Mason Community Arts Academy
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Acting

Summer Acting Camps Steal The Show

Our acting camps for kids and teens is one of our most popular programs, serving around 800 students each summer. Let your family experience what Washington FAMILY Magazine calls the “Best Summer Camp of 2015”!

Acting For Young People, the Theater division of Potomac, employs only the best Teaching Artists, and they are out in full force at camp. Our lead teachers are employed in a wide variety of theater jobs throughout the year, ranging from professional work right here in the DC metro area to global tours. These teachers guide the campers’ main acting experience and direct the play that campers will present each Friday (that’s right, our campers put on a play in just one week!).

 

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Weekly camps, starting the last week of June and going through the beginning of August, are broken down into five age-specific groups (ages 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, and 13+). Campers will travel to different electives throughout the day with their group, learning from our fantastic elective teachers. Every student experiences Movement and Voice for the Stage on a daily basis. These topics are essential for actors of every age and are the foundations of creativity. Campers also have a few choices to make when it comes to other electives: Improv or Musical Theater? Acting for the Camera or Playwriting? These are special skills that campers will have the opportunity to explore at camp.

 

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You have the option of signing up for one or any combination of weekly camps during the summer, as a different theme and activities will be explored each week. Camps do not need to be taken in successive order, either. Come and see what everyone is raving about!

 

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

 

SEE ALL SUMMER ARTS PROGRAMS

 

Categories
Acting Art Events Music

Spring Recital Weekend Is Coming!

Music recitals, Theater performances and Art show, OH MY! Potomac’s Spring 2016 Recital & Showcase Weekend arrives May 21st & 22nd. Throughout Saturday and Sunday, students will “take the stage” in the Performing Arts Building on the Mason Fairfax campus to display their talent and share their art with family, friends and guests.

“Spring Recital & Showcase Weekend is the ultimate way for students (and instructors!) to show off all of their hard work,” explained Potomac Private Lesson Coordinator Alaina Talley. “Being able to perform alongside a professional accompanist on a Steinway baby grand piano in a university performance hall is really exciting! The experience can be nerve-wracking for students of any age, but performing is the best way to continue your growth as an artist and as a student.”

 

 

Students and families also enjoy a fun Photo Station complete with a red carpet, which makes for a great photo-opp! Creating an atmosphere of support and encouragement is very important to the Academy, and it gives performers a chance to relax before and after the performance. Social media buffs can also use the Twitter hashtag #PAARecitals to share the event.

 

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“It’s one of only a couple times of the year that everyone has a chance to see everyone else,” said Matt Geske, Assistant Director at the Academy. “It’s really a special time for staff, instructors, students and families to connect with our whole Potomac community and enjoy the fruits of everyone’s labor.”

 

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As a community arts school, the Academy provides enriching arts education experiences to young children, teens and adults. In one music rectial, you might hear a 7 year old pianist, a teenage violinist and an adult vocalist! There will be several hour(ish)-long music recitals each day (with a light reception after each), plus the art show will be on display both days (with a reception on Sunday). Both of these are free and open to the public. The theater showcases will also run several times during the weekend. There is a nominal ticket price for these, and shows are usually standing room only!

SEE FULL RECITAL SCHEDULE AND MORE DETAILS HERE

 

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How To Get There
The deLaski Performing Arts Building is situated in the middle of the Mason Fairfax campus, located at the intersection of Braddock Road (Rts 620) and Chain Bridge Road (Rte 123). On the weekend only, you may park in Parking Lot K for free. From there, it is a 5 to 10 minute walk by the Pond, past the Center for the Arts, to the Performing Arts Building. You may also park in the adjacent Mason Pond Parking Deck for $8. Potomac staff will be in the lobby to assist you.

 

Categories
Acting

Summer Technical Theater Bootcamp

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of a performing arts venue? Does the world of production hold a unique appeal? This summer, the Hylton Center will offer a Technical Theater Bootcamp for ages 16+ led by professional Hylton Center staff and guest instructors.

Technical Theater Bootcamp
August 1 – 5, 2016 (9am-1pm)
Fee: $290
Application deadline: July 18, 2016
Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Cir, Manassas, VA 20109

 

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Participants will learn:

  • Essential skills of technical production
  • Basics of stage lighting, carpentry, rigging, and fly system operation
  • Sound equipment operation for reinforcement and effects
  • Good practices for safe and efficient stage crew operations

 

“One of the best things about the Tech Boot Camp is the hands-on experience the students get under the watchful eyes of our professional staff,” explains Rick Davis, Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Mason and the Executive Director of the Hylton Performing Arts Center. “There’s nothing like ‘learning by doing’ when you have an excellent real-world mentor standing by.”

