Mason Community Arts Academy

Category: Acting

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Acting Faculty News

This alumna’s first feature film is all about Him

rebecca wahls directing

Acting for Young People Senior Teaching Arist Rebecca Wahls was featured in George Mason University’s news in regards to her first feature film, Him, about the final five contestants on a reality dating show.

Rebecca has taught with us Fall 2012 and is currently directing this summer’s Advanced Actors Showcase!

Rebecca Wahls
Director
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Rebecca Wahls has worked with AFYP since Fall 2012 teaching for after school, summer camp, and showcase programs and in various administrative capacities. Her favorite AFYP project was Puffs in Summer 2022. Currently, her focus with AFYP is on private coaching, creative writing, and graphic design. AFYP writing credits include Rockin’ Robin Hood (Fall 2021), Cinderella 101 (Fall 2018), Billy Shakes and the Big Screen (Fall 2016), A Midwinter Eve’s Dream (Fall 2015), and the Mini and Adventures scripts for Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025 .

Outside of AFYP, Rebecca develops new musicals and film and is currently the Artist in Residence at Duke University. She is a TEDx speaker (“Yes, And: The Power of Improv in Everyday Life”) and offers custom improv workshops for corporate organizations. Through AFYP, she has also taught Improv with the Veterans in the Arts Initiative. Recent directing credits include Pippin (4-time Helen Hayes nominated production with Monumental Theatre Company) and The Play That Goes Wrong (Cumberland Theatre, Winner of Best Play & Best Direction for 2024 by Broadway World Baltimore). MFA Directing (John Wells Fellow), Carnegie Mellon University; BFA Theatre, George Mason University. (rebeccawahls.com)  

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Acting Group Classes

Spring Break Acting Intensive: Meet the Artists

The Spring Break Acting Intensive: Devised Theater course is a collaboration between Acting for Young People (AFYP), Mason Community Arts Academy, and Precipice Theater Team (PTT).

The Precipice Theater Team will work with students to craft a dynamic, one-of-a-kind, play using students’ own words, thoughts, and experiences. In this intensive, PTT founders Ashley Forman and Josh Bickford will guide students through their internationally celebrated devising process to create autobiographical, ensemble-based theater that poses significant questions crucial to the participants and their communities. Through writing, movement, rehearsals, and performance, students will collaborate to bring their stories to life, in an environment infused with generosity, creativity, and excitement. 

Ideal for students in grades six through high school sophomores, the program will culminate in a fully realized and polished performance.

Here, Ashley and Josh tell us more about their process and the exciting plans they have in store for our upcoming collaboration!

Josh Bickford

Lead Teaching Artist

Ashley Forman

Lead Teaching Artist

Can you tell us more about the Precipice Theater Team? What are the origins of the company, and what is your mission?

Ashley: Absolutely! Precipice Theater Team is an interdisciplinary theater company that produces collaborative, autobiographical productions designed to pose vital questions, spark dialogue, and strengthen connections within communities. We create dynamic productions that integrate theater, visual art, and music to deliver unique artistic experiences.

After decades of developing this devised theater process at the regional level, I’m thrilled to now lead a company that focuses entirely on the kind of work I believe is most vital for young artists. I founded Precipice Theater Team to ensure young people have a space where their stories are celebrated, their talents are recognized, and their minds are challenged to imagine what’s next for the American stage.

How does a devised program format differ from a more “traditional” acting class or camp? 

Ashley: In a traditional theater class, students typically work from a preexisting script, learning  their assigned roles and waiting for their turn to shine. In a devised theater program, we flip the process. We start with actors first and develop the script based on their ideas, experiences, and contributions. This is also different in that it is ensemble theater, meaning that every student is on stage for the entire play and crucial to every moment. 

What might a day of spring break camp look like? What can students expect? 

Josh: A typical day of our spring break intensive begins with a warmup designed to center the students, heighten spatial awareness, integrate body and breath, and strengthen ensemble focus. The day unfolds with skill based games, creative movement, discussions on areas of exploration, autobiographical writing, and rehearsing newly devised sections of their original play.

