Gorton Center

Gentle Flow Yoga with Areta
2024-02-08 09:00 - 10:00, 2024-02-15 09:00 - 10:00, 2024-02-22 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Chicago) | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
This gentle flow class is warm and light, ideal for anyone wanting a slower-paced class. We move to create flexibility and sustain our range of motion through supportive passive openings and longer holds and props. This class is for any age, body type, and level of experience. As you progress, you will learn how to incorporate breath connection and meditation techniques into your practice. Please bring a mat and a water bottle.
Taking a yoga class can offer a variety of physical, mental, and emotional benefits including improving cardiovascular health, reducing stress and tension and leaving you feeling more energized and revitalized.
Areta has been teaching yoga in Lake Forest and in yoga studios along the North Shore for 10 years and is E-RYT 500 Certified. Areta’s passion is bringing yoga to Every BODY and has additional certifications in Meditation, Adaptive Yoga for Disabilities, Senior Yoga, Love Your Brain for traumatic brain injury, Yoga for Eating Disorder Recovery, Yin Yoga, and Yoga for 12 Step Recovery. Areta teaches yoga to inspire and empower physical well-being, spiritual balance, and awakening for everyday life. She is a long-time resident of Lake Forest and a disability advocate and volunteer yoga coach for the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA).

Breathwork Foundations
2024-02-08 18:00 - 19:00 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
THIS CLASS HAS BEEN CANCELLED. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR A RESCHEDULED DATE!
You do it 20,000 times a day and almost all of them unconsciously. Learn the messages you are sending your body with the way your are breathing. Experience how to optimize your breathing physiology, understand how to take a proper breath and some simple protocols you can use to change your state in minutes. Learning the foundations of conscious breathwork opens a portal to positively influence the physical and non-physical parts of ourselves.
James Stewart was born and raised in Australia, as an adult traveled extensively in pursuit of elevated levels of fulfillment and freedom. He is always looking to discover new effective tools to optimize physical and mental performance. Conscious breathwork practices are his go-to tools when coaching teams and individuals who desire efficient methods to holistically improve health, performance and gain an empowered sense of self.

Valentine's Wine Blending
2024-02-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Do you like wine and want to learn more about how wine blends are made? Have a fun wine-blending experience this Valentine’s weekend! Come learn how to blend red wine using wine varietals from Raymond Vineyards, Napa Valley, California. This blending class will help you discover the joys of the winemaker’s art, creativity, and exploration while creating your own wine blend!
Class includes wine education, tasting four different red wines, winemaking experience,& blending materials. After creating your wine, you will have the option of getting your wine bottled with a personalized label!
The Boisset Wine Collection offers exclusive vineyard wines from their 30 wineries between Napa Valley, Sonoma, & Burgundy. Emily Long will be guiding you through the tasting tour. Wine education materials & light food pairings will be included.

All Level Yoga with Areta
2024-02-13 09:00 - 10:00, 2024-02-20 09:00 - 10:00 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Areta will guide you through a traditional vinyasa flow yoga class incorporating poses, breath work and meditation. This bi-weekly one-hour practice will help release tension and bring you back into balance while opening, lengthening and strengthening the body. Whether you are new to yoga or an experienced practitioner, this mindful flow class will leave you feeling renewed and energized. Bring a mat and a water bottle.
Traditional Vinyasa Flow Yoga is a dynamic style of yoga that emphasizes the synchronization of breath and movement as practitioners flow through a sequence of poses. It combines the ancient practice of yoga with a modern approach that focuses on creating a fluid and rhythmic movement pattern. Vinyasa Flow is known for its creative sequencing and the way it allows practitioners to explore their bodies, breath, and minds in a harmonious way.
Taking a yoga class can offer a variety of physical, mental, and emotional benefits including improving cardiovascular health, reducing stress and tension and leaving you feeling more energized and revitalized.
Areta has been teaching yoga in Lake Forest and in yoga studios along the North Shore for 10 years and is E-RYT 500 Certified. Areta’s passion is bringing yoga to EVERY BODY, and has additional certifications in Meditation, Adaptive Yoga for Disabilities, Senior Yoga, Love Your Brain for traumatic brain injury, Yoga for Eating Disorder Recovery, Yin Yoga, and Yoga for 12 Step Recovery. Areta teaches yoga to inspire and empower physical well-being, spiritual balance and awakening for everyday life. She is a long-time resident of Lake Forest and a disability advocate and volunteer yoga coach for the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA).

