Alumna To Offer Weekly Theater Class For Middle School Students With Unique Personalities

Antioch University Seattle alumna Karen Noble-Newman, MA Psychology ’01, LMHC, and Lauren Marshall, MFA, theater teaching artist and parent to a child with Asperger’s, will be teaching Theater of Possibility–Rehearsing Social Skills Through Acting and Improv, a weekly theater class designed for middle school students with unique personalities. Sponsored by Seattle Public Theater.

The theater class is especially geared toward youth with Asperger’s, ADHD, and other social skills challenges. Noble-Newman and Marshall will use theater games and improv to practice social skills in a fun and supportive environment. It starts Thursday, April 8 and runs for 10 weeks on Thursdays from 6-7:30 at Billings Middle School in Seattle’s Greenlake neighborhood. A longer session will be held on the last day for forum theater performance. Small group size: 6-10 children.

TOP is an acting/improv class for 6th-8th graders with unique personalities. It is especially geared towards youth with Asperger’s, ADHD, NVLD and other social skill challenges. Youngsters without a diagnosis who have a flair for the dramatic or who are intrigued by acting will also fit right in.

TOP helps youth navigate the intensely social world of middle school. Through fun and zany theater games, improv exercises, and role playing Noble-Newman and Marshall will explore the dynamics of friendship and practice responses to teasing, exclusion, and bullying. Group members will have opportunities to experiment with non-verbal communication, to learn about social nuances, to understand another’s perspective, and to practice flexibility all while having fun and expressing their authentic selves loudly and creatively.

The fee is $549 for Spring Quarter. Payment plans and partial scholarships are available. Contact Karen Noble-Newman for more details at 206 909-1937 or e-mail her at karennoblenewman@hotmail.com. You can also check out her web sites: www.karennoblenewman.com and www.seattlepublictheater.org/outreach.htm.