ADULT
LTA offers classes for adults three times throughout the year; Fall sessions start in September, Winter/Spring sessions start in January and abbreviated Summer sessions start in June. All tuition is due at the time of registration. Our schedule of current classes and secure online registration is available below.
Our Education Department
LTA remains committed to continuing the Spring I adult and junior classes (and the showcases) that were interrupted by the virus. We hope to complete these as soon as possible.
In-person classes for the Spring II term beginning April 5 have been cancelled. However, on a positive note, we have reconceived several Spring II classes that will go online using Zoom! Thank you, Education Governor Michael Baker and the Spring II teachers, for making this happen. Those who have already registered for the Spring II session will be contacted by LTA office staff to confirm your registration. Students who have registered for cancelled classes or are not interested in online options will receive refunds.
For now, plans for the LTA Summer Camp and the summer adult classes (both scheduled to begin in late May) are unchanged. You will continue to see our ads for these exciting opportunities, and we look forward to a great summer of learning.
Our Offices
During this period of social distancing and teleworking, the LTA Business Office and Box Office are closed to walk-up public business. If you need to come to LTA during business hours, please schedule an appointment with either Business Manager Tina McCrea (Tina@thelittletheatre.com) or Box Office Manager Crissy Wilke (Crissy@thelittletheatre.com). Both will be working online and coming to the office on a limited basis.
Going Forward
Are you going stir crazy? Don’t forget that LTA’s play-reading group, Script Addicts, has moved online and will be reading and discussing plays more frequently during the pandemic. Consult the LTA website: http://thelittletheatre.com/performances/#newsandannouncements.
In the meantime, LTA’s Board of Governors will continue to monitor CDC, Commonwealth of Virginia, and City of Alexandria guidelines. As necessary, I will provide updates by email, social media, and on our website (www.thelittletheatre.com).
We will continue to look forward to exciting days ahead including a new season starting with Sister Act and Summer Camp.
Your patronage is important to us, and my fellow Board members and I look forward to seeing you again very soon. Until then, STAY HEALTHY!
Spring Session:
Summer Session:
To receive future information on classes at LTA, send your email information to the LTA office at asklta@thelittletheatre.com with the subject line EDUCATION EMAIL LIST. Make note on whether it is adult or youth classes you are interested in.
YOUTH
LTA offers classes for children (kindergarten – 8th Grade) three times throughout the year; Fall sessions start in September, Winter/Spring sessions start in January and abbreviated Summer sessions start in June. All tuition is due at the time of registration. Our schedule of classes and secure online registration is available below.
Spring Session:
Summer Session (not camps):
To receive future information on classes at LTA, send your email information to the LTA office at asklta@thelittletheatre.com with the subject line EDUCATION EMAIL LIST. Make note on whether it is adult or youth classes you are interested in.
TOTS
LTA offers classes for tots and preschoolers (ages 3-5) three times throughout the year; Fall sessions start in September, Winter/Spring sessions start in January and abbreviated Summer sessions start in June. All tuition is due at the time of registration. Our schedule of classes and secure online registration is available below.
To receive future information on classes at LTA, send your email information to the LTA office at asklta@thelittletheatre.com with the subject line EDUCATION EMAIL LIST. Make note on whether it is adult or youth classes you are interested in.
IMPROV
LTA offers improv classes three times throughout the year; Fall sessions start in September, Winter/Spring sessions start in January and abbreviated Summer sessions start in June. All tuition is due at the time of registration. Our schedule of classes and secure online registration is available below:
Spring Session:
Summer Session:
To receive future information on classes at LTA, send your email information to the LTA office at asklta@thelittletheatre.com with the subject line EDUCATION EMAIL LIST. Make note on whether it is adult or youth classes you are interested in.
Join us for some upcoming Improv events at LTA:
The Retrocessionist Improv Troupe
They’ll use your suggestions to create a fun night of improv! Snacks and drinks will be served. All current LTA Improv students get in free. Everyone else pay what you choose ($5 recommended donation). Like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @retrocessionist to learn more about their upcoming shows!
Upcoming shows: February 15, April 11, May 23
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
The Little Theatre of Alexandria
General High School Scholarship Award
The Little Theater of Alexandria recognizes outstanding high school students by awarding annual academic scholarships to deserving students. Through generous donations, LTA is able to offer annual one-time $1,000 college scholarships to local students. In 2015, LTA introduced these General High School Scholarship Awards, inviting Producers, Directors, and Committee Chairmen to annually nominate talented high school juniors and seniors who have taken part in at least one Main Stage production at LTA for consideration for these awards.
