New arts classes for children, teens and adults, including a kids’ clay class, an acting sampler class for teens, blues/folk harmonica, a Saturday Latin dance drop-in class for adults, and more are scheduled for 2018 at ArtPlay.
ArtPlay, part of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, provides lifelong learning through the arts to people of all ages. With engaging weekly classes in spring and fall, summer camps, and fun, educational events for the whole family, ArtPlay connects the community with the arts. Registration is open now. Class fees begin at $80, with a UAB discount available when registering by phone. Explore ArtPlay’s offerings online at www.alysstephens.org/classes or call 205-975-4769. Private instruction is also available in a variety of instruments, as well as group classes provided by local teaching artists.
Classes on offer for the winter/spring 2018 session are:
Pre-K
Me & You & Paint & Glue, for ages 1-3 years with guardian, with teaching artist Alley Bulka. Class meets Saturdays from 11-11:45 a.m. Feb. 3-March 24. Join Birmingham’s favorite “Wacky Nanny” and create new masterpieces through simple visual arts projects. Cost is $135 for one child and guardian.
Creative Movement, for ages 4-6, with teaching artist Mary Foshee with accompanist Barbara French. Class meets Tuesdays from 10-10:45 a.m. Feb. 13-April 10. In this class, students will use their imaginations to bring stories and characters to life through movement to live music and rhythms. Activities in this class will promote body and sensory awareness, physical fitness, and self-esteem. Cost is $130.
Creative Wacky Wonders, for ages 4-6, with teaching artist Alley Bulka. Class meets Saturdays from 10-10:45 a.m. Feb. 3-March 24. This mixed-media art class with Bulka, known as the “Wacky Nanny,” focuses on imagination and creation. Children will be led through fun visual arts projects that will open their creative minds and allow their ideas to come to life. Cost is $135.
Sculptures in Clay, for ages 4-6, with teaching artist Elyse Jordan. Class meets Saturdays from 11-11:45 a.m. Feb. 3-March 24. In this class, students will learn sculpting basics including pinch, slab and coil building as well as slip and score for attaching pieces. Everyone will take home a variety of finished pieces to enjoy for years to come. Cost is $145; includes materials.
Elementary/Middle
Intro to Musical Theatre Part 2, for ages 7-12, with Red Mountain Theatre Company. Class meets Thursdays from 5-6 p.m. Feb. 1-April 12. Sing and dance in Broadway-style numbers while discovering the rich history of the American musical theater tradition. Learn to become a triple threat by honing skills in acting, singing and dancing. Cost is $130.
ArtPlay Kids Acting, for ages 7-12, with teaching artist Darrell Revel. Class meets Saturdays from 10-11 a.m. Feb. 3-April 14. Actor and educator Revel will guide participants through the basics of theater games, improvisation, monologues, scene work, stage makeup application, and voice and diction. Best of all, the children will get a chance to perform their newly developed skills when the workshop culminates with a showcase production open to all parents and friends. Cost is $160.
Beginning Drawing, for ages 7-12, with teaching artist Bo Hughins. Class meets Wednesdays from 5-6 p.m. Feb. 7-April 18. Learn the basics of drawing with a variety of classic drawing materials and techniques. Projects will include sketching, still life, drawing from nature and cartooning. Full of one-on-one attention, this course offers opportunities for all skill levels. Cost is $170.
Strum Along, for ages 7-12, with teaching artist Carlos Pino. Join musician and educator Pino as he shares his love for all things guitar. This joyous art form will introduce kids to different songs and the basics of playing music to share with family and friends. Class meets Wednesdays from 5-6 p.m. Feb. 7-March 14. Cost is $100.
High school
The Acting Sampler for Teens, for ages 13-17, with teaching artists Ellise Mayor and Chris Davis. Class meets Mondays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Feb. 5-April 9. Want the skills to become a better actor? Mayor and Davis will take participants through the basics of acting and improvisational comedy. This unique class offers the chance to delve into many techniques that will guide to success on stage. Cost is $170.
The Creative Voice, for ages 13-17, with teaching artist BeShaun Leavell. Class meets Wednesdays from 5-6 p.m. Feb. 6-March 13. In this class designed to help artists find their creative voice, students will write and perform their own spoken word pieces. This class will teach students to deliver a performance piece with vocal projection and passion. Cost is $80.
Adult
The Acting Studios, for ages 16-adult, with teaching artist Susan McCain. Class meets Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 14-April 11. McCain follows the legendary Lee Strasberg’s design, beginning with sensory work and focusing on nailing that tricky audition piece. Cost is $170.
Memoir as Poetry, for ages 16-adult, with teaching artist Tina Braziel. Class meets Mondays from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 19-April 9. Shaping stories and insights into poems is the focus of this class. Participants will read example poems, with most of class time spent generating and crafting poems from personal experiences. This class is perfect for those with or without experience writing poetry. Cost is $120.
Ballet Meditation with teaching artist Melissa Turnage. Class meets Wednesdays from 7-8 a.m. Feb. 7-April 18. Turnage is an artist-in-residence with the Alys Stephens Center’s Arts in Medicine initiative. A trained dancer, she offers a unique approach to ballet. With a combination of breathing and meditation methods, this ballet class will have you centered before you start the workday. Cost is $150.
