Summer Workshop
SALADO SILVER SPUR THEATER ANNOUNCES
SUMMER YOUTH WORKSHOPS FOR JUNE
To see our summer workshop poster or to enroll online click here or call 254-947-6304
*Once you are registered you can refer others! For every registration you refer you get a free Souvenir T-shirt!
Calling all aspiring actors, hoofers, clowns and vaudevillians! The Salado Silver Spur Theater, fast becoming a Central Texas family entertainment institution, is now accepting enrollments in its Summer Youth Theater Workshops.
In two, five-day courses, June 14-18 and July 26-30, youngsters age eight to 18 will receive instruction in acting and variety skills from the Spur’s professional mirth makers, the Spuradical Players. Pricing for the week of three-hour sessions is $150, with sessions held Monday through Friday. A $50 deposit is required. There is a $25 fee for cancellation notices of less than 14 days.
“We’ve had many parents ask about theater classes, and now in our seventh professional season, we’re ready to answer that calling,” said Grainger Esch, Executive Director of the Silver Spur. “It’s also a great opportunity for us to find and develop fresh talent for our productions and the community at large.”
The high-energy workshops will be conducted in three-hour daily sessions during the five-day courses, and students can participate in either a morning session or an afternoon session. The curriculum will include theater, improvisation, physical comedy, dance, music and other skills inspired by vaudeville variety shows. 
“Each week will culminate in an exciting showcase of participating students, where they will demonstrate the talents they’ve developed during class,” Esch explained.
The instructor roster for the workshops includes seasoned professionals in theater and education. Two of the teachers, Esch and Tom Rolls, are alumni of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College and veterans of the circus and the variety stage.
“We’ll be teaching physical comedy techniques, as well as some circus skills, like juggling, balancing and tumbling,” Rolls said.
Improvisation instruction will be headed up by Karen Ewton, a Spuradical comedienne who is also a teacher at Salado Middle School.
“Improv training helps open up the students’ creativity and teaches them to work harmoniously with other performers,” Ewton said. “Anything can happen in live theater, and the actor who can think quickly, make good choices and keep the show on track is a valuable asset to any production.”
Movement and dance will be taught by Tiffany Schreiner, who has more than 25 years experience. Her goals are to inspire interest in various forms of dance and to help the students make the most of their physical abilities in portraying a character. Schreiner also will lead the class’ stretching and warm-up exercises, giving the students a firm foundation for maintaining physical fitness.
Schreiner, whose family has been highly involved with theatre and artistic performance for generations, has studied dance, yoga and holistic physical/mental/spiritual healing throughout her life. Her most recent projects with children include storytelling, theater, dance, yoga, writing, philanthropy and music productions, as well as a variety of creative arts. She earned a B.A. degree in communication and is a nationally certified yoga instructor.
In the music department, Mary Bentley and Tony Blackman, along with Silver Spur musical director Nelda Milligan, will help students find their voice and improve the presentation of any musical talents they might already possess.
Milligan, whose piano virtuosity has accompanied Silver Spur productions since 2004, is also a University of Mary Hardin Baylor (UMHB) Music Dept. faculty member. Blackman, the Spur’s Technical Director, is a theater veteran whose credits include performing, directing, and designing in hundreds of productions. He’s also taught speech and theater for more than 15 years.
Bentley, also a Spuradical Player and a Salado H.S. teacher, has been involved in more than 25 productions, as well as directing a dinner theater company. She holds a degree in Literature and Drama from UMHB.
“If you have a child who would love to explore his/her creative side through performance, please consider their coming on board for a week full of summer fun!” Bentley enthused. “The confidence and presence they gain will serve them well in other areas of their lives.”
ABOUT THE SILVER SPUR
The Silver Spur Theater is located in the renovated Guest and Sanford Granary & Feed Co., 108 Royal St., in historic downtown Salado, a few blocks from the Interstate 35. Reviving a bygone era of family entertainment, the theater offers its trademark blend of live vaudeville acts, live music, plays and classic cinema. Weddings, reunions, business conferences, concerts, field trips, dances, even customized private shows are held in the historical venue, with catering available from the Stagecoach Inn and nearby restaurants.
To see our summer workshop poster or to enroll online click here or call 254-947-6304
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR INTERVIEWS:
Grainger Esch, Executive Dir., Salado Silver Spur Theatre, 254- 947-3456; g
Preston F. Kirk, APR, Kirk Public Relations, Austin, TX, 830-693-4447; Kirk@tstar.net