Can you tell us more about the public performance opportunities for this program, in the Spotlight on the Arts festival and Precipice devised theater festival?

Josh: We are excited to be able to offer multiple performance opportunities for this ensemble. First, on May 4, students will perform their play at the Spotlight on the Arts Festival. Then, on May 25, as part of Precipice Theater Team’s Devised Theater Festival, they will take the stage at the historic George Washington Masonic Temple in Alexandria to perform alongside other PTT ensembles, allowing them to connect with a larger community of young, local artists.

Anything else you’d like to share, in general, or about our collaboration?

Ashley: We’re thrilled to partner with the incredible Acting for Young People! AFYP has been a cornerstone of theater education in Fairfax County, shaping and supporting generations of artists. Their commitment to empowering young performers aligns perfectly with our mission, making this collaboration especially meaningful. It’s an honor to join forces for this exciting new initiative.

Program Details

Ages: 11–15 (grades 6–10)

Dates: April 14–18, 2025
9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Tuition: $395

Location: Mason Community Arts Academy Building in Fairfax, Virginia

Public Performances: Sunday, May 4 and Sunday, May 25 (times to be announced)

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Acting

Young Actors Connected with Acclaimed Theater Artists

Selected young actors from Acting For Young People showcase programs attended an hour-long creative workshop, joined and facilitated by outstanding theater artists from the production “Cartography.”

“Our Academy students have had two opportunities to work with Keneza and her company this year; once last spring in a digital space and again this fall, in-person,” said Mary Lechter, Associate Director at the Academy and Assistant Professor in Mason’s School of Theater. “These teaching artists are so generous with their creativity and energy! We are grateful for our connection with the Center for the Arts, and that our students have access to working professionals, who share their real-world experiences and enhance what we are teaching in our Academy programs.”

 

 

“Cartography” is created in collaboration with artist and arts education advocate Kaneza Schaal and writer Christopher Myers. The production follows five young refugees searching for a new place to call home. Schaal was named George Mason University’s Artist-in-Residence 2021/2022.

Known for her collective creativity endeavors, Schaal instills and encourages her cast members to bring new ideas into their performance. The Academy’s young actors received a glimpse of what it’s like when everyone has an equal voice in theater production during the workshop.

The cast members divided the student group into four teams to create short plays while meeting challenge requirements, including incorporating the physical space and objects, using body movement to create depth or perspectives, and adding sound effects in the play.

 

 

With less than 15 minutes, each team created and rehearsed a short play to share with the crowd. Cast members led a circle discussion reflecting on their collaborative process, followed by the performances. Students engaged in an in-depth conversation sharing the importance of bringing unique ideas and perspectives to their plays and how to navigate through ideas, conflicts, and creativity.

“The most important takeaway from the workshop was the power of connection and collaboration,” said Kaya Thomas, a returning actor in the fall musical showcase “Rockin’ Robin Hood.”

“All of the small groups we worked in were incredibly different, and each person brought different views, skills, ideas, and experiences to be shared. Even when we weren’t creating our short performances, we all had in common: theater and the arts.”

Young actor Hailey Strasbaugh shared that the workshop provided her with a new perspective of training on the stage and challenged her to be aware of her surroundings beyond her character and the plot.

 

 

“A lot of the activities we usually do in theater have to do with improv and learning about your character,” said Strasbaugh. “It was really cool to try something new and put a little bit of everything into the activity, and I really had to think about every aspect that goes into performing, how I use the space and incorporate everyone and everything.”

Throughout the conversation, many participants shared that the learning experience from the workshop had benefited them for their current showcase training and inspired them to cherish all the collaborative moments.

“Theater is the fastest way to make friends,” said Thomas. “There’s a shared common denominator between you and others. With each person you collaborate with, you both mutually teach each other and grow from these experiences together. It creates a supportive community full of passionate people, and getting to know one another quickly builds friendships between the ensemble.”

“From the workshop, I learned new techniques and how to handle rejection that I had never really thought of before,” said Strasbaugh. “I always love learning new methods of acting because they can be beneficial in the future, even when you least expect them to.”