Visual Art Sampler, ages 16-adult, with teaching artist Bo Hughins. Class meets Tuesdays from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 6-April 10. Join local artist Hughins to explore the vast world of visual arts. Students will delve into the basics of watercolor, drawing, and calligraphy/lettering. Cost is $175 plus materials.
Blues/Folk Harmonica: Roots Music 101, for ages 16-adult, with teaching artists Bruce Andrews and George Dudley. Class meets Thursdays from 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 8-March 15. Learn the basics of blues and folk harmonica and about the roots of American music, from Muddy Waters and Jimmie Rodgers to Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Cash. Taught in a fun, fast-moving environment by the seasoned performing duo 2BLU (Andrews and Dudley), this class is for beginners and intermediate players, with no music reading skills required. Half of each class will be a performance and history presentation/discussion of blues and folk music, and the other half will be basic instruction on the diatonic harmonica. Participants may also attempt to write blues songs for fun. Each participant is required to have a 10-hole diatonic harmonica in the key of “A” prior to the first class. Call for more information. Class participants also receive a discounted ticket to the Marc Broussard show March 17, presented by UAB’s Alys Stephens Center. Cost is $120.
Latin Social Dance, ages 18-adult, with teaching artist Sergio Rodriguez. Class meets Saturdays from 10:30 a.m.-noon Feb. 3-April 28. Led by Cuban dance master Rodriguez, this vibrant class will teach various Latin social dance forms, including salsa, merengue, bachata and cha cha cha. Students will learn how to understand and feel the movements according to the respective music and rhythm styles, both individually and with a partner. Rodriguez will give cultural context to each of the dance forms. This class is a perfect introduction to the social dance scene in Birmingham. Everyone is welcome; no partner or previous dance knowledge necessary. Cost is $130 for the full semester or $15 for a single class drop-in.
Private Lessons
Private voice lessons, for ages 10-adult, with teaching artist Diane McNaron, M.M., are available Thursdays from noon-8 p.m. Jan. 18-April 12. Cost is $720 for the full semester or $360 for a half-semester. Please email artplay@uab.edu before enrolling in private lessons to ensure that there is availability to schedule at the desired time with the teaching artist. McNaron has appeared in recital, cabaret, oratorio and opera throughout the United States and in Germany, Austria, Italy and Australia. She produces and appears with two cabaret troupes and has directed more than 40 opera, cabaret and musical theater productions. McNaron earned her master’s degree from Florida State University and did postgraduate work at Indiana University. Now based in Birmingham, she has received grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Lowder Foundation and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.Little
Mozart’s Piano Lessons for children, with teaching artist Pat Billups, are available Wednesdays from 4-8 p.m. Jan. 17-April 11. Cost is $558. Please email artplay@uab.edubefore enrolling in private lessons to ensure that there is availability to schedule at the desired time with the teaching artist.
Private piano lessons for children with Billups are available Wednesdays from 4-8 p.m. Jan. 17-April 11. Cost is $678. Please email artplay@uab.edu before enrolling in private lessons to ensure that there is availability to schedule at the desired time with the teaching artist. Billups is a piano teacher of 34 years in the Birmingham community. She is passionate about teaching the skills that prepare students of all ages to play piano, compose music, and develop their individual music goals and creativity. She serves as the state chair of Alabama Junior Music Festivals under the auspices of the National Federation of Music Clubs. In Alabama’s District II (Birmingham), she serves as chair of the Theory Festival and has worked with the state chair of the Junior Composer Festival. These festivals offer opportunities for young musicians to compete in various areas of music. Previously, she was coordinator for City Stages Jazz Camp for 13 years. She is also the choir director at First Baptist Church Graymont.
Private percussion lessons for all ages with teaching artist Emanual Ellinas are available Wednesdays from 4-6 p.m. Jan. 22-April 16. Cost is $360. Please email artplay@uab.edu before enrolling in private lessons to ensure that there is availability to schedule at the desired time with the teaching artist. Ellinas has been immersed in the world of music for more than 30 years. A multi-instrumentalist, he has played with a diverse cast of artists, ranging from Taj Mahal to Nag Hammadi. Enjoying both sides of the microphone, Ellinas runs Magnetic Audio recording studio, where he has worked with artists and producers such as Dan Sartain, Tony Lombardo and Eric Essix. Whether teaching percussion or audio engineering, his focus on the soul of the art ensures the student not only learns essential skills and techniques, but also develops a deeper enjoyment of music. Having taught group classes as well as individual lessons in both percussion and the recording arts across the country, Ellinas is happy to bring this experience to the Birmingham community through ArtPlay.
Private acting lessons for all ages with teaching artist Susan McCain of The Acting Studiosare available Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m. Jan. 17-April 11. Cost is $660 for the full semester or $330 for a half-semester. Please email artplay@uab.edu before enrolling in private lessons to ensure that there is availability to schedule at the desired time with the teaching artist. McCain follows the legendary Lee Strasberg’s design, beginning with sensory work and focusing on nailing that tricky audition piece.