing on three things: developing character, motivating each line with a purpose and dramatic scene as the basic unit of theater.”
IU freshman and theater major Audie Deinlein, who took the class the first time it was offered in June 2013, said she was surprised by how much she learned in the course.
“The class really enlightened me in how a lot of things can really be found in the details of the work,” Deinlein said. “We were able to take apart (each scene) and look at it section by section and understand the objective and motive in how characters work in the scene to accomplish what they want to by the end of it.”
While it was previously only offered to teenagers, the upcoming class is open only to those 13 years and older, White said.
“I want to have a mix of some teen and adults to have some scenes with the experience of the adults and enthusiasm of the kids,” White said.
Deinlein said the encouraging environment White instilled during the course allowed her to feel comfortable to try new things, even though she felt she didn’t have a lot of acting experience before she took the class.
“Because we had some people who have been working in community theater and high school that had taken acting classes, they were able to go a lot further than I was able to,” Deinlein said. “Although, no one ever felt left behind or anything because it was very ‘go at your own pace.’”
White said he would accommodate his teaching practices to the different levels of experience of his students, however he said he still recommends some prior acting experience in his students for the upcoming class.
The class is over a period of eight days, and is concentrated with a focused approach in developing tools in acting, White said.
“A lot of the acting classes here in town either through Ivy Tech, IU, or even through programs in town are over much longer periods of time, so this is for folks who just want to have a short, intense hit,” White said.
At the end of the course, White said the students invite family and friends to a final showcase to share what they learned throughout the class.
“It was pretty informal but at the same time very good to experience because we were able to use so many real life objects to portray to the audience,” Deinlein said. “We had costumes that were relevant to its time period, and Cardinal had a large set that we used. That was really helpful because it kind of gave you a real life setting that you could put it in.”
White said he feels the final showcase is a very important aspect of the class.
This is the case because it allows the student actors to receive feedback about what they’ve learned.
“I firmly believe that an audience is very much a part of any scene that you’re playing,” White said. “It’s not something that you just do in front of an audience, it’s something that you do with an audience.”
Deinlein said White’s excited attitude and encouraging teaching techniques helped her grow and develop as an actress.
“A big thing is the confidence performing in front of people,” Deinlein said. “When you feel like you’re able to take away something from a class and put that into a performance, it makes you feel a lot more confident on stage and to know that you can portray something to an audience.”
From his directing and teaching experience at the Cardinal Stage Company, White said he finds teaching rewarding.
“It’s a chance to add something to the community, and that’s why we started this whole program of master classes,” White said. “We want to be giving people of all ages the opportunity to just learn and grow as theater people, and I’m thrilled to be a part of that.”
