By Trish Svoboda/Image courtesy ACT Clay County

ACT Clay County is offering a new youth acting workshop, giving local students the chance to learn performance skills through games and hands-on activities. The workshop will be led by ACT Clay County director, Jan Keim, who has previous experience teaching acting classes to children through her church. Five sessions will be held on Mondays beginning January 19, from 3:40-5:10 p.m. at the Rex Theatre.

Students will learn “acting muscles,” taught through a series of weekly games and exercises. The five skills include observation, concentration, memorization, imagination, and teamwork (OCMIT). “Each week we’ll take one of those acting muscles and do games and exercises that help us develop those specific muscles,” said Keim.

The workshop is part of the community theater’s next step in expanding its programs. After producing two shows a year, Keim wanted to offer more opportunities for kids to get involved, especially during a time when there are fewer after-school activities available.

A typical session will begin with a snack, since the workshop takes place right after school. From there, students will do some get to know you games and complete exercises that correspond with what “acting muscle” they are working on that week. “Sometimes the games we do hit on more than one of the five muscles, but they’ll continue to build and grow and learn how this helps them with their acting,” said Keim. “I’m really excited that kids are excited about doing this and that we’re getting to take the next step for growing ACT Clay County and the community theater program.”

Registration is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t hesitate to sign up. Visit ACT Clay County’s Facebook page to find the link and QR code to register.