Our Specialty Courses are designed for curious artists, lifelong learners, and theatre lovers eager to explore new ideas and approaches. Whether you’re building on previous training or trying something completely different, these limited-run offerings invite you to challenge yourself and expand your creative horizons. Sign up for our email list to be notified when we announce new programs!
2 session, 3 hours | Tuition: $200
Level: Advanced
Prerequisites: Scene Study Level 3 (previously titled Scene Study II) or instructor approval.
Don’t miss the chance to share your work with DCPA Casting Director Grady Soapes as you work on both monologues and scenes in an audition scenarios. The first week will focus on presenting two contrasting monologues, and the second week will focus on sides provided, in setting up a “callback” scenario. Mr. Soapes will provide specific feedback to individuals, helping you develop and hone your skills so you can confidently land your next park.
2 session, 3 hours | Tuition: $200
Tue | Oct 6 & 13 | 6:30–9:30pm
Don’t miss this opportunity to work with one of Denver’s finest directors and teachers, Christy Montour Larson. Through the Meisner acting technique, students will discover that they are never done learning the craft of acting. Rooted in the work of master acting teacher Sanford Meisner, this workshop uses a series of exercises that build upon each other to create a useful set of new skills to master truthful human behavior.
4-week course, 3 hours per class | Tuition: $345
Prerequisites: Scene Study Level 1, or instructor approval. Please inquire at education@dcpa.org
Sat | Nov 7–Dec 5 (no class Nov 28) | 10am–1pm
Shakespeare Without Fear! This class will provide a pathway to making Shakespeare’s text clear, active, and dynamic through the use of rhetoric, poetry, meter, and other “clues” Shakespeare has given us. These tools will celebrate the sense of how approachable his text can truly be for actors. Learn the “secrets” of activating, exploring, and performing Shakespeare’s language!
6-week course, 3 hours per class | Tuition: $430
Level: Intro
Get ready to approach the work when the director calls, “Action!” Learn to apply basic acting techniques to on-camera skills and build confidence in front of the camera. Focus will center on “to camera” technique and short scene work. Actors will continue to apply core craft elements of acting along with the technical asks of on camera work.
6-week course, 3 hours per class | Tuition: $430
Formerly titled “Approaching a Play: The Craft of Acting”
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Intro to Acting on Camera or [instructor approval](mailto: education@dcpa.org)
After building confidence and ease on camera in Introduction to On Camera, dive more fully into the technical and creative sides of the medium. Utilizing current TV and film scripts, actors will work with scene partners to create work that is truly in the moment, with a focus on character development and truth for the camera. Explore different camera angles, strengthen your on-set awareness, and learn how to be an asset on set.
6-week course, 2 hours per class | Tuition: $345
Level: Intro
In this course, students will immerse themselves in the work of Fitzmaurice Voicework: breath, anatomy of the voice, destructuring, and restructuring. Learn how to relax the body while speaking, so you can access the fullness of your breath and voice to prepare for the athletic use of voice needed for the stage. Take part in a series of exercises to free the body and voice from habitual tension and make connections between thoughts, images, words, and sounds. Students will engage with text to embody these practices over the course of the class.
6-week course, 2 hours per class | Tuition: $345
Level: Intro
Often referred to as “Estuary English”, we will focus on the London English that is spoken today. The focus will be a deep dive into understanding the differences between modern London and the more traditional stage dialect of British RP, oft used and heard in the plays of Oscar Wilde, Bernard Shaw and so many others. Both dialects will be valuable assets to an actors toolkit! We will do film and play readings in class, practicing the two dialects in depth. You will learn the articulation sound changes, rhythm, word stress, and resonance differences between each dialect.
2 session, 3 hours | Tuition: $200
Tue & Thu | Nov 3 & 5 | 6:30–9:30pm
Build confidence and command the room! This two-session workshop is designed for presenters of all experience levels who want to strengthen their public speaking presence and elevate their speaking skills. Using theatre-based techniques, participants will develop authenticity, vocal strength, composure, and resonance while developing a tool box of techniques to strengthen any presentation. Participants will explore how actors build intention and connection, applying these methods to their own speaking style. This extended session will build skills and put those skills into practice for transformed presence. Gain speaking confidence!
6-week course, 2 hours per class | Tuition: $345
Level: Intro
In this class, students will explore a variety of techniques for creating strong, believable characters and relationships on the spot. Using a mix of improv exercises, short-form games, and long-form structures, students will practice the art of making clear character choices and connecting with their scene partners. Students will learn how to identify and heighten key character and relationship traits within a scene, and how those choices naturally shape relationships as scenes unfold. With a focus on clarity, play, and collaboration, students will build practical tools they can use immediately on stage.
