NH Theatre Project Announces Adult Classes Including Comedy, Public Speaking, Yoga, And More

New Hampshire Theatre Project announces more upcoming workshops and classes, and this time they are for adults. Teaching Artist Stephanie Lazenby will launch a full year of her riotously popular adult comedy performance workshops, Couch to Mic, on Tuesdays beginning October 1. First Saturday Workshops - trainings for professionals, theatre artists and community members aligned with NHTP MainStage season - will kick off on October 5 with Let Your Light Shine: Becoming a Powerful Public Speaker. New this year, NHTP will also be offering adult yoga. Drop-in classes begin in mid-September. For more details visit www.nhtheatreproject.org.

Couch to Mic is a four week adult comedy performance class where participants will improvise, workshop, and write three minutes of comedy. "It could be stand up, news commentary like a correspondent on The Daily Show or maybe a short sketch. It's your choice," explains NHTP teaching artist Stephanie Lazenby. The class runs Tuesdays, 7.00 - 8:30pm, October 1 - 29, 2019 with the Open Mic Performance on Tuesday, October 29 at 7.30pm which is free and open to the public with a suggested donation of $5 to help support the program.

As a former member of the Emerson Comedy Workshop at Emerson College and author and performer of original shows and short films in her hometown of New York City, Stephanie Lazenby brings exception comedic skill and experience to NHTP. Monica Dorley, a recent student of the Couch to Mic class, says "I love the safe feeling the class provided while we all workshopped new ideas. The group was amazing and Stephanie guided our journey so well. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better situation."

NTHP will also continue to offer professional development, and creative experiences to adults on Saturday mornings; however this year they will run more consistently on the first Saturday of every month. "We wanted to tie each workshop into our MainStage programming," says Stewart. "We have a global theme of 'Can One Person Make A Difference?' and we feel like there's no better way to begin exploring that question than through personal growth and learning - no matter what age you are."

The First Saturday Workshops will begin on October 5th with Let Your Light Shine: Becoming a Powerful Public Speaker taught by theatre artist Genevieve Aichele and vocal instructor Martha Gleason as they join forces in a workshop designed to help participants awaken to their true voice power and ability to connect with audiences in an authentic way.

This workshop is paired with the first MainStage show of the 2019 - 2020 Season, The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess. Stewart adds that "...in The Niceties, both characters - strong female identifying academics, have to eloquently and passionately argue their stance on race, gender and American history. It felt serendipitous to be able to bring Martha and Genevieve back for this ever-popular workshop in partnership with this production."

Both Aichele and Gleason are public speaking coaches who work with clients to build confidence, transform anxiety into a powerful performance tool, and create strategic stories that inspire and motivate audiences and is for those who feel anxious about public speaking, those making a professional transition, or those who simply want to sharpen and upgrade their presentation skills.

The First Saturday workshops will continue on November 2nd, with "The Art of Persuasion, and Civil Discourse" led by NHTP teaching artist Eric Schildge. This three-hour workshop will be paired with MainStage Production Pride & Prejudice and will explore how theatre skills can help during personal interactions. Specifically, Eric will lead students through an exploration of the vocal, physical, and rhetorical elements of the art of persuasion using mindfulness techniques, improvisational exercises, and short scene work to explore how individuals leverage their relationships, reputation, and status to influence one another.

The rest of the year will include workshops on Voiceover Acting, Stage Combat, Mindfulness, Photoshoots for Actors and more. Led by NHTP Teaching Artists and guest facilitators, the workshops are tailored to the skills and experience of the group. They will run 9.30am to 12.30pm the first Saturday of each month from October 2019 through June 2020. For full details of each of the First Saturday Workshops, and their MainStage companion, please visit www.nhtheatreproject.org.

Adults can also attend yoga at the theatre. For theatre artists and community members alike, relax with a 60 minute Vinyasa yoga class in the theatre, available twice a week. All levels are welcome! This 60-minute Vinyasa yoga class will offer a safe and supportive environment to center the body and mind, linking movement to breath within a creative flow, while building strength and flexibility.

Classes take place on Tuesday afternoons at 2.30 - 3.30pm and on Thursday mornings at 9.00am - 10.00am. Students can attend classes individually or receive a discount for groups of classes. Payment is made directly to the class instructor, Meghann Beauchamp at the time of class. $10 Drop-in or 5 classes for $45. $5 drop-in new student special. No registration required.

Having discovered both yoga and theatre at a young age, Meghann has been incorporating mindful movement and breath work into her theatre teaching for years. After becoming a Registered Yoga Teacher in 2015, Meghann started bringing yoga to the theatre and is grateful to be able to offer yoga classes to NHTP's artists and community members.

For more information about the workshops, classes and training at New Hampshire Theatre Project during the 2019-2020 season, visit nhtheatreproject.org.