LTA offers a maximum of two annual General High School Scholarship Awards of $1,000 each to high school students who have participated in the LTA Student Intern Program in at least one Main Stage show at The Little Theater of Alexandria, one student as an actor and one in an area of technical support. Nominations of eligible students should be submitted to the Governor of Development by Producers, Directors, and Committee Chairmen throughout each year. From the list of nominations, the LTA Scholarship Selection Committee will select two recipients − one actor and one who has worked with the technical staff − and present them with scholarships at the theater’s Annual Awards Night Ceremony in the fall.
Students awarded these scholarships are not required to select Theater as their field of study.
Eligible students must exhibit the following criteria:
1. Be a high school senior or rising junior from a Northern Virginia/Alexandria school
2. Be a U.S. citizen and plan to use the scholarship for tuition assistance
3. Maintain a high school scholastic GPA of0 or greater throughout their junior/senior year
4. Must attend college or technical school following high school graduation
5. Must have been a volunteer with The Little Theatre of Alexandria in the area of acting, technical, or general theater craft on at least one main stage LTA production within 18 months of this application
Nominees and acceptable applications will be automatically submitted for consideration.
Completed applications can be submitted to the Governor of Development through the Business Office or be mailed to LTA:
Scholarship Committee
The Little Theatre of Alexandria
600 Wolfe Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Applications must be postmarked or registered with the LTA Business Office no later than June 1.
Application Form:
A scholarship application form can be downloaded by clicking HERE.
High Schoolers who are currently enrolled in an LTA class and who have previously participated in two or more LTA youth classes or camps are invited to apply to become Student Ambassadors for LTA! This select group will meet at least once a month, with their mission being to provide support for and to help promote LTA, e.g. help with set building, ushering (Junior and Seniors only, following Front of House training), participate in parades and events, and assist with pre-school and elementary age classes and workshops. Student Ambassadors will be invited to attend preview nights of LTA shows (excluding A Christmas Carol) and will be given the opportunity to attend group theatre trips. Schedules permitting, there may also be an opportunity to perform for LTA’s younger students. They will also receive community service hours, plus extracurricular leadership credit for college resumes. There is no charge for this six month pilot program, however, all participants must become junior members of LTA ($30). To apply, fill out the Student Ambassador Program Application 2019 and email to Heather Sanderson at bardsplay@gmail.com.
TEACHERS
MARK ADAMS
MARK ADAMS has been a teacher and acting coach for over 15 years. As a professional AEA, SAG/AFTRA Actor since the early 1980’s, Mark has worked on many stages in NYC & the greater Metro area of Washington DC. He trained at Flagler College and The Drama Studio, London. Mark has performed on the LTA stage many times and has been working with 9th to 12th grade level actors attending Bishop Ireton, Edison High School, West Potomac Hich School (where Mark directed many plays) and others who attended Mark’s classes offered at LTA in the past. Mark has also performed at: The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, The Folger, 1st Stage, Constellation Theater, Dorothy Strelson Theatre, Flood Lights Theatre, The Lazy Susan Theatre and many more.
RICH AMADA
RICH AMADA is an award-winning dramatist and Emmy-winning former TV journalist. His plays have been produced around the country, including in: Washington, D.C.; New York City; Maryland; Florida; and Arizona. Rich served for five years as D.C./Baltimore Regional Representative of the Dramatists Guild. Among his multiple playwriting awards are a Playwriting Fellowship from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and an Individual Artist Award in Playwriting from the Maryland State Arts Council. Rich also directs and acts. Additionally, he is an attorney whose practice includes counseling and representing people in the arts.
JEFFREY AUERBACH AND KIMBERLY CRAGO
JEFFREY AND KIMBERLY design lights for multiple local theatre companies including The Arlington Players, Reston Community Players and Little Theatre of Alexandria. Jeff and Kimberly are the 2018 WATCH Award winners for Outstanding Light Design in a Play and the 2017 LTA Award winners for Excellence in Lighting Design.
MICHAEL BAKER, JR.
MICHAEL BAKER, JR. is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV host, reporter and producer. He has also garnered 6 National Telly Awards, 5 Videographer Awards and a Marcom Creative Award. He hosted and produced a talk show on Bravo for six years. Mike has garnered multiple awards for his performances in musical comedy and dramatic theatre. He has worked in New York as an actor and voice over artist and has sung at The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, and The White House. He has appeared in 30 LTA productions over the years.
BEVERLEY BENDA
BEVERLEY BENDA, a professional singer by trade, retired after 30 years as a classical soprano with The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, and Programming NCO and Script Writer for their Public Affairs Office. She has performance and teaching degrees from James Madison University, Eastern Illinois University, and The Eastman School of Music, and has appeared in a variety of musical productions including Brigadoon, Carmen, Carousel, Oklahoma!, Kismet, The Pirates of Penzance, Dialogue of the Carmelites, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, Hollywood Pinafore, It’s A Grand Night for Singing, and the first revival of Call Me Mister. As a private voice teacher and vocal coach, her class at LTA is the longest-running in the theater’s history. She is also on the LTA Board of Governors and is an award-winning costumer.