6 sessions, 2 hours per class | Tuition: $345
Join us in this 6 session, 3 week improvisation sampler to explore the fundamentals and beyond in our daytime offerings! Each session will focus on a specific focus in improvisation to explore and celebrate; sign up for one, two, or all three! Students can register for these workshops individually or as a package.
SAY YES! TO IMPROVISED ENSEMBLE
2 sessions • $145 • 2hr class time
Improv has something to offer everyone! In this two-part workshop, participants will explore the core principles of improvised ensemble work through group games and exercises. Learn strategies to strengthen connections and trust within an ensemble, develop confidence to move forward without knowing what comes next, and discover the depth and joy of investing in shared imagination. Group activities will tap into the lightheartedness and resiliency of play that support success on and off stage. Say “yes” to this experience!
SAY YES! TO IMPROVISED WORLD BUILDING
2 sessions • $145 • 2hr class time
There is a whole world surrounding improvised characters and story, and you get to co-create it! Improvisation provides moment-to-moment opportunities to explore and expand the world in which characters exist. In this two-part workshop, participants will delve into the discovery and development of objectives, relationships, and storytelling through engaging with and expanding the environment. Walk away with multiple tools to deepen your presence and connection to yourself, others, and the world around YOU.
SAY YES! TO SCRIPTED & UNSCRIPTED TECHNIQUES
2 sessions • $145 • 2 hr class time
At the heart of powerful performance is the ability to act and react authentically. This two–part workshop will explore scene work through both “text driven” and “improvised” approaches that utilize physicality, action, and environment. Students will explore different acting techniques to discover both specific, planned choices and in–the–moment choices to elevate scenes and character development. When used together, structure and spontaneity combine to support powerful choices, organic adjustments, and grounded, joyful discovery in the craft of acting! All materials will be provided in class.
11 sessions, 3 hours per class | Tuition: $575
Prerequisites: Two previous DCPA Education Classes, or instructor approval. Please inquire at education@dcpa.org
From bar room brawls to martial arts melees, the stories told with unarmed stage combat are eclectic, exciting, and energized! Join us for this certification course to learn the essential elements and storytelling skills to safely bring dramatic combat to life!
We’ll concentrate on core concepts – including falling, punching, kicking and contact work – while rehearsing fight sequences and scenes for the stage. Get a taste for this valuable physical acting skill and resumé boost as you build confidence through hands-on work.
We will cover all the basic safeties necessary to perform action as well as the techniques needed to connect the action to the word and deliver a well-acted fight scene. Course will conclude with an adjudication for the Society of American Fight Directors and a certification good for three years.
6 sessions, 2 hours | Tuition: $345
Prerequisites: All participants should have previous tap experience. Please inquire at education@dcpa.org.
Mon | Sept 28–Nov 2 | 10am–12pm
Join Piper Lindsay Arpan to explore and expand your tap-dancing skills in this 6-week intensive! Each class will focus on different skills and techniques in the warmup, center, and across the floor that culminate in an extended combination to practice both in the class, and on your own as you take it home. The choreography will be drawn from the production of What a Glorious Feeling! which will be in the DCPA Cabaret space and directed by Piper, during this class time! Improve your skills and readiness for that next audition or show while building stamina and confidence, and having fun doing it!
4-week course, 3 hours per class | Tuition: $345
Level: Intro
As actors, unlocking the physical life of a character is a wonderful key to creating the deep connections that make theatrical storytelling so compelling. Discover the magic of truly connective work by jumping into some of the boldest bodies of the bard through a variety of physical theatre and movement techniques. Cultivate the freedom to make big choices and activate text through physical exploration of imagination, presence, and play. This class is for anyone, at any level in their journey, who wants to deepen their connection to dynamic presence on stage by unlocking tension and inhibitions and investing in physical freedom and whole-body listening. Join us!
8 sessions, 3 hours | Tuition: $480
Fall session starts September 22
Winter session starts January 12
Spring session starts April 6
Summer session starts June 1
Here is an opportunity to start a play, or continue to develop the play you’ve been working on. This class, designed for beginning and ongoing playwrights and their work, will focus on developing character, dialogue and moving the story forward through plot and structure. Your work will be regularly read to help development.
Whether you’re a newcomer trying to activate your personal voice or a seasoned professional continuing to evolve your craft, we’re here to help.
Inclusive, welcoming classes designed to help you explore, create, and connect with fellow creatives.
