TIP Youth
September 27, 2011 (edit: October 31, 2011) | 
jonreimer
TIP Youth 2012: Sign up now!TIP Youth aims to provide students with a solid foundation of knowledge and practical techniques in theatre and performing in a professional-level play or musical, so that they may use this experience in many aspects of their student and adult lives. The workshops will be a fun and creative environment for students to make new friends and produce a show!
If you do not see the Sign-up Form below (powered by Google Docs), please CLICK HERE.
*First Orientation Meeting Sunday 11th December. Workshops nearly every week on Saturday/Sunday morning, 9am-1pm, January 14th to May 27th. Show week: May 29th to June 3rd, at Theater Bon Bon in Nakano.
*Places available for ages 8-12 (“Act One”, rehearsing Saturdays) and 13-17 (“Act Two” rehearsing Sundays). High school seniors not eligible as schedule will conflict with graduation timetables.
*First come, first served, 20 places available in each class. Places available for new and returning students. Sign-ups by the website will open at 8am on November 1st. All nationalities welcome, though the program will be conducted entirely in English. No previous theatre experience necessary.
*Program fee: 65,000 yen per student. For more than 60 rehearsal hours, that’s less than 1,000 yen per contact hour and includes production costs, souvenir t-shirt, DVD of final product and photos.
TIP Youth FAQs and General Information
What is TIP Youth and what is it for?
TIP Youth is a new program from Tokyo International Players designed for teaching students all about theatre and performing. In 2011 we created a whole new program for students, to give them a firm grounding in all things involved in acting on stage, being part of a production and belonging to a theatre community. TIP Youth is more than an ‘acting school’, as it deals with performing in a production as well as different acting methods and techniques.
How much is the program?
The program fee is 65,000 yen per student, which can be broken down into several different costs. There are four contact hours per week for at least fifteen workshops, at less than 1,000 yen per contact hour. An allowance for props, set and costume is included. Students will receive a DVD of the final product, along with workshop/production photos and a souvenir t-shirt.
What shows will be performed?
We are currently waiting to hear from Music Theatre International as to the rights available for different shows. We will announce the shows when our contracts are confirmed.
When and where are the productions performed?
The production week is May 29th - June 3rd, with performances open to the public 31st to 3rd. The venue will be Theater Bon Bon in Nakano. Both Acts will have one rehearsal in the theatre and perform their show three times that weekend.
What is Production Week?
‘Production Week’ refers to the performance dates, the few days of full and technical rehearsals leading up to performances, and the business of loading our production in and out of the theater. More information about Production Week expectations and procedures will be given out closer to the time.
There are rehearsals on various days during production week. These are very important. Please keep this week as clear as possible, both for the schedule and for the students’ health.
What is the rehearsal schedule?
Over six months, from January to June, students will attend workshops every weekend. The schedule is challenging to set because of the many different Japanese and International Schools’ term dates and vacations, as well as TIP’s schedule. So of all the dates are listed below, some may be cancelled due to unavailability.
There are more than fifteen weeks listed below, as a contingency measure. We may need to cancel one weekend due to unforeseen circumstances, or we may use it for a costuming session or similar. Also, some students may not be called for rehearsal (for example, and all-chorus rehearsal means that a main character may not be required to attend). Please keep all these dates in your schedule.
Act One will rehearse Saturday mornings from 9am to 1pm on the dates below; Act Two Sunday mornings from 9am to 1pm on the dates below.
What is the structure of the workshops?
The sessions are four hours long, usually broken down into ‘workshops’ and ‘rehearsals’. During the first half, students will learn about an aspect of performance; then in the second half will apply these new skills in rehearsing the show itself: for example, a workshop on movement, then a choreography rehearsal. Students will be given sufficient breaks during sessions, including time to eat a snack. Workshops will include demonstrations, explanations and lots of practice in varying situations. The rehearsals will deal primarily with creating and learning the production, piece by piece. Later sessions will be devoted to rehearsing scenes and the entire show.
Where will rehearsals be?
All rehearsals until production week will be held at Our Space in Hatagaya. The map is here.
Who are the teachers?
The instructors and helpers are experienced members of TIP, and many are professionals in their field. We have actors, voice actors and directors; dancers, choreographers and musicians. Most are also professional teachers of varying age groups and have worked with students for many years.
The directors this year are Linden Wint (Act One) and Dale Geyer (Act Two).
Workshops will be led by different instructors on specific topics in their area of expertise. Linden and Dale will oversee these workshops, then direct the rehearsal process with assistance from the guest instructors.
We will provide the student with a firm grounding in all aspects of performing on stage, teach them how to be part of a production and give them the freedom, motivation, environment and tools to grow as a performer.
What will the students learn?
Workshops will be given on topics such as Foundation, Core, Voice, Movement, Staging, Safety, Tech and much more. Students will learn a whole new glossary of vocabulary associated with acting and the theatre. Students will develop skills like public speaking, freedom from self-consciousness and pride in team achievements. They will learn the value that hard work combined with fun activities can create a fantastic result that many others can enjoy. They will see that is is the process as much as the end result that is important. With fun experiences in theatre, students can carry that love of performing arts throughout their life and complete a well-rounded education.
Workshop/Rehearsal dates
Students must be prepared to attend all of the following. We may announce cancellations when we see how the different school calendars match up this year. There may be other exceptions announced later on.
Act One (ages 8 - 12):
Jan 14, 21, 28
Feb 4, 11, 18, 25
Mar 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
Apr 7, 14, 21
May 12, 19, 26
Act Two (ages 13 - 17):
Jan 15, 22, 29
Feb 5, 12, 19, 26
Mar 4, 11, 18, 25
Apr 1, 8, 15, 22
May 13, 20, 27
