South Asian Theatre with Universal Appeal

EnActe School of Drama is the educational arm of the renowned Bay Area theatre company EnActe Arts, Inc., an organization dedicated to global storytelling and diverse voices. The School of Drama has students of all ages, catering to its clientele with drama-based holistic education suitable for children, youth, adults, and even industry professionals. The primary philosophy of the School of Drama is that the skills provided by film and theatre arts are applicable, practical, and integral to the development of any career in any field. We have been successful in a constantly changing climate (even through challenges such as COVID-19), because what drama teaches most is self-thought, adaptability, resourcefulness and all attributes of social competence including presentation, perception and persuasion. We teach more than drama; we teach a new way of thinking to radically shift the way we think about the correlation between art and technology.

Currently the Enacte School of Drama only offers classes through our partnered school programs. We hope to launch further offerings mid 2023. If you are apart of a school and would like to bring Enacte School of Drama to your campus, contact us. We will update when we have further offerings available.

2024 Summer Courses

Camp Session #1 
Name: Cartoon Voice Over
Dates: June 10-14
Time: 10am – 3pm
Camp Session #2 
Name: Masks, Puppets, and Play – oh my!
Dates: July 22-26
Time: 10am – 3pm

Summer Program details:

Ages: K to rising 5th graders

Summer Program Dates: June 24-28, July 8-August 9, 2023 (6 weeks) 

Class: Theatre Camp with EnActe

Time: 10 AM to 12 PM

Course Offerings and Descriptions

Level: Elementary, Middle, and High

Creating Characters is a comprehensive program that teaches students to develop characters through physicality and vocality, learning empathy, immersion, and articulation. They will record their character’s voice in sync with a pre- animated piece using ADR technology, providing an overview of animation technology and sound recording while aiding in performance skills. In this course, students will also learn to project their voices, develop critical thinking through script analysis, unleash their creativity through character dimensionalization, command the stage with confidence, and explore emotions through acting. Through these tools, they will find a new way of communicating and succeeding in the world around them. Finally, the course also uses improvisation to help students shake up their minds and bodies, teaching them problem-solving, positive solutions, and teamwork.

Level:  Middle

Students who are interested in WRITING and ILLUSTRATING will learn how to create their own comic books! An instructor experienced in narrative and design will help students learn how to write comic book scripts, plan out panels, draw characters and scenes, place bubbles, and design their final project! Students will walk away with all the technical, creative, and story skills necessary to create and publish their own stories in comic form! Students will use programs such as Procreate*, Adobe PhotoShop*, or even the free Krita to draw their final images.

Final Project: With the skills they have learned they will publish six pages of a comic book. *Licensing fees for the software is not included, however all projects can be completed with Krita if students don’t have access to Procreate or Adobe PhotoShop.

Video: https://youtu.be/AyX9UMPpMXc

Other Class Recommendations: Science of Animation & Film Pre-Production

Level: Elementary & Middle

Our popular program is designed for either elementary or middle schoolers. A typical day begins with a screening of a short animated film (3-8 minutes), then delves into story analysis and design in order to help students think critically to creatively write a story using the same logical / narrative structures. Each class ends with each student having an outline for a clearly communicated coherent narrative. This program helps students learn the invaluable skill of clear and persuasive communication from a basis of storytelling. Ultimately, students will have the structures necessary to make arguments, change minds, and impact the future.

Final Project: Each student will walk away with a portfolio of story outlines they have brainstormed during their time in the class. 

Video:  https://youtu.be/ALdvq7K9W3A

Other Class Recommendations: Leadership for Future Innovators, Screen Writing Lab, & Radio Plays!

Level: Elementary & Middle

Our most popular program continues! ESoD offers the opportunity for students to delve even deeper into story design and creative writing! Once again, each class will begin with a screening of a previously unwatched animated short film (3-8 minutes), which will then be used to help students think critically to creatively write their own story over the duration of the entire class. Critical Thinking & Creative Writing II features more complicated and intricate narrative structures, more advanced logical exercises, and more opportunities for thinking out-of-the-box!

Final Project: Final stories written in this class will be published in an e-pub format that can be shared with students’ families and friends!

Video:  https://youtu.be/ALdvq7K9W3A

Other Class Recommendations: Leadership for Future Innovators, Screen Writing Lab, & Radio Plays!

Level: Elementary & Middle

By popular demand, ESoD is pleased to announce a workshop style extension of our most popular program! This exciting opportunity to continue expanding on creative writing fully allows each student the time to craft and fine tune a structured, coherent, and impressive story through collaboration with their cohort and instructor. Students will understand how to creatively break past story structure utilizing new short animated (3-10 minutes) films that challenge and broaden creative horizons.

