TIC Academy: Theatre training for

children, teens and adults

Come visit Rachel Stephens and Reg Parks at our Open House on Friday September 6th. Get a tour of our facilities, and find out all you need to know about the TIC Academy!

CHILDREN’S PROGRAM

• September to April
• Ages 7-12
• Monday & Wednesday
  • 3:30pm – 4:45pm
• Skills Development
  • Voice
  • Movement
  • Acting
• Ends with full Musical Production
  • Everyone performs
  • Full Set, Lights & Audio
  • Costumes & Make-Up
• Other Opportunities
  • TIC shows and other field trips
    

  COST: $150.00/month

TEEN ACTING CLASSES

• January to April
• Ages 13-18
• Monday & Wednesday
  • 5:00pm – 6:30pm
• Skills Development
  • Performance
  • Movement
  • Technique
• Ends with full Stage Production
  • Everyone performs
  • Full Set, Lights & Audio
  • Costumes and Make-up
• Other Opportunities
  • TIC Shows & other field trips 

COST: $200.00/month

ADULT SCENE STUDY

• 8 week sessions
• Ages 19+
• 2 scenes per session
• Work with 1 or 2 partners
• STUDY FOCUS
  • Text Analysis
  • Character Development
  • Performance Preparation
• SHOWCASE event of final scenes
  

  COST: $300/8 week session

Child and Teen INSTRUCTOR

Rachel Stephens, MA Musical Theatre

Adult Scene Study INSTRUCTOR

Reg Parks, MA Theatre

Rachel is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, having received her Master of Arts Degree in Musical Theatre Performance in 2015.  She also holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Manitoba (2011).

Rachel has been teaching for 7 years, working with all ages, from Preschool music circles and Mommy and Me classes to seniors choirs.   She works with many kids’ musical theatre companies around the Fraser Valley as a director or coach. She is spending Summer 2019 at a boarding school in Switzerland, teaching musical theatre through the summer break.

Her passion is watching kids take pride in their successes, big or small.  She has a history of working with behaviors, and found herself drawn to working with autism diagnosis’, seeking out training with The Canucks Autism Network in sports classes and swimming lessons. Rachel also hold membership with the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).

Reg Parks is the founding Artistic Director or Theatre in the Country in Langley, BC. He is also the Theatre Arts teacher at Maple Ridge Christian school, and has been teaching theatre for over 25 years. 

In his early years he was the Techinical Director of the Pavilion of Promise at Expo 86 in Vancouver and Expo 88 in Brisbane, Australia. In the 1990’s Reg started Good Soil Dinner Theatre which toured Canada and the US performing shows about the child AIDs crisis in Africa.  For the past 10 years, Reg and his wife Erin have also been leading theatre tours to London and Europe for students and adults alike.

Reg has experience as a professional actor on both stage and screen, but now focuses primarily on directing and producing at TIC and MRCS.   He has directed over 120 shows in his career, and continues to love the process of telling great stories, and working in the community of theatre with great people. Reg has a Masters degree in Theatre Studies.

TIC Latest Show – Little Women

featuring Kids, Teens and Adults of all ages

What can students expect?

• All students will be given the opportunity to perform in a fully-staged and choreographed musical on the Theatre in the Country stage with professional level lighting and sound tech.
• Students who may be more interested in the technical aspects of theatre will be given a chance to be part of the running crew.
• We are eager to build our students’ “toolkits” so they can succeed on the stage.  
  • SKILLS TRAINING: For the first two months of class each Monday will be a Skills Day devoted to craft development in:
    • singing technique (projection, breathing, harmony)
    • dance (basic dance steps, co-ordination) &
    • acting skills (projection, basic improv, intention) which will then be put into use in the scenes that we block.
  • PRODUCTION PREPARATION: On Wednesdays for the first two months and on both days starting in November we will be focusing on blocking, song development and choreogrpahy for the big year end production.

