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Published on 08/14/1995 All articles from this issue

Foothill Theatre Conservatory: acting training at bargain prices

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If all the world's a stage, the place to be is in the Foothill Theatre Conservatory at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills.

In this comprehensive theater arts program, participants learn to act, direct and acquire the basics of stage management, history and literature, set design, makeup and costuming. Hallmarks of the 4-year-old conservatory are its high quality and reasonable cost, said Director Hester Schell.

To attest to its quality, she points to five recent alumni who are now pursuing drama degrees at four-year schools: three at University of California at Los Angeles, one at Boston College and one at Emerson College. Cost of the conservatory varies, but $200 a quarter is an average estimate.

Because of the intensity of the schedule, students need to be strongly motivated and genuinely interested in the theater as a career, Schell said. Holding down a part-time job or taking general education courses along with the conservatory work makes for a demanding schedule, but some of the group's hardest-working students did just that, said founder Jay Manley.

Newly tenured Schell is taking over direction of the classes while Manley is on sabbatical; he will return for the fall quarter. Conservatory trained, Schell has taught in the district for five years and is an experienced, award-winning actor and director.

Also on the theater faculty are Joe Ragey, Janis Bergmann, Doyne Mraz and Scott Williams, all of whom have strong alliances with professional theater, including TheatreWorks, Hillbarn Theater and Stage One.

Visiting actors, directors and designers are an ongoing resource for the conservatory and are regularly called upon as guest artists. Field trips to ACT, San Jose and Berkeley Repertory theaters are also part of the agenda.

The conservatory accepts students who want to earn an Associated Arts degree, as well as those who have already completed their bachelor's degree. Classes, in which students earn 15 units of college credits per quarter, are from 1-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Members also may participate in the winter musical and Summer Stock plays and the quarterly production.

To audition for the Foothill Theatre Conservatory or for more information, call 949-7417.