Final ProjectFinal stories will be more detailed and polished and will be published in an e-pub format that can be shared with students’ families and friends! 

Video: https://youtu.be/YQkmaGe_iE

Other Class Recommendations: Leadership for Future Innovators, Screen Writing Lab, & Radio Plays!

Level: Elementary & Middle

In this competitive and engaging course, students will learn all the technical skills they need to prepare for shooting a film! Under the guidance of a master instructor, students will creatively write a short properly formatted screenplay, with an understanding of narrative, character, dialogue, theme, and technique! Then students will plan for the creative look of their film, build a shot list, design storyboards, make cast profiles, and even schedule a production! In this inspiring course, students will take their first steps to learning the trade secrets and knowing how to make a film!

Final ProjectA pre-production binder that contains all the information they need to move a film into production.  

Video: https://youtu.be/dAGf99Z2jSg

Other Class Recommendations: Create your Own Comic Book & Science of Animation

Level: Elementary & Middle

Is your child going to change the world? This class will give your student the opportunity to think about big ideas in a way they can digest and communicate their own big ideas to shape the future. Each class the student will watch a short TedTalk given by someone between ages 6-15 and engage in a critical analysis of the ideas presented within their cohort. Then students innovate their own new projects and share their ideas with their peers. This process will challenge their ideas and ultimately teach them about persuasion, public speaking, charisma, stage presence, clarity, and other leadership skills! Students will have a blast while learning fundamental skills that will help them in their future careers.

Final ProjectEach student will write, perform, and record their own TedTalk which can be shared with their friends and family!

Video for Elementary School: https://youtu.be/rZFwT_Xrokg

Video for Middle School: https://youtu.be/AgfTLoMDP2k

Other Class Recommendations: Critical Think and Creative Writing Series

Level: Elementary & Middle

Does your child like group projects? This course elevates the work of the previous class by having the students work together in a collaborative presentation. Using TedTalks each student group will set out to solve a problem or find a solution for a global or community issue. Then they will research, write, and present their own group TedTalk! 

Bonus* Each time this course is taught it will have a new “problem” to solve!

Final Project: Video of the group TedTalk presentation for friends and family to view!

Other Class Recommendations: Critical Think and Creative Writing Series

Level: Elementary, Middle, and High

This camp focuses on building a whole play in ONE WEEK! Students will write the story, with the help of the instructor(s), rehearse, and perform this work. Open to all age levels!

Level: Elementary, Middle, & High

Our classic theatre and film acting class provides an immersive, collaborative, and educational experience. Students will have custom scenes written for them by a professional writer, each working on their specific challenges and framed around their personal needs. They will learn projection through vocality, critical thinking through script analysis, creativity through character dimensionalization, command through stage/screen presence, and confidence through emotional exploration. Through all of these tools, each student will find a new way of communicating and succeeding with the world around them.

Final Project: All students will perform in a virtual public showcase for their parents, friends, and peers.

Video: https://youtu.be/ButOZ6zqmTY

Other Class Recommendations: Voice Acting for Animation Series

Level: Elementary & Middle

This immersive course is offered to older students only. Students will be provided with access to software that will give them the tools to make an animated short film! This includes writing the script and designing the animated puppets. In creating their custom puppets, students will understand programming, algorithms, logic, and the mechanisms of modern animation. Ultimately, each child will be able to bring life to their puppet, animating them with their own movements and webcam-captured dialogue. This highly technical course is for any child who is fascinated by the computer science behind the art of animation!

Final Project: An animated short film written, directed, and animated by the student! 

Other Class Recommendations: Create your Own Comic Book & Voice Acting for Animation Series

Level: Elementary (K-5th)

Welcome to “Cartoon Voice Over,” a unique course that seamlessly blends the art of animated film creation with the intricacies of character development and voice acting. In this course, students embark on a journey from watching animated films (ranging from 3 to 8 minutes) to delving into comprehensive story analysis and design. By examining logical and narrative structures, students cultivate critical thinking skills essential for creatively constructing compelling stories. Each class concludes with students having a well-defined outline for a coherent narrative, honing their ability to communicate persuasively through storytelling. Building upon this foundation, the course shifts focus to character development, emphasizing physicality and vocality to instill empathy, immersion, and articulation. Students engage in a hands-on experience by being virtually recorded in sync with a pre-animated piece. This dual approach not only introduces the story aspects of animation, but also teaches performance skills!

