(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage’s Summer Performance Conservatory for young artists, ages 12-17 returns for 2020, led by teaching artist and Broadway veteran Karl Kenzler. Auditions will be held at Luna Stage, 555 Valley Road in West Orange, on Thursday, February 27 from 4:00pm-6:00pm and Saturday, February 29 from 2:00pm-5:00pm and by appointment. Students selected for the program will collaborate on a devised play that they will perform on Luna’s MainStage theater this July.
Students who are accepted to the Conservatory will spend four weeks learning the skills to develop and perform their own original theater piece with professional Broadway, film, and television actor Karl Kenzler. Using theater games, field work and improvisation, each student artist will create an original character, write monologues and scenes, and rehearse in preparation for eight public performances at the end of the session.
A maximum of 12 actors will be accepted into the program, all of whom are guaranteed speaking roles with substantial featured dialogue. Up to five additional slots are available for students interested in stagecraft, directing, technical theatre, and stage management.
Luna’s auditions are welcoming, supportive, and fun. Applicants should prepare one minute of text: a monologue, poem or anything else they can theatricalize, and one minute of music: sing a song, play an instrument, percussive dance or anything else with rhythm or movement. To book an audition appointment, please email holly.lehren@lunastage.org.
Classes and rehearsals will be July 6-30, Monday-Friday from 9:00am-1:00pm. Performances will be July 25, 26, and August 1 and 2 at 2:00pm. In addition, the actors will have the unique experience of performing the same show at different venues as a touring company from July 27-30.
Conservatory tuition is $1500. Need-based scholarships are available.
The Summer Performance Conservatory offers young artists an opportunity to enhance their individual performance potential while developing a broad base of theater experience and knowledge. They will build technique and learn about themselves as performers while developing collaborative skills and artistic confidence.
Karl Kenzler is an actor, teacher and writer who has worked extensively in theater, film and television.
As a teacher, Kenzler has served on the faculty of NYU’s Graduate Acting Program and taught master classes at the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, the Juggernaut Theatre Company ArtsGym Workshop Program, Williamstown Theater Festival and Destination Broadway, among others. As Resident Games Teacher at Chautauqua Theatre Company, he collaborated with company actors to create original projects based on local stories and folklore.
Karl served as a national panelist and teacher for the NFAA YoungArts competition, the sole nominating committee for Presidential Scholars in the Arts. His work as a games teacher is featured in the 2006 Academy Award nominated feature length documentary, “Rehearsing A Dream.”
As an actor, Karl has appeared on Broadway in Fiddler On The Roof, You Can’t Take It With You, and Mary Poppins, and across the country at most leading regional theaters. His television credits include appearances on “Madame Secretary,” “Mr. Robot,” “House Of Cards,” and “Law & Order: SVU.” Upcoming projects include the Signature Theater revival of Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 and Jon Stewart’s feature film, “Irresistible.”
Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences. Luna brings communities together for artistic events that spark conversations and create understanding and change. Firmly rooted in New Jersey’s Valley Arts District—a crossroads of cultures—the Company celebrates the diverse voices that surround us. As producer, educator, and innovator, Luna Stage is dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation and nurturing the next generation of audiences and artists.
Luna’s classes for children and adults, and its developmental programs for early career artists, inspire community members to nurture their own creativity and vision.
Luna Stage has contributed to the development of over 80 new works for the stage, earning a reputation for artistic excellence. Some of those plays have gone on to productions in New York City and beyond. Luna’s unique approach to producing, as well as the work itself, fosters an environment of inclusivity, understanding, and infinite possibility.