CAROL JEAN CLARK
CAROL JEAN CLARK attended The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in NYC for musical theatre. After performing, recording music, and producing benefit concerts with Broadway stars in NYC, she now lives and works in VA performing, directing, music directing, and choreographing. She is also on the board of a local theatre company and works with several others in the area. Carol teaches private vocal and piano lessons as well as audition prep and acting coaching. In her free time she rides horses, plays pool competitively, and spends time with her horse, two dogs, two turtles, and a dove.
KATHERINE M. DILLABER
KATHERINE M. DILLABER is a JMU graduate, with a B.A in Communication Arts & Educational Certification, plus graduate studies. Post college, she performed at “Tecumseh”, Ohio; ‘Land of Oz’, N. C.; Busch Gardens, Williamsburg; and local theatres. Since 2013, she participates annually in the Broadway Teachers Workshop, NYC, working with Broadway’s top artists onstage & backstage. Workshops explored the theatre craft as it pertains to school & community productions. Other experiences include a techie backstage and a theatre instructor where she has directed numerous children’s productions. Her professional education, theatre positions, and years of ballet training (Cecchetti method) are constant resources for classes.
AMY CARSON
AMY CARSON has been involved in the DC dance and musical theatre scene for more than 20 years. Having taught Musical Theatre Dance and specialty dance workshops for numerous adult and teen students, Amy has developed a passion for teaching Broadway-style dance to beginners and above. Additionally, Amy has performed in many musicals and dance shows, has choreographed several musicals, and has won the WATCH Award for Best Choreography. Most recently, Amy has been seen performing in LTA acting showcases and has served as a supernumerary in American Ballet Theatre’s productions of Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, and Romeo & Juliet.
ASHLEY HAMMOND
ASHLEY HAMMOND graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.F.A. in Acting. She toured professionally and taught children’s theatre for many years, traveling all over the eastern part of the country. She has been teaching acting at LTA and in the DC metro area for over 10 years. In addition to teaching, she is also the Managing Director of Educational Theatre Company.
SARAH HOLT
SARAH HOLT launched LTA’s improv classes back in 2001. A graduate of The Groundlings training program in NYC, she performed with various groups there before moving down to the nation’s capital and joining a then-fledgling troupe of nine members called Washington Improv Theater (WIT). She now performs with LTA’s house troupe The Retrocessionists and teaches improv workshops at The Actors’ Center. Sarah brings her extensive resume as an actor to her improv classes, encouraging students to play real and let funny happen. Recent acting credits include performances with The Little Theatre of Alexandria, The Keegan Theatre, the Folger Theatre, Nextstop Theatre, and the Source Festival. Through her company Mixed Minds (www.mixedminds.biz), Sarah combines her improv expertise and long-time corporate communications experience to provide workshops that enliven group dynamics for better collaboration and bigger ideas.
KEELY KIRK
KEELY KIRK began her improv career with Mental Floss, a Miami-based improv/sketch troupe. She went on to be a principle performer for over ten years with Laughing Gas Comedy Improv – Miami’s longest- running improv theater company. Keely relocated to the epicenter for improv, Chicago, and trained with iO (formerly Improv Olympics) and Second City. Currently Keely teaches, develops and delivers fun, fast-paced, interactive training and unforgettable events using theater improvisation techniques. Through her company, Playing OUTSIDE the Lines LLC, she has provided team building workshops for businesses, law firms, accounting firms, schools, as well as numerous Fortune 500 companies. She consults with businesses and training facilities in the Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia area. In addition to teaching, Keely also performs with various improv groups around the country.
RICK LORE
RICK LORE, an Actor’s Equity member, has directed over 20 works in Colorado and California, including the premiere of his own play, Mixed Doubles. Productions ranged from the traditional (Ibsen, Williams, Mamet) to a half dozen world premieres. Rick’s theatre career coincided with a 25 year stint in Public Television, where he travelled the country conducting workshops for on-air talent, geared to honing communication skills at PBS stations.
STEVE MCBRIDE
STEVE MCBRIDE holds a Bachelor of Music, in Music Education (vocal concentration) from West Chester University. In addition to his teaching, Mr. McBride has been Music Director/Conductor/Vocal Director of many shows including The Producers, Into the Woods, Les Misérables, Pajama Game, Camelot, South Pacific, Grease, My Fair Lady, Cinderella, Sound of Music, Trial by Jury, and King and I. Steve is also very active throughout the area as a vocal coach, accompanist, and conductor. Having taught choral/vocal music in public schools in both Pennsylvania and Maryland, Steve also is the Interim Choir Director/Organist at Church of the Good Shepherd, Burke, Virginia.
