Want to laugh sometimes? Make new friends? Thank you Stagebridge!!
Since age 64 -- and I never did this before -- I've been laughing in Improv classes, dancing in Musical Theater classes, acting for the first time with support of everyone else in the group. Who woulda believed it?
Dip your toes in the waters, and perhaps you, too, will catch the Stagebridge bug. I'm now in my 80s, still going strong ---
I studied theatre in college and graduated with a BFA, but had to work and had a fulfilling career in public housing.However, after 33 years, I retired and started taking drama classes in San Jose and Berkeley Rep after moving to Kensington.I heard about Stagebridge and wondered if I would find it challenging. All I can say is wow! I am taking the Musical Theatre class and our teacher Ellen is very professional and helpful.The choreography is good for the brain and the body and the joy with being with other people who love to sing takes away the sting of aging.I am so happy to be associated with Stagebridge and plan to take lots more classes.Thank you Stagebridge...
I retired from teaching high school years ago. Finding an activity as challenging and absorbing as teaching was my goal. Stagebridge feels like home to me. I connect with people my age, who want to sing and dance and laugh, who are challenging themselves, developing skills, taking risks and most important, are experiencing the bliss of performing for each other.
After spending my whole adult life in San Francisco, I moved to Berkeley with no community to speak of. My new next door neighbor introduced me to Stagebridge and my life has been miraculously Transformed. All the classes and instructors are wonderful, but to me it's the other students, my "peeps", that make it all worthwhile. There are plenty of places in the East Bay especially Berkeley for seniors to find enlightening activities. But for me Stagebridge has just the right mix of people who match my enthusiasm for music, theater, playing , clowning, and storytelling.
My first summer at camp was totally exhausting and life-changing. I came home each evening feeling like I have been gone for a week. The intensity of the experience was incredible.
Now, I attend weekly classes in jazz harmony chorus, musical theater, beginning acting, and scene study. The only puzzle in my mind is why haven't more people heard of Stagebridge? I am here now shouting from the rooftops that this is the best way to age ever! I can't wait to go to the rest home with my new Stagebridge friends.
After I retired several years ago, I wanted to do something new and fulfilling. The moment I arrived at my first Stagebridge class, I knew I had chosen well. The high quality of instruction, the easy camaraderie, and the variety of classes all combine to make Stagebridge the most stimulating and meaningful part of my life today. I'm learning and laughing all the time. I've never had so much fun!
When I moved to Oakland four years ago, I discovered StAGEbridge, a performing arts organization for seniors. They offer a wide range of classes and workshops from playwriting to acting; from singing to musical theater. There is a wonderful summer camp that lasts a week and gives you the opportunity to explore such things as clowning, improv, drumming, dance, chorus, ukelele, and again, musical theater. Having been working in amateur theatrics for many years, it was like a "welcome home!" I have met many wonderful people, all the instructors are top notch and it has added a wonderful dimension to my life!
Stagebridge is the nation's oldest senior (50+) theater company. It trains playwrights, actors, storytellers, singers, dancers, and other performing artists and shares them with schools, senior centers, and the general public.
The free assemblies and classroom teaching programs in elementary schools alone are an amazing community resource. Thousands of students have been exposed to, and instructed in, drama and storytelling, improving their literacy, their poise and self-confidence, their imaginations, their language skills, and their general awareness and appreciation of the arts as a part of a fulfilling life. The instruction at Stagebridge, and the programs Stagebridge offers to schools and other community institutions is professional, deep, and profoundly enriching. What a gift to the Bay Area Community!
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Stagebridge is a wonderful school for the arts, with teachers who are leaders in their fields. Stagebridge is a wonderful creative collective where artists work together, learn from each other, and are inspired to go the next step. Stagebridge is a wonderful contributor to the East Bay community, providing arts to underserved schools, senior centers, and the general public at little or no cost. Stagebridge is a family of creative people who have gotten to know each other on every level and have been enriched by those connections. If you are looking for a creative home, look no further.
I love the opportunities that Stagebridge provides. Although I've danced during my adult life, I never
had the chance to Tap Dance. The level of Instruction that Stagebridge offers is excellent and feels like a gift. Every class I've taken has talented Instructors who love and know how to share their art. Five years ago if someone had told me that I would be acting in a short play, I would have thought they
were talking about someone else. Stagebridge offers a richness to my life.
Classes offered give you the chance to develop in ways you never imagined.
Stagebridge is a haven for older adults who want to experience the performing arts. The variety of theatre arts classes, theatrical outreach programs and performance opportunities are exciting and challenging. What makes Stagebridge even more delightful is the wonderful supportive nature of both the teachers and fellow students. You don't need to know anything about theatre to join Stagebridge and become an integral part of it.
This is a fantastic place to nurture your creative beast. I highly recommend it to anyone in need of self expression and community!
Stagebridge is a school for the performing arts for seniors, but this doesn't begin to describe the amazing impact it has on the lives of the participants. Many of us had dreams of performing when we were young, but life got in the way. Now, with a lifetime of other experiences, we can let go and fulfill those dreams. Most people don't realize how much talent has been hidden for years until they take classes, perform or just be in the audience! Stagebridge also helps bridge the generations with storytelling in schools, and shows geared to youngsters. A remarkable resource and treasure in the Bay Area which is no where as well known as it deserves to be!
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Stagebridge is a unique Senior Theater Company. I had done a little acting in school and college, and again in a local community theater while in my 40's, but never did really follow through on my childhood dream of being in theater. Then, in the winter of 2009, I discovered Stagebridge. I've been taking classes there ever since. I also was discouraged as a child from singing, but at Stagebridge discovered that I'm not so terrible a singer (60 years later!). So now I take acting, musical theater (including some dancing), and singing classes, and perform at the end of each semester in various showcases (in such venues as the Aurora Theater and Ashby Stage). The teachers are all professional and dedicated; the atmosphere is totally supportive; and the other students are equally amazing. We all encourage and help each other. In addition to the classes (lots more than just the three I've mentioned), Stagebridge also does community outreach to schools and senior facilities.