Level:  Kindergarten and 1st Grades

Our introduction to performance through classic storytelling provides a safe space for students to explore their imaginations and emotions through theatre games and performance.  Students will work collaboratively in an ensemble performance-based retelling of a storybook, under the guidance of a professional storyteller. They will learn how to work as a team, become stewards of their community, how to project their voices, communicate with their body and exercise critical thinking skills through story analysis and game play. Through all of these tools, each student will find a new way of communicating and succeeding with the world around them.

Other Class Recommendations: No Fear, Drama is Here! and Voice Acting for Animation Series

Level: Elementary, Middle, and High

Telling Stories, each day begins with a short animated film followed by a session on story analysis and design, where students use the same logical and narrative structures to think critically and creatively write their own story. The program emphasizes the invaluable skill of clear and persuasive communication through storytelling, with each class ending with students having an outline for a coherent narrative. Additionally, the camp offers “Smiles, Skits, and Slapstick” where students learn the fundamentals of physical comedy, including miming, exaggerated facial expressions, silly voices, and more. They will be exposed to different styles from physical comedy greats like Charlie Chaplin, Fanny Brice, Lucille Ball, Bill Irwin, and the Three Stooges. The camp is focused on written and physical storytelling.

Level: Elementary, Middle & High

In this course, students will develop a character through physicality and vocality, learning empathy, immersion, and articulation. Then, they will be recorded virtually in sync with a pre-animated piece, and their voices dubbed (using ADR — automated dialogue replacement) onto the clip. This class teaches them the process of animation (providing a general overview of the technology) and sound recording, as well as aids in performance as well.

Final Project: A short clip featuring an animated character speaking with their voice!

Video: https://youtu.be/RdWNkLOQcWg

Other Class Recommendations: Create your Own Comic Book & Voice Acting for Animation Series

Level: Elementary, Middle & High

In Voice Acting for Animation, your children learned the PAPA technique (Projection-Adaptability- Physicality-Articulation) to embody new characters! In this advanced class, they have an opportunity to take it even further! They will work with an encouraging and experienced instructor to develop even more voice acting skills and in their final project, they will perform two completely different characters from The Land Before Time in one scene, AND as Olaf from Frozen, singing an entire song!

Final Project: Two short clips featuring the animated characters speaking with their voice!

Video: https://youtu.be/S-LAgZxbzrY

Other Class Recommendations: Science of Animation & Radio Plays!

Level: (K-5th)

Embark on an enchanting journey into the realm of creativity! This camp promises a thrilling adventure where the boundaries of imagination are limitless. Participants will have the opportunity to craft their own masks and puppets, setting the stage for a world where characters spring to life. Delve into the art of character development as attendees breathe life into their creations, shaping their personalities, stories, and idiosyncrasies. This dynamic camp invites students to explore self-expression through whimsical scenes, with their unique masks and puppets taking center stage. Brace yourself for a magical experience where the stage is set for boundless imagination and endless play!

 

Our School Partners

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Connect with Us! 
If you are interested in becoming a school partner

EnActe School of Drama Team

Director of Education

Noah Lucé (he/they)

Operations and Curriculum Liaison EnActe School of Drama

Xander (he/him) 

Communications Manager / Video Editor at EnActe School of Drama

Joel Moore (He/Him/His)

EnActe's Teachers

Brian Carmack (he/him/his)

Bianca Chesnut (she/her)

Shalini Datta (She/Her)

Stefan Fisher (he/him)

Nancy Frank (she/her)

Genene Griffiths Ortiz (she/her) 

Michaela Stewart (she/her) 

Dilip-R

Dilip Ratnam (he/him)

Atika Shah (she/her)

EnActe Academy

Summer and after school programs for ages 5-18. These classes can be taught in person and remotely through our school partners and after school providers. Some of our most popular courses are:

  • Voice Acting for Animation
  • Leadership for Future Innovators 
  • Team Building through Story

EnActe Studio

Evening and weekend programs for adults.

EnActe Storytellers is a subscription program that offers customized clinics for writers, directors and performers.

Bespoke Masterclasses with renowned theatre makers and storytellers.

 

EnActe Conservatory

EnActe School of Drama is proud to announce the launch of EnActe Conservatory, a comprehensive, advanced theatre program!

More coming in 2023; stay tuned!

EnAccolades

A program in development. EnAccolades will be a celebration of theatrical excellence via an open competition for elementary, middle and high school students.

