SPRING 2020 Newsletter
April - June | Spring 2020
Strange days are afoot as this newsletter is being shaped - things are changing so quickly from day to day that two weeks ago feels like two years ago. Freehold's staff are plugging away remotely, trying to figure out how to best proceed amid this international crisis.

Everywhere, nerves are frayed, folks are anxious and everything is uncertain, including how long this crisis will go on and whether anything will ever go back to normal.

In the interest of self-care, we offer To Do List for the Pandemic , brought to you by Amy Wheeler, playwriting instructor at Freehold in the early 2000's: simple things that can help, if only a little! Find it HERE .


SPONSOR-A-CLASSMATE!
Additionally, we realize some of our students may be struggling financially at the moment or facing into an uncertain future, while others are in more stable situations. A really great way to help both Freehold AND one of your fellow students is through Freehold's brand new, Sponsor-A-Classmate program! Check out the video below, which explains it all. Sign up  HERE  if you're interested in either sponsoring or being sponsored.
EVENT UPDATES
Join us at our Online Auction May 24-31

Due to the uncertainty presented by ever evolving COVID-19 response efforts, we have decided to move our annual auction online. Bidding will open on Sunday, May 24 and close the following Sunday, May 31. We'll follow up with a much-needed, in-person celebration later this year, when we are finally able to joyfully gather! In the meantime, stay tuned for more auction details soon and prepare to do some online bidding as we all raise a glass from a safe distance.
SPRING QUARTER CLASSES:
New Online Course Offerings Available!
Check out our website for more information about the rest of our
classes, scheduled to start after the stay-at-home order is lifted.
Voiceover with Kira Dorrian
Saturdays, April 18-June 6 9:00am-12:00pm

Audition for Film & TV with John Jacobsen
Wednesdays, April 15-May 20 7:00-10:00pm

Film Appreciation with John Jacobsen
Thursdays April 16-May 21 4:30-7:30pm

Playwriting I with Elizabeth Heffron
Sundays, April 12-June 7 6:30-9:30pm

Public Speaking with Gin Hammond*
Saturdays, April 18-June 6 2:30-4:30pm
Coaching for online video communication is included!

Voice & Speech with Gin Hammond*
Saturdays, April 18-June 6 11:00am-1:30pm

*20% discount available if you sign up for both of Gin Hammond's Classes.*

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** New Online Class Offering! **

Spoken Word and Performance Poetry
Tuesdays/Thursdays April 28th - June 4th, 6:00-8:00pm

“I speak to faeries who have forgotten the pouches of pixie dust in their possession...
I encourage these children to craft limbering language out of lofty aspirations."
- Mission Statement by Daemond Arrindell

Spoken Word is the writing craft of poetry brought to life through the art of performance. And while its origins go back to the ancient African griots its prevalence in today’s society is prolific. From commercials for beer and soda to YouTube videos to speeches made to Congress, you can find Spoken Word anywhere and everywhere, for numerous reasons: its level of accessibility and the simple fact that everyone has a story worth sharing. What will be yours?
FREEHOLD ONLINE CLASS SPOTLIGHT:
Watch JJ's Favorite Films, by John Jacobsen
What do John Ford, Andy Warhol, and David Fincher have in common? 

Ford, asked what the audience should watch for in a movie: “Look at the eyes...

FREEHOLD ONLINE CLASS SPOTLIGHT:
Voiceover, A Student's Perspective - What's the 411? by Elizabeth Alm
“Elizabeth will never be the person who sells laundry detergent.”

What could potentially be received as a weird piece of feedback was actually incredibly helpful when I sat through my first voice over class at Freehold this past winter...

FREEHOLD STUDIO SERIES SPOTLIGHT:
Studio Series 2020: Tom Heller, Caleb Pierce, & Randal Foss
What Participating in Studio Series 2020 Meant to Me 
by Tom Heller

“Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances,” a mantra articulated by Sanford Meisner, is the cornerstone of Freehold’s acting program and is what has thrilled me as an acting student and... 

My Studio Series Experience by Caleb Pierce

The Studio Series meant several things for me. I was involved in three projects. Two involved scenes from plays. For those, I collaborated with Freehold students I had taken class with. The third was a solo piece...

Working on It at Freehold's Studio Series by Randal Foss

I originally started to perform improv in Chicago in the late 80’s. I fell into the improv world almost by accident: one friend wanted to go skydiving and the other wanted me to take an improv class. I chose improv and...

READING LISTS!
It's a great time to read plays and theatre books!
Theatre "How-to" Reading List
Curated by Elizabeth Heffron

Got some pockets of time during the current pandemic? 
Here are five valuable 'how-to' books on theater that I keep coming back to... .

ACTING BOOKS Recommended by John Jacobsen

Audition by Michael Shurtleff

The Intent to Live by Larry Moss

Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen...

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