Parenting Series Growing Grit
2024-02-13 18:30 - 20:00 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Join T-Ann Pierce, life and confidence coach, in a Four-Part Series, Growing Grit: Fostering Resilience and Confidence in Our Kids. In this series, T-Ann will dive deep into practical and often overlooked ways to approach ways to develop confidence and resiliency in your kids (and you, too!). Expect the same judgment-free, humor-filled straight talk she shares with her one-on-one parenting clients.
Session 1: Anxiety Awareness: Dispelling Common Misunderstandings About Anxiety
Discover practical ways to help your child create healthy coping mechanisms to support their life-long emotional well-being.
Please join us for future sessions! –
Session 2: March 12, Emotional Regulation: Equipping Your Child for Life’s Challenges
Session 3: April 9, Self-Confidence Vs. Self-Consciousness: Cultivating Authenticity & Self-Assuredness for the Long Haul
Session 4: May 14, The Coping Toolbox: Strategies to Help Bounce Back from Adversity

T-Ann Pierce is a life, parenting, and confidence coach who helps her clients make meaning and sense of their demanding, often overwhelming lives. With heartfelt candor and humor, T-Ann captures emotional truths and offers real-world solutions to the conundrum of being human. She is a mother of four grown kids. She and her husband recently downsized and are trying to figure out what to eat for dinner.

Open Studio for Artists
2024-02-15 09:30 - 12:30, 2024-02-22 09:30 - 12:30 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Gorton warmly welcomes artists and creatives from diverse backgrounds! We are thrilled to announce that we are now providing studio space every Thursday, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. This dedicated time slot allows participants to utilize our open studio space for their ongoing projects. It’s an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in a creative environment and focus on your artistic endeavors.
As an added benefit, we are delighted to have local artists Susan Sands and Joalida Smit on board. They will be present during the studio hours to offer guidance, answer questions, and provide valuable feedback. Their expertise and experience will undoubtedly enrich your artistic journey and foster a supportive community of like-minded individuals.
Whether you’re a painter, sculptor, writer, photographer, or any other kind of artist, our studio space is open to all forms of creativity. Join us on Thursdays to nurture your creative spirit, collaborate with fellow artists, and receive invaluable input from Susan Sands and Joalida Smit. We look forward to seeing your artistic endeavors flourish within our vibrant artistic community at Gorton.
Open Studio will run every Thursday from 9:30am – 12:30pm – $35/Day
*PARTICIPANTS MUST BRING THEIR OWN SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS

The Financial Complexities of Aging
2024-02-21 18:00 - 19:00 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
THIS CLASS IS CANCELLED. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR FUTURE DATES!
This session will cover topics including elder law, aging in place, the senior living process including various options available, and how to pay for it. Instructor Eric Klein will provide suggestions, guidance and support around the senior living journey.

Eric Klein is the owner of CarePatrol Chicago. As a Patient Advocate and Certified Senior Advisor, he helps seniors and their families navigate the complex senior living process by helping them find assisted living, memory care and in-home care options. Eric’s services are free, and he is an expert on such topics as dementia care, neurological diseases like Parkinson’s and MS, and helping seniors who are struggling with their activities of daily living.

Growing Microgreens
2024-02-21 18:00 - 19:00 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Get your green thumb ready for the gardening season with microgreens. Learn how to plant, care and harvest microgreens at home. Once set up properly, most can grow in 5 days in a sunny window.
North Shore Organic Kitchen Garden was created to help more families build kitchen or vegetable gardens in their yards. A garden is a great place for kids to learn and a perfect opportunity to get exposed to the world of herbs, salad greens, vegetables and fruits.