 

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Successful completion of the one-week program earns a Certificate of Technical Theater Training and qualifies the holder for consideration for future select crew assignments at the Hylton Performing Arts Center!

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HERE

 

Categories
Acting Events Music

Spotlight on the Arts Festival in Fairfax

Potomac Arts Academy is excited to once again participate in the City of Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts Festival, a month-long celebration of the arts in all their forms in Fairfax, with a music recital this Sunday April 24th, a theater event on May 1st, and an Encore Chorale concert on May 3rd.

 

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Potomac Arts Academy Student & Faculty Music Recital
Sunday, April 24th, 2PM-4PM
Old Town Hall, 3999 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030
FREE admission

Enjoy a true community arts showcase this Sunday! The Potomac Arts Academy Spotlight Music Recital features several special performances from a selection of our music students, ranging in age from five years old to adult, and playing a variety of instruments. They will perform wonderful pieces from both classical and musical theater repertoire.

After a brief intermission, the audience will enjoy dynamic performances from our professional music faculty, including works for string trio, solo voice, solo flute, and four-hand piano.

 

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Acting For Young People‘s “An Enchanted Afternoon” Theater Event
Sunday, May 1st, 1PM-5PM
Sherwood Community Center, 3740 Old Lee Hwy, Fairfax, VA 22030
FREE admission

Get a sneak preview of AFYP’s upcoming production of Beauty & the Beast, Jr.  Join our directors and cast members for performances, games, crafts, and learn a short dance from the show!

 

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Potomac Arts Academy Encore Chorale Recital
Tuesday, May 3rd, 7:30PM
VENUE CHANGE:

St. George’s United Methodist Church, 4910 Ox Road, Fairfax, VA 22030
FREE admission

Encore Creativity for Older Adults is pleased to present the Potomac Encore Chorale and the Alexandria Encore Chorale in concert at the Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts Festival. The concert will open with the rousing “Clap Your Hands” by Gershwin. Beautiful melodies including “Falling In Love With Love”, “This Can’t Be Love”, “My Funny Valentine” and “With A Song In My Heart” by Rodgers and Hart will be performed. The chorale will sing the fabulous tunes of Hoagy Carmichael including “Star Dust”, “Heart and Soul”, “Georgia On My Mind”, “In the Cool, Cool, Cool, of the Evening”, “The Nearness of You” and “Lazy River”. And there could not be a better finale than the fabulous “Guys and Dolls” by Frank Leosser. This concert will have you humming all the way home!

 

Our Spring Student Music Recitals, Theater Showcases, and Art Show Weekend, May 21st & 22nd, is also part of the Festival.
SEE RECITALS PAGE

We hope to see you at any or all of the special events!

 

Categories
Acting Community Outreach Events Music

Live-Streamed Performathon

Potomac Arts LIVE! is back for its second year! This exciting live-streamed performance opportunity for our students is also an important fundraiser for the Academy. Funds that are raised go toward  supporting our many outreach activities, such as our in-school-service programs and Instruments in the Attic, and student scholarships.

 

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Potomac Arts LIVE! Performathon 2016 will be on Sunday, May 15th.

A selection of the academy’s Music and Acting students are raising sponsorships (usually from family and friends) to be eligible to perform. On the day of the live performance, anyone from around the world can watch via a provided URL link on the internet. This gives relatives who live a long distance away the chance to watch the student perform live – last year we even had viewers from as far away as South America and France! The link will also be posted on our website.

“This event is truly one of a kind! Not only does it seamlessly blend technology and art, but it’s exciting for the students to know that their performance can be viewed live online,” says Potomac Arts Academy staff member Alaina Talley. “We live in a world where social media is so relevant, and I feel this event gives our students the chance to be seen by friends and family around the world in a fun, accessible way.”

 

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What is also amazing about Potomac Arts LIVE! is that it is so focused on giving back. Encouraging students of all ages to raise funds in the community for the community is an important lesson in social action and responsibility. Teaching young performers that they have the ability to make a difference is invaluable. It’s really a celebration of how arts can make a very real positive impact and how the students can be a part of that.

“Last year, parents and students were amazed that simply by performing in front of a camera, their performance could be viewed by hundreds of people– it’s really exciting!” shares Ms. Talley. “The experience of being interviewed by our emcees gives students the chance to feel like celebrities.”

 

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Even if you are not a student “sponsor”, you have the opportunity to contribute to the event via a donation portal that will be advertised during the event and on our website. We hope you will join us from wherever you are – on whatever device you choose (with an internet connection, that is) – to watch this wonderful performance event.

 

SEE PERFORMATHON PAGE