Youth Classes
At A Noise Within Education, Shakespeare is where it all begins. When a student encounters Shakespeare at an early age, not only do they discover the timelessness and joy of his stories, but they strengthen their literacy skills and discover the power of their own voice – all while having fun up on their feet!
This fall, A Noise Within Education is proud to offer an array of Shakespeare and Shakespeare ‘& Beyond’ classes for young theatre lovers Ages 6 – 17. Learn more below!
Upcoming fall classes
Young Shakespeare Players
Ages 6 – 8
Saturdays September 19 – November 14
9:15am - 10:15am
Final Presentation - November 14 at 9:45am
Let’s clown! In this delightfully imaginative class for theatre beginners, students will dive into Shakespeare’s comedies through games, dance, and song. Students will explore appropriately scaffolded script selections from Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies. Students will share what they have learned with their friends and family on November 14!
Tuition: $320
The Shakespeare Workout – Macbeth
Ages 8 – 12
Saturdays September 19 - November 14
9:00am - 10:20am
Final Presentation - November 14 at 9:30am
Witches, ghosts, and a few too many prophecies! In this investigative nine-session course, students will venture to medieval Scotland as they work through William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Each session, students will use games, theatre exercises, and scene work to engage with appropriately scaffolded Shakespearean verse. This class is process-oriented fun – students will perform scene work for their friends and family on November 14 with scripts in hand!
Tuition: $375
The Shakespeare & Beyond Workout – Le Gallienne and Friebus’ Alice in Wonderland
Ages 8 – 12
Saturdays September 19 - November 14
10:30am - 12:00pm
Final Presentation - November 14 at 11:30am
In 1932, two beloved actresses Eva Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus adapted Lewis Carroll’s famous novels Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass into a highly successful stage play. In this curious – very curious – class, students will tumble into Wonderland through physical movement, character development exercises, and scene work! This class is process-oriented fun – students will perform scene work for their friends and family on November 14 with scripts in hand!
Tuition: $375
The Shakespeare Workout – Macbeth
Ages 13 – 17
Saturdays September 19 - November 14
10:30am – 12:20pm
Final Presentation - November 14 at 11:30am
Are you ready for a weekly Shakespeare workout? In this course, students will work through the entirety of Shakespeare’s chaotic comedy Twelfth Night – with script in hand, building their ability to cold-read Shakespeare and navigate the poetic language with ease. In addition to text work, this course will focus on the core concepts of acting technique for the stage – presence, projection, objective, and more. Come work out!
Tuition: $400
The Shakespeare Workout for Homeschoolers – Macbeth
Ages 8 – 14
Thursdays September 24 – November 19
10:30am - 12:30pm
Final Presentation - November 19 at 11:30am
Witches, ghosts, and a few too many prophecies! In this nine-session homeschool arts enrichment course, students will venture to medieval Scotland as they investigate William Shakespeare’s Macbeth – developing both English Language Arts skills as well as practical Acting technique. Each session, students will use games, theatre exercises, and scene work to engage with appropriately scaffolded Shakespearean verse. This class is process-oriented learning – students will perform scene work for their friends and family on November 19 with scripts in hand!
Tuition: $400
ABOUT OUR INSTRUCTORS:
Anthony Adu is a Teaching Artist and actor based in Los Angeles. A Noise Within Credits: Broadcaster/Ensemble, The Skin of Our Teeth; Ghost of Christmas Present / Ensemble, A Christmas Carol; Joey Percival U/S, Misalliance. Other Theatres: Backstroke Boys, Faultline Theatre (Off-Broadway); The Cherry Orchard, South Pasadena Theatre Workshop; Voices from a Pandemic, Notch Theatre Company; Pick Me Last, La Jolla Playhouse; Love’s Labour’s Lost, Cyrano de Bergerac, Colorado Shakespeare Festival; DragON, The Christians, Denver Center; Uncle Vanya, Heap, Everybody Black, The Jefferson Middle School Monthly, UCSD; new play developments with The O’Neill Theatre Conference, South Coast Repertory, and IAMA Theatre Company.
Education/Training: MFA in Acting from UC San Diego; Chautauqua Theatre Summer Conservatory.
ABOUT OUR INSTRUCTORS:
Riley Shanahan is an actor, filmmaker, and educator. He’s proud to be a resident artist at A Noise Within where he’s acted in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Misalliance, A Christmas Carol, and Jane Eyre. He graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in theater from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. After a stint of regional theater (Utah Shakespeare Festival, PCPA, etc), Riley moved to LA to pursue TV/film. He then worked with Oscar-nominated director Mike Mills on I Am Easy To Find, a thirty-minute short film that accompanied the album of the same name by The National. Most notably, he became a series regular on HBO Max’s Emmy-nominated Doom Patrol as the character Cliff Steele/Robotman- a role he shared with Brendan Fraser (yes, he’s as kind as he appears).
As an educator, Riley is passionate about his students embodying a lesson, not simply understanding it. He accomplishes this by sharing tips, tricks, and techniques that have helped him on set or on stage over the past 18 years of professional experience. Riley is passionate about theater education because it creates a safe place for kids to express themselves, learn how to collaborate, learn how to creatively problem solve, increase public speaking skills, boost confidence, and learn how Shakespeare’s classic plays can enhance our modern lives.
Class Policies
Final payment is due on or by September 5, 2026. If you cancel before September 5, 2026, you will receive a full refund. If you cancel between September 6 and September 18 (Saturday classes) or September 23 (Thursday classes), you will receive a 50% refund. No refunds will be issued on or after the day of the first class. All classes occur at A Noise Within.
Looking for summer classes?
Check out our Summer With Shakespeare Theatre Camp for Ages 6 – 18.