Noah Lucé

Noah Lucé (he/they) has worked as an actor, voice actor, director, intimacy and fight choreographer, up and down the West Coast. Currently he is a Lecturer at the University of California, Santa Cruz in Theatre Arts. His performance credits include: The Miracle Worker, Legacy of Light (The Western Stage); and Romeo and Juliet, (s/r) Wuthering Heights (Santa CruzShakespeare). Other selected credits include: The Duchess of Malfi, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Bacchae (GreenStage); Comedy of Errors (Wooden O); Lonestar, Pippin, The Merchant of Venice (Quiet); and Creature (Theater Schmeater). Noah trained with Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, attended Cornish College of the Arts (BFA); and received his master’s degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz. When not working on a theatrical project or teaching, Noah finds joy in photography, spending time with his family, including his wild brood of dogs, and watching classic films.

Xander

Xander (he/him) is an actor, playwright, and teacher. He has recently received his M.A. at UC Santa Cruz in playwriting where he adapted the Bertolt Brecht play Mother Courage and her Children to modern day Mexico. . He wears many hats at EnActe as he is also an Operations and Curriculum Liaison dealing with scheduling and curriculum development. Pioneering the new Improv class to be part of the EnActe curriculum. 

esodops@enacte.org

Joel Moore

Joel Moore (He/Him/His) is a newly minted professional theatrical artist specializing in directing and education. He received his Master’s degree in Theater from UCSC after directing a production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime using the radical and new framework of Neurodivergent Theatre. He also has a passion for teaching and introducing the joys of theater to students. He has been in many productions over the years, as an actor, director, and crew. But he is excited to be a teacher at EnActe and looks forward to helping fulfill the mission of ESOD.

Brian Carmack

Brian is thrilled to be joining the team of EnActe School of Drama! He holds both a BA and MA in theatre arts from the University of California at Santa Cruz. After an extensive professional career centering around musical theatre, including the Broadway cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express, both the Vienna and Zürich companies of CATS, and the national tour of Chicago, the musical, he returned to school to earn his degrees so that he would have the opportunity to one day influence and nurture, up-and-coming talent. Currently, Brian teaches and directs acting and actor’s workshop at Gavilan College in Gilroy, as well as directs for Live Oak high school in Morgan Hill.

Bianca Chesnut

Bianca is so grateful to be joining this fall as an Instructor with EnActe School of Drama! Bianca recently received her BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and has also trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and Carnegie Mellon University, studying Classical Acting and Musical Theatre, respectively. Bianca’s most recent credit is Helena with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival’s touring production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and works as a Teaching Artist with SF Shakes.

Shalini Datta

Shalini is super excited to be joining the team of EnActe School of Drama as an Instructor. Shalini holds a BA in English Honors from a reputated University in India. Shalini has experience in working as an actor in regional film industry and on television in India.Shalini has won many awards on regional and national level in the field of performing arts. Shalini has also lend her voice for drama on radio. Shalini is also a trained Dancer and Stage artist.Shalini’s most recent experience in performing arts is teaching improv theatre in a summer school as an enrichment program.

Stefan Fisher

Stefan is the drama teacher at Saint Lawrence Elementary and Middle School and directs the middle school production at Woodside Priory. For twenty-one years, Stefan was an actor, director, playwright, and instructor with California Theatre Center, where he appeared in over a hundred productions and directed student actors in numerous Conservatory productions, many of which he wrote. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Dramatic Art from University of California, Davis and a Teaching Credential from Sacramento State University. Between UCD and CSUS he traveled with and performed in various circuses.

Genene Griffiths Ortiz

Genene is an instructor with the EnActe School of Drama. Genene has an AA in English from Evergreen Valley College and majored in English for Education at San Jose State. As a child. Genene played a wide array of characters in dozens of short films written and directed by her sci-fi / horror author father, Gerry. Genene is a writer, artist, painter also influenced by her great grandfather, English animator, Sid Griffiths. Genene is a mother of three, a trained makeup artist, a beauty consultant, and a licensed life agent for the State of California.

Michaela Stewart

Michaela is honored to be teaching with EnActe’s School of Drama! She is a member of the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival’s Education Workgroup and has also served as a Teaching Artist and Camp Manager there for over a decade. She has also taught, directed, and performed for many years with Los Altos Youth Theatre and Los Altos Stage Company. She holds a BFA in Film Production from Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and also attended the Second City Film School in Chicago.

Dilip Ratnam

Dilip is thrilled to be a part of EnActe’s School of Drama. Balancing his passion along with his technology career, he has been part of numerous South Asian Bay Area productions for the last decade, both acting and directing. Professionally, he built his career leading world-class teams to drive continuous improvements for both product and service delivery.  He has a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Bombay University in India and holds a Masters in Business Administration from California State University, East Bay in the USA.