Arts: Theater   

This course will review some Broadway musicals that were hits of their time that are rarely produced anymore or, conversely, were considered failures in their initial run but are now considered minor classics. Each session will feature a full-length video with a discussion following. When available, filmed productions of the original stage version will be used rather than less faithful Hollywood movie adaptations. Titles for this term will include: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Kismet,” “Barnum” and “On the Town.” Enrollment in the preceding Parts 1-3 of this course is not a prerequisite.

The Ashland New Plays Festival receives about 350 scripts annually in its quest to discover, develop and promote new plays. Through a community-based reading process, the festival selects four plays for professional staged readings. Course participants will read aloud and evaluate the first act of each of the four to explore character development, themes, structure and cultural foundations shaping each work. They will gain insight into how dramatic worlds and meaning are created and prepare for talkbacks with the playwrights. The four first acts will be sent to students prior to the first session. Two sessions will be held prior to the festival, with one session post-festival, for students to compare the experience of reading the plays versus hearing them read by professional actors.

NOTE: Festival tickets can be purchased at ashlandnewplays.org. Individual plays are $25, or $100 for all four.

This five-session course introduces students to the core principles of improvisational theater in a friendly, low-pressure environment designed specifically for older adults. Students will learn foundational improv skills; active listening; “yes, and” collaboration; simple character choices; emotional expression; and basic storytelling. Instructions will be delivered through short demonstrations, guided group activities, partner exercises and supportive discussion. Activities will include warm-ups, ensemble games, simple scene work and structured storytelling exercises that emphasize connection, creativity and play. No prior theater or improv experience is expected.

NOTE: This is the same course as “Improv for Beginners: Yes, And …With Friends” that was offered in the 2026 Spring Term. Signed liability waiver required to participate.

This course expands participants’ improvisational skills through structured activities, guided scene work and supportive ensemble practice. Students will explore character development, emotional point of view, status interactions, story structure and multi-person scenes while strengthening listening, collaboration and spontaneity. Instruction includes demonstrations, warm-ups, partner and group exercises, and short scenes that encourage creative risk taking without performance pressure. No theater background is required; however, comfort with basic improv concepts is required. The course emphasizes relationship-centered, narrative-driven improv rather than comedy technique. Each session follows a consistent structure of warm-up, focused skill exploration, applied activities and reflection.

NOTE: Students should have mastered beginning improv skills prior to taking this class. Signed liability waiver required to participate.

For one of Shakespeare’s closest friends and rivals Ben Jonson, most men were basically crooks, con men or cuckolds; and most women were bawds, backbiters or social climbers. He knew of what he wrote. He was a jailbird. He was a convicted murderer and a suspected traitor. Unlike Shakespeare, Jonson believed the purpose of comedy was to “make men better.” So Jonson, to shame Londoners, reveled in rubbing their noses in the iniquities of their contemporary life. And they enjoyed this rubbing no less! From 1598 to 1616, he regaled London with some of the greatest comedies ever written in English: “Volpone,” “The Alchemist,” “The Silent Woman” and “Bartholomew Fair,” among others. If you believe that scoundrels rule our world, you already have a leg up to appreciate Jonson.

NOTE: No text is required, but there will be a field trip to Hannon Library to view the first editions of Jonson’s two collected “workes” (1616 and 1641). Signed liability waiver required to participate.