 Catchpenny Kids Theatre is not limited to our involved summer sessions. We also offer ongoing theatrical training throughout the entire year. These classes, taught by our acclaimed camp directors, are meant to teach each student regardless of experience. These classes are high-energy, fun, and always completely interactive.The fall classes are not restricted to only enrollees of the summer sessions either.
If your child would like to learn more about theatre and acting, singing, and dancing please email us at josh@catchpennytheatre.com or call us directly at 720-238-2223. Classes begin in September, so watch this site for more information about scheduling, costs, and locations of Fall Catchpenny Classes. For more information about Catchpenny's pedagogy, take a look at the curriculum structure below.
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Our Mission: |
Catchpenny’s Mission: Our mission is to strengthen Denver’s theatre community by reaching the youth through professional programming.
Cathpenny’s Goal: Our goal is to create a safe, fun environment where our students can build confidence, face healthy challenges, and explore their creativity while enjoying their achievements along the way.
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Singing for the Young Actor: |
NEW!!: Introducing our newest classes for the Fall Session.
Catchpenny's musical director Mica Dominguez-Robinson is excited to offer an in-depth singing class that will prove to be fun and challenging for kids that are willing to take their vocal performance to the next level.
Singing for the Young Actor: A conservatory setting for children of ages 8+ who are interested in learning basic music theory, learning about their voices and how to use them, all while working on music that will be performed in front of the class at the end of the session. This gives the children a master class setting which will help them to practice their singing for auditioning and performing. We will also work on how to prepare for musical auditions and performances. This class is perfect for youngsters who are interested in more fully developing their musical skills and voices.
Class times: Mondays 4:30
Dates: September 7th through November 9th
Location: Church of the Ascension, 6th and Gilpin, DENVER
Price: $250/per student [SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE]
Enroll Now!
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Original Play Creation: |
NEW!!: Introducing our newest classes for the Fall Session.
Original Play Creation: Our newest director, Kenny Storms, is very excited to present one of our newest concepts. This class offers students an opportunity to create and perform an original piece of theatre. In this course students will learn the basics of collaborative performance art, Viewpoints technique and different theatrical and physical performance styles. Looking at their world from a critical viewpoint, participants will use text, music, movement, and design to create and perform a production at the end of class. Previous Catchpenny experience is suggested although new students may enroll with instructor’s permission.
This class will cover the following:
- Viewpoints Technique
- Rudolf Laban Efforts
- Method Acting
- Dialogue and Playwriting Development
- Confidence Building/Personal Resposibility
Class times: Saturdays at 12:00pm
Dates: Starting September 5th
Location: Church of the Ascension, 6th and Gilpin, DENVER
Price: $250/per student [SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE]
Enroll Now!
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Core Improv: |
NEW!!: Introducing our newest classes for the Fall Session.
Core Improv: This class will be co-taught between Kenny Storms, and Josh Putnam, so get ready for an amazing experience!! Our improvisation class is for the experienced actor looking to participate in challenging improvisational theatre. Improvisation is an important and necessary skill for working actors. Core Improv will help participants fine-tune their talents by focusing on staying in the moment, relationships, environments, characters, acting techniques and structured improvisation games. Culminating in a final showcase, this class is guaranteed to rock the house! Positions are filling very quickly...
This class will cover the following:
- Short Form Improvisation
- Long Form Improvisation
- Comedic Improvisation
- Dramatic Improvisation
- Method Acting
- Improvisational Games
Class times: Saturdays TBA
Dates: Starting September 12th
Location: Church of the Ascension, 6th and Gilpin, DENVER
Price: $250/per student [SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE]
Enroll Now!
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Audition Basics Class: |
Catchpenny's artistic director Josh Putnam is excited to offer a conservatory-style audition class that will prove to be fun and challenging for kids that are willing to take their auditions to the next level.
Audition Basics: Designed for our older students, this course will explore the
fundamentals of theatrical audition techniques. Drawing on the
philosophies of Michael Shurtleff’s 12 guideposts, Kenny will provide instruction based on personal experience
both as an actor and director. This class will conclude with a Mock Audition on the last day of class with
professional Denver based directors. Learn the skills, see results and Be Prepared!! This class will provide everything necessary for a polished audition.
This class will cover the following:
- Resume building and critique
- How to find auditions
- Comedic Monologue (Classical or Contemporary)
- Dramatic Monolgue (Classical or Contemporary)
- Headshot resources
Class times: Wednesdays TBA
Dates: Starting September 9th
Location: Church of the Ascension, 6th and Gilpin, DENVER
Price: $250/per student [SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE]
Enroll Now!
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| Catchpenny Kids Basic Theatre Class Curriculum Structure |
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• Stage One: Assess each actor/actress and diagnose which areas of acting need improvement. (This step is very important for any and all one on one instruction) |
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• Stage Two: Stage Speech. Here we’ll focus on the anatomy of the voice, and then apply it to practical use for the stage. Throughout this stage, your children will learn a variety of vocal exercises, support, warm-ups, and techniques with the aim of nurturing their natural voice. If you’re curious about references, check out Kristin Linklater’s Freeing the Natural Voice. I will use everything from Shakespeare’s sonnets to your child’s favorite literature to teach this section. This stage will culminate with a reader’s theatre performance of a short play. |
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• Stage Three: Stage Movement. In this stage, we’ll focus on the human body, how it moves, osteo-anatomy, and mascular anatomy. It is very key for young actors to be aware of themselves on stage and a short anatomy overview will help. Most of this stage, I’ll focus on Rudolph Laban’s teachings. Later, I’ll move into pantomime, which will culminate in performance that includes Laban efforts. You should also look Laban up for a reference. |
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• Stage Four: Scene Study. During this stage, we’ll apply all of the techniques we’ve learned so far and integrate that into a five-minute scene. Here we’ll delve into deeper acting studies. We’ll talk about Constantin Stanislavsky’s method of acting and Lee Strasberg’s system. We’ll further look into Sandy Misner’s approach to get a well-rounded feel for the art. Along with this, we’ll look at given circumstances, objectives, active verbs, and dream endings. These will all be explained in better detail later. |
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• Stage Five: Audition Techniques. Finally, your child’s experience will culminate with the performance of two, one-minute monologues. This stage will focus on giving your child the tools necessary to audition. We will discuss everything from headshot photographs to theatre etiquette, and ways to boost their chances of getting cast. In the end, your child will have a strong dramatic and comedic monologue that they’ll be able to present anywhere at any time with ease. |
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• Stage Six: One Act Play. By the time your child reaches this stage, they will already be strong thespians. This stage will begin with a mock audition, callbacks, and finally casting and practice through the rehearsal process, which will end in a performance. You should expect to see amazing changes in your child’s ability at this point, and you will. |
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• Stage Seven: Classical Style. This stage is reserved for the most advanced of actors. Within this stage, we’ll cover Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, Moliere, amongst others. This stage will be in much depth, but may prove very valuable to the more mature actors. Each child will perform scenes under each of these authors and finish with a comedic and dramatic Shakespearean monologue. This will be an impressive finish indeed. |
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