PLAYground: A Children's Theatre Workshop comes to Black Mountain Center for the Arts

Is your child a natural performer or mimic? Do they need an outlet for their constant singing and dancing around the house? 

Is there a way to harness their insatiable imagination and sense of pretend? 

There is.

PLAYground: A Children's Theatre Workshop comes to Black Mountain Center for the Arts as an after-school program for students ages 6-12, beginning Nov. 5.

The series of classes explores the performance arts of acting, play-making, pantomime, storytelling, juggling and creative dramatics. 

Classes are held on Tuesdays. For students ages 6-8, the class is held from 3:30-4:30 p.m. and costs $45 a month. Students ages 9-12 have class from 4:45-6 p.m., for $50 per month.

Storyteller and theatre artist David Novak leads a creative experience with every class, focusing on a wide variety of performance skills. Students will interpret poetry and scripts, improvise scenes, practice physical comedy, juggling, puppetry and public speaking.

"I believe strongly that the goal of education is to support the growth of our children as they develop into self-actualized, informed and contributing citizens of the world,” Novak said.

Awarded the Circle of Excellence from the National Storytelling Network, Novak is a veteran of the National Storytelling Festival, theaters and festivals across the United States.

He has keynoted and been a master teacher internationally at the Czech Children’s Theatre Festival, Sydney International Storytelling Conference and Singapore StoryFest.

His tour-de-force performance as R. Buckminster Fuller, recently toured from Black Mountain to Krakow, Poland.

His children’s play “Journeying Jack” received the 2016 Aurand Harris Memorial Playwriting Award for excellence in professional theatre for children. Novak is an A+ Fellow with North Carolina Arts Council, and a Teaching Artist for The Wolf Trap Institute for Early Childhood Education Through The Arts.

Novak holds a BFA in Theatre Arts from Southern Methodist University and an MFA in Acting from UC San Diego. He currently lives in Asheville, NC.

“I have complete trust in David’s abilities to captivate his audience of student actors and teach them the skills that will enhance their performances in the future and build confidence in the present,” said BMCA Executive Director Lori Cozzi. “Plus, PLAYground is a great way to get students up and moving, expressing themselves and learning while having fun. I’m excited to offer this workshop.”

For more information about enrolling your child in PLAYground Children’s Theatre Workshop call 828-669-0930 or visit blackmountainarts.org.