50th Anniversary Celebration: BARBIE Party & Movie
2024-02-22 18:00 - 19:00 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Don’t miss Gorton Center’s Barbie Event, sponsored by VALENTINA!
Grab your friends and join us on February 22nd at 6 PM for a special Barbie party, followed by a screening of the Barbie Movie in our John & Nancy Hughes Theater at 7 PM. There will be pink giveaways, specialty mocktails and cocktails, photo opportunities, and a FUNdraising raffle in support of Gorton Center — the hub for arts & culture in the heart of our community.
Purchase your tickets for the movie here! Tickets to the movie are $10 and will give you access to the party.

Rattle & Roll with Mr V!
2024-02-24 13:00 - 13:50 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Join award-winning childrens’ music educator and composer Bill Vaananen for music classes that delight the ear and stimulate the senses. Through his original songs, vibrant slide shows, and energetic movement, “Mr. V” leads his young audiences through topics of nature, history, culture, and geography – all rolled into a funtastic, one-of-a-kind musical experience for kids! The classes will culminate with a “Spring Sing” Family Concert held on April 21st celebrating Gorton’s 50th Anniversary. Ages, K – 2nd Grades.

Bill Vaananen is an award-winning music educator and composer who has taught and directed elementary-aged students for over 45 years. Originally from Oklahoma, “Mr. V.” was general music teacher at Wescott School in Northbrook for 37 years. He has written hundreds of songs and dozens of original theater works that have been performed across Chicago’s northern suburbs. Recipient of the Golden Apple Award, NEA-IEA Human Rights Award, National-Louis Distinguished Alumni Award for Social Justice, and Star of Teaching Award for the State of Illinois, Vaananen continues to perform classes and presentations for children, weaving his original music into inspiring lessons on Nature, history, culture, and adventure.

Rattle & Roll with Mr. V!
2024-02-24 14:00 - 14:50 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Join award-winning childrens’ music educator and composer Bill Vaananen for music classes that delight the ear and stimulate the senses. Through his original songs, vibrant slide shows, and energetic movement, “Mr. V” leads his young audiences through topics of nature, history, culture, and geography – all rolled into a funtastic, one-of-a-kind musical experience for kids! The classes will culminate with a “Spring Sing” Family Concert held on April 21st celebrating Gorton’s 50th Anniversary. Grades 2 – 4

Bill Vaananen is an award-winning music educator and composer who has taught and directed elementary-aged students for over 45 years. Originally from Oklahoma, “Mr. V.” was general music teacher at Wescott School in Northbrook for 37 years. He has written hundreds of songs and dozens of original theater works that have been performed across Chicago’s northern suburbs. Recipient of the Golden Apple Award, NEA-IEA Human Rights Award, National-Louis Distinguished Alumni Award for Social Justice, and Star of Teaching Award for the State of Illinois, Vaananen continues to perform classes and presentations for children, weaving his original music into inspiring lessons on Nature, history, culture, and adventure.

RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE
2024-02-27 10:00 - 15:00, 2024-03-04 10:00 - 15:00 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Volunteer to give blood at Gorton! Drives happen monthly, sign up here.

PLEASE NOTE, PRE-REGISTRATION IS MANDATORY. THIS CAN BE DONE BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW. THIS PROCESS TAKES ONLY A FEW MINUTES.
If you want to donate blood, make sure to eat a healthy meal and drink an extra 16 oz. of water and fluids before the donation.
Also, bring a photo ID, your blood donor card, or two other forms of ID. You can save up to 15 minutes when you donate blood by using RapidPass! Visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass for more information (note: RapidPass can only be completed on the day of your donation).
Gorton thanks you for donating blood and helping to save lives!