MICHAEL PAGE
MICHAEL PAGE graduated from Christopher Newport University with a Bachelor’s degree in Theater, focusing on Musical Theater Performance, Directing, Dance/Choreography, and Lighting. He has been very active for the past 10 years in the Alexandria theater community, working with theaters such as; MVCCT, PCP, ACCT, and LTA. He has directed, choreographed, and fight choreographed children and adults alike. He has a passion for teaching the performing arts in a logical way, while inspiring creativity and individual expression. Michael has been LTA’s camp director for the past two years during which time the camps experienced unprecedented growth.
HEATHER SANDERSON
HEATHER SANDERSON studied classical theatre at RADA in London and prior to moving to Alexandria acted extensively in the San Francisco Bay Area. As “Miss Heather”, she is known locally for instilling a love of theatre – in particular Shakespeare – into the hearts of children. Her youth Shakespeare troupes have performed in D.C. and in the U.K. and her privately coached monologue students have performed at the Shakespeare Theatre, the Ford’s Theatre and numerous community and children’s theatres in the area. Heather may be familiar to fans of British television programs through her Tea with Heather segments on Maryland Public Television’s Afternoon Tea.
JOHNPAUL SCHUTZ
JOHNPAUL SCHUTZ, an Atlanta native, graduated from the College of Charleston with an undergraduate degree in Theatre; where he not only studied performance and direction, but also lighting, scenography, costuming, literature and history, playwriting, stage management, and whatever else needed doing for a successful production. JohnPaul went on to teach middle and high school drama and worked for Cobb County Division of Cultural Affairs, where he founded The Theatre Project, the counties premier performance organization for third through twelfth graders. In 2008, JohnPaul joined the State Department, serving overseas for the last eleven years. Now on a domestic assignment teaching at the Foreign Service Institute, he teaches “stage management for diplomats.” And now back to teaching his first love, theatre, here at LTA. In 2019, JohnPaul received the College of Charleston School of the Arts Alumni Award for Service.
FRANK SHUTTS
FRANK SHUTTS has been teaching acting since 1985 and has worked with the theater department of McLean High School, The Madeira School, and Bishop Ireton High School. He has directed 35 main-stage shows at LTA alone and currently serves as the stage director for the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington (GMCW). A member of the Educational Theater Association, Frank also serves as a mentor with the CAPPIES program of the National Capital Area. A native northern Virginian, Frank returns to the education program at LTA where he previously taught Acting I and II, Shakespeare, and Acting in Comedy.
RUBEN VELLEKOOP
RUBEN VELLEKOOP is a director, sound designer, and intimacy choreographer in the DMV area. He has studied with The Acting Studio and The Barrow Group. His next project is co-directing LOVE/SICK for Winterfest ’20 (NYC).
JOHN WALDRON
JOHN WALDRON received his BFA in theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University. As an actor, director, and instructor, he has been working in the region for over 20 years. He has directed shows at Aldersgate and MVCCT. John can be seen in the motion picture ‘Talk To Me’ starring Don Cheadle and was featured on Investigative Discovery show ‘Who The Bleep!’ John is a member of the improvisation group, The Stagecoach Bandits.
MONA WARGO
MONA WARGO has been a volunteer in the theater community for many years. She has painted countless shows for Dominion Stage in Arlington, Virginia from 1998-2007, while also being nominated in 2000 for an ACT Award. Mona also painted for Foundry Theater in Washington DC in 2004. She returned to theater in 2015 to LTA on the encouragement of the late Roland Gomez, leading a crew and paint, for his show A Party to Murder. In 2017 she was jointly awarded the LTA Pearl Award for Excellence in Set painting for that show. Mona was also awarded the 2018 WATCH award and the LTA Pearl Award both for Dracula. She has continued to work on numerous shows for LTA painting and leading crew and just recently painted Frozen Jr. for Aldersgate community theater. Mona holds an A.A. in Liberal Arts (which includes theater) from Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida, A B.P.A. in Public Administration from the University of the District of Columbia, Washington DC, and an MS/IT in Information and Telecommunications Systems for Business from the Carey Business School of The Johns Hopkins University.
LINDA WELLS
LINDA WELLS is a private vocal teacher/coach, working primarily with children and teens. She has appeared in many musical theatre productions in professional and community theatres locally and elsewhere including The Music Man, Sweeney Todd, The Sound of Music, 1776, The Most Happy Fella, Side by Side by Sondheim, Brigadoon, George M!, Fiorello!, Guys and Dolls, and Godspell. Linda is also a professional church soloist and pianist. She was the Children’s Vocal Coach for The Little Theatre of Alexandria (LTA)’s Scrooge: The Musical, and the Musical Director for LTA’s A Christmas Carol (ten times) and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (twice); for Aldersgate Church Community Theatre’s Mulan, Jr.; and for Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre’s Narnia.