ASSIGNING ROLES & BEING PART OF THE SHOW

• Audition techniques and expectations will be taught and practiced during the early days of September. We will outline audition expectations in the weeks before so that students can prepare accordingly. EVERYONE WILL GET A PART!
• This year we will be holding auditions during the third week of classes to give students a chance to settle into our schedule and become comfortable with the teachers.  
• In November we will be moving into production mode working on show blocking and choreographing in each class.  Students are expected to review class material at home and come to class prepared to learn new material or refine already-blocked material.
• The week prior to the show is called Tech week.  Students will then have the chance to rehearse with all prop, set, and costume pieces, and full lighting and mics.  Please make yourself available for extra/longer rehearsals during this week as we may require more time for students to become comfortable with all these extra moving parts.

This years shows!

Show titles for our April 2020 productions

JUNIOR SHOW 2020

TIC Academy Policy

Cancellation Policy and Withdrawals: Students who cancel registration before the start of class will have their tuition returned minus a $20 admin fee.  Students who withdraw after the first week will not receive reimbursement for time already taught.  Payments made monthly will not be returned. Payments made in advance (annual and semi-annual plans) will be reimbursed from the month following withdrawal notice. Withdrawals must be made in writing and give 2 weeks notice.

Attendance: Students are expected to attend each class with all necessary materials (script, pencil, dance shoes).  Students who miss 3 rehearsals without proper notice/reason will have solos/roles re-assigned as necessary.

Parent Volunteering: Parents are expected to be involved in the making of the show! We will be looking for people to help with front of house, backstage, costuming, sets and props.  Families will be charged a $75 fee, which will be returned upon fulfillment of volunteer commitment.

Inclement weather: We follow the Langley school district, though hold the right to cancel class should the weather become worse over the day.  Parents will be contacted via email.

Bullying: We have a zero-tolerance bullying policy.  We hold the right to cancel registration as a result of such behavior.  Our definition of bullying is in accordance with stopbulling.gov:

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. (From stopbullying.gov)

If you have been affected by bullying within The Academy, these are the steps that will follow:

• Parent or student brings the issue to the teacher’s attention in writing.
• We will schedule a meeting with teachers where an official complaint will be filled out and signed by both parties
• Meeting with bullying party and parents, form filled out and signed
• A follow-up with students will occur.  If no change occurs, The Academy will take necessary actions which may include suspension or the cancellation of registration.
• All documentation will be kept on file with The Academy

Dress Code: Please wear clothes that are comfortable and easy to move in.  Please wear dance shoes or runners, for safety-sake no bare feet are permitted in rehearsal.  Midriffs and shoulders covered. Please aim toward comfort and functionality over style!

Electronic Devices:  Please keep cellphones and tablets turned off and in your bag – they are not permitted in class.  Students not following this rule can expect to have their electronic devices collected and returned at the end of class.

Theatre Week: In the week preceding the show we may schedule extra tech/dress rehearsals. We will try to give as much notice as possible but please do not schedule anything that week which cannot be changed.

Progress Reports:  We will be sending home progress reports with students before Christmas break and at the end of the year.  This is an encouraging way to help students track their progress and for teachers to help guide students toward their strengths and pinpoint any weaknesses.   

Sample Report Below…

How the Scene Study classes will operate

• Each class will be 8 weeks longs.
• We will meet on Sunday afternoons for 2 hours.
• Students may sign up with partners or be assigned a partner of partners from inside the class.
• We will start with short scenes and work up to larger scenes for the Showcase event at the end of the 8 weeks.
• We work on the following for all scenes:

  • Learning how to approach the text and break it down.

  • Discover ways for you to get inside your chosen character with honesty and clarity.
  • Understand how to turn the text and character work into a polished performance.
• Everyone will get a chance to perform their final scene in front of an audience of invited friends.
• Please use this form to ask any questions: Question Form

CHILD AND TEEN CLASSES

ADULT SCENE STUDY CLASSES