MEDIA CONTACT:
Zac Alfson
Sr. Director of Marketing & Communications
zac.alfson@cfcarts.com
NEW FORMAT ALLOWS CFCARTS ACADEMY TO SERVE MORE
Central Florida Community Arts Academy kicks off new season with group classes, weekend workshops
ORLANDO, FL. (August 1, 2023) – Central Florida Community Arts is excited to announce new classes and formats that allow the longstanding Academy program to reach more learners of all ages in the region. The CFCArts Academy offers intensive workshops and multi-week classes designed to help people build skills and confidence in the arts.
Academy Manager Erin Wolfe, who has worked with CFCArts since 2016, will continue strategic and creative oversight of the program.
“The Academy has always been an arena for growth,” Wolfe said. “I speak from experience, as the Academy was my first introduction to CFCArts as a teacher, and I am proud to say that all of the beautiful things that have happened to me in the last seven years with this organization are because of that first step. Students typically come out of our classes a little braver and a little more confident, not only in their art but also in their lives.”
Classes for fall 2023 include the return of the Cabaret Studio class for adults, and a new teen cabaret class experience, where young performers will learn about the structure and repertoire selection of cabaret-style performances, then select music and write stories to perform in their own cabaret.
“I am particularly excited for our Teen Cabaret Studio class this season, as we give our teenagers the space and the freedom to be themselves—to write their own script and see how they can find their own story in the music that they love,” Wolfe said. “I am also really excited to bring some new experiences for young adults that we didn’t always have the bandwidth before to do.”
One and two-day workshops will be added to the schedule, including educational programs already offered through community partnerships, now available to the public for the first time. These workshops, starting with improv and audition workshops for all ages in the fall, will bring more opportunities to learn and develop new artistic skills while providing a social and creative outlet for participants.
CFCArts is also asking the community what kind of classes they’d like to see offered, planning ahead for future in a survey now available on their website. Students seeking private instruction can find a list of teachers, with whom CFCArts has worked in the past, on the Academy website.
CEO of CFCArts Terrance Hunter said, “This shift really allows us to craft specific experiences tailored to broader groups of our community. It’s an expansion—an evolution—that gives us greater freedom to listen to what our people want and then create that for them. We’re so excited to explore new ways to introduce individuals to the arts and show them that here, they have a place to belong.”
Cabaret Studio
A group of adults (18+) who love to sing and perform! Join Jill Dautzenberg for a 12-week class in how to perform in a cabaret style using song, storytelling, and engaging with both your fellow musicians and the audience. Each class is 90 minutes long and will guide students through repertoire selection, performance techniques, and working as soloists or in small ensembles. The class will culminate in a cabaret performance, and no experience necessary!
August 30 – November 15
Wednesdays, 6pm-7:30pm
$100 per student
CFCArts (250 SW Ivanhoe Blvd. Orlando, FL 32804)
Performance: Thursday, November 16, 7pm – The Renaissance Theatre (415 E Princeton St. Orlando, FL 32803)
Teen Cabaret Studio
Teens in Grades 7-12, join Megan Victoria Stillson for a 16-week cross-seasonal class in how to perform in a cabaret style using song, storytelling, and engaging with both your fellow singers and the audience. The first 8 weeks in the fall will cover repertoire selection, storytelling, and how to program your show, and the second 8 weeks in the spring will rehearse material to culminate in a final performance! Students will get the opportunity to perform and experience different genres of music and work with both recorded and live music.
September 27 – November 15 AND January 17 – March 6
Wednesdays, 6pm-7:30pm
$150 per student
CFCArts (250 SW Ivanhoe Blvd. Orlando, FL 32804)
Performance: Friday, March 17, 7pm – CFCArts Black Box Theater (250 SW Ivanhoe Blvd. Orlando, FL 32804)
Adult Improv Workshop
Have you always wanted to learn how to be an improviser? In this workshop you will learn how to start a scene from nothing, how to create a character, and how to perform a scene with a partner. Taught by professional improviser and founder of Improv U, Anthony Francis. Anthony will guide you through the process with fun activities, exercises and insights. No experience necessary. No need to be funny or clever. You’re enough just the way you are. Class prerequisite: Must be able to agree.
Friday, September 29, 7pm-9pm
$25 per student
CFCArts (250 SW Ivanhoe Blvd. Orlando, FL 32804)
Youth Improv Workshop
Improv acting is the art of creating characters, scenes, and relationships in real time live on the stage! In this workshop you’ll learn how to do just that. Open to Grades 7-8, classes will start with warm ups and then exercises and activities that show you the techniques necessary to create fun and entertaining scenes from scratch! Taught by professional improviser and founder of Improv U Anthony Francis. No need to be funny or clever. You’re enough just the way you are. Class prerequisite: Must be able to agree.
Saturday, October 14, 10am-12pm
$25 per student
CFCArts (250 SW Ivanhoe Blvd. Orlando, FL 32804)
Musical Improv Workshop
Join Anthony Francis for a musical improv workshop! Discover the magical world of improvisational acting as you create songs together from nothing. Learn to make a song from a simple word or idea, support your fellow players, and create special music in the moment. No need to be a great singer; just love to sing! Rhyming skills not required. Experience the fun and ease of making up songs in a group. Perfect for those with basic improv knowledge. Taught by Anthony Francis, a professional improviser and founder of Improv U. Don’t miss your chance to experience this side of improvisational acting that few dare attempt, but all enjoy! Class prerequisite: Must be able to agree.
Friday, November 3, 10am-12pm
$25 per student
CFCArts (250 SW Ivanhoe Blvd. Orlando, FL 32804)
Registration and more information are available at CFCArts.com.
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ABOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA COMMUNITY ARTS
Central Florida Community Arts (CFCArts) is a nonprofit organization that exists to build and serve the community through the arts. Besides producing seasonal concerts, the heartbeat of CFCArts is to give back to the community by providing affordable arts experiences for all ages and abilities. Visit CFCArts.com for more information.