WB Kids

ABOUT OUR PROGRAM

Because Kids are really just kids, all our instructors want the students to enjoy themselves and feel both challenged by the program, plus gain confidence as they explore their creative skills. All the courses including music contain warm-up exercises and games that are designed to get the kids focused, communicating and adept at listening to direction. From there they can do what they do best, use their imagination to tell stories, sing songs or yes, sell products.

If your child is simply looking to have fun and experience acting as an extra curricular activity, the classes have the added benefit of improving their reading skills, socialization skills and general appreciation of the arts.

Should your child also be interested in acting as a career, we’re here to offer information and guidance especially to the parents, as they must assume the support work of having a professional child in the family. We also offer “Industry Events” where Casting Directors, Agents and Managers will come to meet the children and watch them read commercial copy or sing or perform some scenes. They’ll talk with the parents, give them feedback on their children and offer additional marketing tips.

I look forward to making your Kids … WB/Kids - Valerie Adami Dir.

ABOUT OUR COURSES

Improvisation – This is a natural for kids as it mainly involves games, made-up scenes and simple exercises designed to increase creative communication. It’s also a workout as there is a lot of physical action

Commercials – Advertising loves putting kids in commercials, and we love to look at them! The commercial course gets kids reading short lines of copy (commercial scripts). They also work in front of the camera and either talk directly to the camera, or engage in commercial scenes where they work with each other or opposite adult teaching assistants.

Scenes for Film & TV – Here’s where the kids have a bit more of a challenge. Beginning with short scenes, the children start to engage their feelings and learn the principals of telling a story. These scenes are also filmed. Again they will be acting with each other or opposite one of the teaching assistants.

Music – Children love to sing. In this class they’ll be learning simple songs, singing in groups or solo. They’ll be following the piano and learning to “keep the beat”. This is a great class to gage your child’s musical abilities.

Industry Events – These special dates will be scheduled and advertised as the season progresses.
Guests will be determined by the make-up of our current classes, once children are ready for representation, or ready to be scene by Casting Directors.

In Addition – Weist-Barron has always been an organization dedicated to educating and informing actors. We will always be there to offer guidance on pictures, photographers, resumes, marketing and generally the Business of Show Biz’. Never hesitate to ask any questions you have.
Private coaching can be arranged for young students who are going on auditions.

*If your child is a very mature 10 or age 10 ½ please look at our new “Tween” program - ACTeenjuniors.com.

ABOUT OUR STAFF

Gail Dennison
Improvisation

Began performing improv in NYC almost twenty years ago. The groups she has performed with include "ForPlay Improvised Theatre", "Off-The -Cuff", "The Pollyannas" and "The Sunday Night Improv Jam". She founded the all-women sketch-comedy group "Womedy", and went on to perform and write her own one-woman-show entitled "That Gail". She took "That Gail" to various performance art venues including Dixon Place, the Knitting Factory and Fringe Festivals in both NYC and Madrid, Spain. She is a founding member and currently performing with the all-women comedy group "The Heartless Floozies". She has taught Improv for programs at Brooklyn College, PPAS, ACTeen (at Weist-Barron) and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). In addition to performing in theatre throughout the city, she has numerous commercials and a "Law and Order, Criminal Intent" to her credit. She is currently performing an improvised comedy-variety show entitled "Judy's House", the most recent production at The Abingdon Theatre Company.

Jennifer holds a BA in Theater from Oberlin College. Fluent in Spanish she also teaches English as a second language. Jenn has performed leading roles both contemporary and classic at the The Flea and Theatre For The New City in NYC at Kent Stage in Detroit at the Weathervane Playhouse in Ohio. She has reached advanced levels at the famed Upright Citizens Brigade and is a member of Infusion Improv.

Has cast kids in commercials for Jello, Quarker Snack Bars, Bounty, Totino’s, Crest and many more. She has worked on both sides of the commercial process, the production side, and the ad agency side. Some of the ad agencies; DMB&B (10 yrs.), BBD&O, Grey, Saatchi, and Publicis. Cast not only all over NYC, but also all over N.Y. State for the I Love New York spots. Cast from New York all across the country to San Francisco and may states in between. Up and down the Eastern seacoast from Boston to Fla. to Puerto Rico and also many states in between doing location casting.

Stage: Sleuth (Best Actor Award-New Hampshire), The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (Joseph Jefferson Award Nominee), Curse of the Starving Class, Comedy of Errors, Sweet Sue, Traffic Jam, King Lear, Marat/Sade, Macbeth, Of Mice and Men, the Dining Room, Private Lives, Curious George. National and International tours of: An Evening of Mime. Screen: Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Damages, Bay State Blues (2008), American Standard (2009). Commercials for Raymour & Flannagan, PC Richards and Droid. Graduate of Northwestern University. For more info, visit his website.

Heather’s acting background includes The Second City (Chicago), Lee Strasberg Institute, and she also holds a degree from Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey's Clown College. She began working with kids & teens during summers in college. While based in Chicago, she toured the country teaching kids improvisational acting with Wavelength National Tour Co. (and her workshop for teachers on non-verbal communication was featured in Teachers magazine). Heather led “Improvisational Acting” workshops for kids in Tampa, Fl. Theatre gigs include: A Coupla Swells (Ensemble Studio Theater, also playwright), My Crazy Neighbors (Artistic New Directions, also playwright), The LabRats (New York Int’l Fringe Festival,), Next Door Neighbors (People’s Improv Theater), TheaterSports NY (Freestyle Rep). Heather’s fully-improvised, feature film, UNSCREWED, drew sold out crowds and won comedy awards at independent film festivals (including Montreal, the Hamptons, Santa Barbara, San Francisco), and played The Quad Cinema in Greenwich Village. Her work has garnered raves and “Go See” reviews in Variety, The New Yorker, Daily News, Newsday, Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, and Time Out NY.

Pianist singer, and composer began his studies at the age of three. Toured nationally and internationally with the acclaimed Continental Singers (Ventura, CA) as pianist, singer/dancer, assistant director, and musical director. After which, he joined Sight and Sound Theatres® for productions of Daniel and Miracle of Christmas.He returned in 2004, by special invitation, as a guest artist and assistant musical director for the production, Christmas Spectacular. Training: Theory, Mrs. Donna Krieger, MFA; Columbia International University (Columbia, SC) Dr. Rod Lewis and Dr. Larry Shackley; and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Paul D Mills is currently a member of the faculty at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy teaching Sight-Singing and Composition. For more info, visit his website.

Saturdays
10:00am to 11:00am Improvisation
11:00am to 12:30pm Commercials
12:30pm to 2:00pm Film/TV Scenes

After-School (six weeks)
4:00pm to 5:30pm Commercials
4:00pm to 5:30pm Music

Check the WB Courses Page for start dates.