Youth Classes

This winter, A Noise Within is thrilled to continue Youth Classes! Learn more about our winter offerings below. Registration closes January 15, or until classes reach capacity. All classes take place at A Noise Within. Reach out to education@anoisewithin.org with questions!

Theatre Workshop for Ages 6 – 9: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Taught by Anthony Adu
Tuesdays January 27 – March 17
3:30pm – 4:30pm

Mischief makers unite! In this playful eight-session course, students will travel to the magical forests of Athens, traversing William Shakespeare’s fairy-filled A Midsummer Night’s Dream through games, movement, and scene exploration! Students will engage with Shakespeare’s text with appropriate scaffolding to suit early readers. Let’s dive in!

Tuition: $285

Acting Fundamentals for Homeschool Ages 8 – 14: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Taught by Anthony Adu
Tuesdays January 27 – March 17
1:30pm – 3:00pm

Come spend your afternoon with Shakespeare at A Noise Within! In this homeschool arts enrichment course, students will work through the entirety of Shakespeare’s magical comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream – developing both English Language Arts skills as well as practical Acting technique. Through theatre exercises and scene work, students will build confidence, advance their critical thinking skills, and unlock their love for classical theatre. No pressure to memorize lines for a final performance – this course is process-oriented learning!

Tuition: $325

Acting Fundamentals for Ages 9 – 12: William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

Taught by ANW Resident Artist Riley Shanahan
Saturdays January 24 – March 21
9:00am – 10:20am

Mistaken identities, twins lost at sea, and a whole lot of clowns! In this investigative nine-session course, students will travel to the land of Illyria as they work through William Shakespeare’s beloved comedy Twelfth Night. Each session, students will use exercises and scene work to engage with Shakespearean verse, and they will leave with a deep understanding and love for Viola, Duke Orsino, Sir Toby Belch, and the whole Twelfth Night crew. No pressure to memorize lines for a final performance – this course is process-oriented fun!

Tuition: $375

Intermediate Acting Workout for Ages 13 – 17: William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

Taught by ANW Resident Artist Riley Shanahan
Saturdays January 24 – March 21
10:30am – 12:20pm

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: $395

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: 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 THE INSTRUCTOR: 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 January 15, 2026. If you cancel before January 15, 2026, you will receive a full refund. If you cancel between January 15 and January 23, you will receive a 50% refund. No refunds will be issued after the start of the first class.

All classes occur at A Noise Within.