TADA! Youth Theater’s Winter Semester Classes are built on Playbuilding and Storytelling: the ultimate Musical Theater experience!
But, what exactly is Playbuilding?
“Our winter classes use our signature Playbuilding curriculum,” says EG Engle, Assistant Director of Education at TADA! “It combines musical theater training, storytelling, character development, and most importantly, student voice as each class devises their own original mini-musical.”
Although the Playbuilding curriculum is a cornerstone of the TADA! Education program, this is the first time in TADA! history that it has been offered virtually, through 12 online session on Zoom.
EG continues, “Creating a brand new musical from the ground up, learning vocals and choreography to two songs, and showcasing their singing, dancing, and acting skills over Zoom in this amount of time is a new creative challenge for our students and teaching artists.”
How do students sing together over Zoom?
A new component of TADA!’s online classes is called “Solo-Share.” In the past, students were able to sing as an ensemble in-person. Now, TADA! Teaching Artists approach this differently to adapt to the Zoom platform.
Music Directors now teach each student an assigned solo from a song, and each student shares their solo in a “call and response” style showcase that we call their Solo-Share during their final performance.
“We love this new addition to our classes because it gives each student a chance to share their unique voice while still being a part of the ensemble,” EG says. “Pivoting online has brought a host of changes to our classes, and this is one that we really love!”
Different Age Groups, Different Processes
Playbuilding looks different for our various age groups.
Our ages 4-5 and 6-7 students perform their mini-musical live during their final performance using pre-recorded musical tracks prepared by the music director. Then, they share their solos in the solo-share portion of the final performance.
Our ages 8-10 students actually create a pre-recorded movie musical, so they are introduced to the process of making self-tapes, recording their materials, film acting, and the logistics of making a movie musical over Zoom!
Arts Education is Essential
Throughout all of TADA!’s programming, we value and nurture the creativity of our students through interactive and fun programming that amplifies and centers student voice.
“We believe that creating a brave space where students can take creative risks, be silly, and share their their love of singing, dancing, and acting is one of the most valuable gifts you can give a young person,” says EG. “Growing up can be hard, and we hope that TADA! classes can help make it easier by being a place for kids to let their creative light shine and their voice to be heard.”
Interested in participating in a TADA! Education Class? Click here!