Classes & TalksSaturday, November 7
Movie Musicals
Saturday, November 7 · 10-11 a.m. · Gorton Center 400 East Illinois Road Lake Forest, IL 60045
- When
- Saturday, November 7 · 10-11 a.m.
- Where
- Gorton Center 400 East Illinois Road Lake Forest, IL 60045400 E Illinois Rd · Lake Forest, IL · 60045
- Good to know
About this event
MOVIE MUSICALS
Lights, Camera, Action!
Step into the spotlight and bring your favorite movie musicals to life! In this exciting musical theater class for ages 9–14 , students sing, act, dance, and perform scenes inspired by today’s biggest movie musicals and timeless favorites. Along the way, they’ll build confidence, strengthen acting skills, and become more expressive performers.
Students will explore songs and scenes inspired by The Greatest Showman , High School Musical , Descendants , Newsies , Hairspray , and more. Next, they’ll rehearse scenes, learn songs, develop characters, and perform simple choreography. As they rehearse, they’ll strengthen stage presence, vocal projection, and storytelling skills.
Throughout the session, students will work together as an ensemble. They’ll make creative choices, share ideas, and support one another. At the same time, they’ll discover how acting, music, and movement work together to tell a story.
In addition, every class includes foundational acting techniques developed by Gorton Drama Studio Artistic Director Jeremy Kruse, author of The Young Actor’s Handbook (Applause Acting Series) and the upcoming The Young Actor’s Technique . Students will practice acting exercises that build stage presence, clear projection, active listening, and believable characters. Just as importantly, they’ll develop life skills such as confidence, creativity, collaboration, and strategies for managing stage fright. Every class encourages students to discover more about themselves, connect with others, and express themselves through the performing arts.
Presentation: The session concludes with a final presentation for family and friends. Students will perform scenes and songs rehearsed throughout the session. They’ll perform in one large group or several small groups and present simple choreography as part of the performance.
Whether your child is new to musical theater or already loves to perform, this class offers a fun and supportive place to grow. Students will make friends, build new skills, and enjoy every step of the creative process.
Level Two: Develop
Ages: 9–14
Saturdays | 10:00–11:00 AM
November 7–December 12, 2026
6 Classes | $200
Meet the Gorton Drama Studio Creative Team
Jeremy Kruse, Artistic Director of Gorton Drama Studio, is the author of The Young Actor’s Handbook (Applause Acting Series, 2017), which has also been published in Korean and Chinese. He is also the author of the upcoming The Young Actor’s Technique .
Jeremy is a professional actor, published playwright, award-winning screenwriter, and award-winning filmmaker. Previously, he taught Method Acting, Comedic Improvisation, Sketch Comedy Writing, and Acting for Film and TV at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York. He graduated from The Strasberg Institute at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in drama. Today, he continues to train actors through Gorton Drama Studio and private coaching.
Learn more at jeremykruse.com and jeremykruseactingtraining.com .
Listed by gortoncenter.org (The Events Calendar), gathered by the Evanston events calendar.