The Yadkin Arts Council is now home to Yadkin County’s only community theater group, The Yadkin Players. To begin its first season the group will hold free acting workshops that are open to the public on January 18 and January 25 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Willingham Theater.
The workshops are for anyone ages 15 and up with any interest in theater or acting. The sessions will explore the basics of acting and serve as a brush up for those with previous experience.
In an effort to work towards the theater group’s first performance on March 29, the workshop will explore the American classics of theater with scenes from well-known plays such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Our Town, The Glass Menagerie, Grease, The Odd Couple, Wait Until Dark and Barefoot in the Park.
The acting workshops will be led by the Willingham Theater’s Artistic Director Ron Stacker Thompson, a screenwriting professor at University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Thompson has been a producer on such diverse films as A Rage in Harlem, Deep Cover, The Cemetery Club, Sister Act 2 and Hoodlum.
Thompson has worked with such stellar talent as Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Laurence Fishburne, Ellen Burstyn, Danny Glover, Christina Ricci, Jeff Goldblum and Andy Garcia. He is also an award-winning TV and film writer and producer.
As the workshops progress they will also include sessions on theater lighting, sound board operation, set design and more. All workshops will be led by an experienced individual and will be open to anyone interested.