 

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Acting Art Community Outreach Music

New Free Digital Resources for Art-Making from Home

This Spring, a free digital library of educational resources is available for the public thanks to Mason Community Arts Academy’s latest community outreach initiative, MCAA: Creative Collection.

Funded by the City of Fairfax Commission on the Arts, the collection delivers tutorials, performances, and activities across the arts, from music and theater education and performance, music technology, and visual art education. Each week, a new video made by students and faculty of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University will be released to provide an arts enrichment project for a specific age group or skill level of learners.

“In this COVID restricted time, it’s more important than ever for the Academy to connect with our communities and reach out to broader populations through the arts,” said Elizabeth Curtis, MCAA Executive Director. “I’m so proud of the initiative and dedication our Mason students and teachers have shown in bringing this dynamic collection to life. We hope it continues to enrich the lives of our students and serve our community.”

 

 

Since its launch, three instructional videos are shared on the platform, including “Drawing with Markers for First Graders,” by Ms. Lisa Eaton; “Tone Quality on String Instruments,” by Ms. Elana Oleinick; and “The Ins and Outs of Clarinet Embouchure,” by Ms. Katie Repka.

“I am excited that I can share my passion for the arts with students viewing the Creative Collection,” said Ms. Eaton, who recorded a drawing tutorial by using markers and basic art elements. “I love that I can help students learn and grow as I have a passion for art that started when I was very young.”

The Creative Collection is created after the COVID health and safety restrictions have limited students’ access to in-person instruction, particularly for communities that face additional difficulties in accessing instruments, supplies, and arts programming.

 

 

“I love that I can give back to a Mason program like this after receiving a wealth of knowledge and skill through my coursework in the Master of Arts in Teaching program,” said Ms. Eaton. “I was learning so much making my videos. As a teacher, I will be learning right along with my students. It is a continuing process.”

“The initiative allows me to share my love of music and the arts with the community,” said Ms. Elana Olenick, cellist and music educator, who is pursuing her music education licensure at George Mason University. “I am thrilled that Mason is providing this wonderful opportunity and look forward to watching my peers teach about their passions as well!”

 

 

Samantha Clarke, MCAA Community Outreach Coordinator, spearheaded the creation and coordination of the Creative Collection, explaining that students are intimidated to learn independently without the teacher’s support.

“As a music educator, I understand the great privilege we have as teachers to inspire and enrich the lives of our students through the arts,” said Clarke. “By providing instructional and performance videos through MCAA: Creative Collection, we can help address the challenges that teachers and students are currently facing through virtual instruction while providing opportunities for students and faculty of Mason’s CVPA to teach, perform, and inspire.”

To watch the latest video from the initiative, visit MCAA: Creative Collection homepage HERE.

 

Categories
Acting Art Film & Video Music Publicity

Summer 2020 Highlights

 

Mason Community Arts Academy concluded its Summer Arts at Mason 2020 programming online with new records. Throughout the week, hundreds of students engaged in live-streamed classes, guest artist presentations, and one-on-one coaching with Mason faculty, industry professionals, and special guests. Some of the students participated from different time zones, logging on from the West Coast, and even from other countries. Here is a snapshot of Summer 2020 at the Academy:

  • 1023 participants in Summer Arts at Mason Online Programs
  • 74 online programs for all ages
  • 5 creative categories: acting, music, film & video, visual art, and teacher training
  • Students were streaming from 11 countries and 32 states, including District of Columbia
  • More than 100 faculty and guest artists teaching in at least one of the online programs
  • 70% of our teaching staff, guest artists, and program assistants are Mason faculty, students, and alumni
  • 306 students continued online private music lessons throughout summer
  • 1954 music lessons booked in summer 2020

We are extremely proud of our accomplishments and cannot thank enough to our students, families, faculty, and staff for their continuous support.

 

Looking Forward

This fall, the Academy offers 22 group classes in music, acting, and visual art for 18 months to adult. Some new additions include:

All classes will be held in a live-streamed, interactive format with supplemental materials or videos for more individualized learning.

 

Full Class List