Driftwood Players, now in its 57th season, announces the formation of “Theatre Intensive Drama Education for Students,” or TIDES for short.

Designed to appeal to a variety of young theatre-lovers who want more than what their academic curriculum or schedule might accommodate, TIDES will teach what it is like to be in rehearsal for a play; script and character analysis, learning scenes and understanding the social impact of live theater.

The two-hour session of TIDES begins Sept. 28 and runs through Dec. 18 on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5 p.m. The program is intended for teens aged 14-19.

Managing Director of Driftwood Amy Gentry says of TIDES, “With such a rich arts community here in Edmonds and so many wonderful resources at Driftwood, creating a program that offers interesting and fun classes for teens and adults to explore theatre is thrilling for us.”

“We don’t want to only be where people come to see theatre, but where everyone is welcome to become a part of theatre. And maybe some hidden talents will be uncovered!”

Morgan Heetbrink, who has successfully directed the Summer Teen Ensemble at Driftwood Players for many years, will run TIDES.

The TIDES Program will have a social-impact component that students will explore through community outreach activities, current events research, literature and guest speakers. This component will allow students to learn their material through hands-on experience and deeper study as a way to develop and enrich their performances on stage.

The program participants will enjoy class sizes of no more than 12 members.

Throughout the process teens will build the acting and characterization skills necessary to be a strong stage performer, including details like warm-ups, vocal projection, and articulation.

Instructors and Classes

Page to Stage – Playwriting Class, with instructor John Ruoff. This playwriting course teaches students to write a short play from blank page to a staged reading.

Improv classes will explore the fun and finesse of improvisation with actress, Jenny Price.

Audition Workshops will be led by director and actor Ted Jaquith (board president of Driftwood Players). This workshop will be offered once a month to help veteran actors polish up their audition skills and help novice performers learn how to properly prepare for auditioning.

This fall’s TIDES production will be “Boy Gets Girl” by Rebecca Gilman. The subject matter focuses on stalking. Driftwood Players’ TIDES graduates will present two showcase performances at the end of the fall session.

Registration for all classes is now open online. Those interested should sign up quickly as space for each class is limited. Tuition is $350. No experience is necessary to audition, just a passion to learn and a desire to be involved in what it takes to put together a play.

For further information on the program for the press, please contact Managing Director Amy Gentry – 425-774-9600, amy@edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org.