Fascial Stretch Therapy
2024-02-29 12:00 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Private Sessions with Josh Watson of Lake Shore Fit@Home!
Eliminate chronic pain, increase mobility and improve flexibility and strength. Fascial Stretch Therapy is a neuromyofascial manual therapy method that focuses on the connective tissue system rather than isolated muscle treatment. FST therapists assess active, passive, and resisted range of motion in functional positions and movements.
Josh Watson has been a personal trainer and stretch therapist in Lake Forest for the past decade. After graduating from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, he spent the past eight years at Northwestern Medicine in Lake Forest and currently the past two years running his own in-home business “LakeShore Fit@Home”. He works with a variety of age groups and health conditions and is a huge advocate for stretching for all populations and sports. His knowledge base includes a variety of certifications and modalities that’s helped him work with CEOs, entrepreneurs, golf athletes and division one athletics.
Please contact Josh directly to schedule a private stretching session at Gorton! – Josh Watson lakeshorefitathome@nullgmail.com or 847-702-2226

Drawing with Ink, Pencil & Charcoal with Joalida Smit
2024-03-05 16:00 - 17:30 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
THIS CLASS HAS BEEN CANCELLED. PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE WEDNESDAY CLASS!
In this class Joalida will teach your teen contemporary art-making using pencils, charcoal and ink. Focusing on black and white helps developing artists to focus on the more technical aspects of drawing: light, shading and composition. Charcoal and ink is also a very expressive medium and great for teens to learn how to use expressive mark-making in their art.
Younger teens with drawing skills may benefit from this art class as it will teach the fundamentals of drawing.
The Wednesday class focuses on painting on paper and canvas and drawing skills are assumed and not taught directly. Ages 12 – 17
Materials list

Willow charcoal sticks
set of charcoal pencils
set of drawing pencils (2B, 4B, 6B)
Black India ink
Sketchbook with textured surface (larger than document size preferred)

Why take an art class?

Teens can benefit from taking an art class for a variety of reasons. It supports cognitive and emotional development. In particular, it facilitates executive functioning through planning and organising ideas and solving problems as they emerge during the process. It is a stress-release and can be therapeutic,providing a unique way for teens to communicate thoughts, emotions, and ideas that might be difficult to express through words alone. It builds self-esteem, facilitates personal growth and social-emotional development as budding artists develop their skills in the presence of others.
Regardless of their career aspirations, engaging in artistic activities within a class environment can contribute to a teen’s overall personal development and well-being.
Photo credit of Joalida: James Gustin

Drawing & Painting for Teens with Joalida Smit
2024-03-06 16:00 - 17:30 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
These sessions will guide your teen to find their unique voice and individual style. Bring your own ideas or work on a contemporary portrait from materials in my studio. We will explore different mediums, techniques and genres in a fun supportive environment, where your budding artist can develop and grow at their own pace. Ages 12 – 17
*Your child may be asked to leave if they do not comply with the rules of the art room.
Why take an art class?

Teens can benefit from taking an art class for a variety of reasons. It supports cognitive and emotional development. In particular, it facilitates executive functioning through planning and organising ideas and solving problems as they emerge during the process. It is a stress-release and can be therapeutic,providing a unique way for teens to communicate thoughts, emotions, and ideas that might be difficult to express through words alone. It builds self-esteem, facilitates personal growth and social-emotional development as budding artists develop their skills in the presence of others.
Regardless of their career aspirations, engaging in artistic activities within a class environment can contribute to a teen’s overall personal development and well-being.
Photo credit of Joalida: James Gustin

RoboThink After School Battle Robot: Tanks
2024-03-06 16:00 - 17:30 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
We’re back for round two! This battle themed program has students building a variety of tanks, completing tons of challenges and doing lots of robot battling! This program is designed for seasoned RoboThinkers, but newcomers are always welcome. Prepare for a challenge! Ages 7 – 12

Adult Art: Daffodils
2024-03-15 16:00 - 17:30 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Art is not just for children or professionals – it can be therapeutic and is an excellent way to relieve stress. So join us for some watercolor painting!
Sketch and paint lively spring flowering bulbs in watercolor. Practice capturing these blooms from various angles and add shading for depth. All supplies will be included and all experience levels are welcome!

GDS Peter Pan Opening Night
2024-03-15 18:00 - 19:30
Are you ready to embark on a theatrical adventure like no other? Come and join us for Gorton Drama Studio’s production of Peter Pan in our Grotto Blackbox Theater!
In our “Peter Pan: The Original Adaptation,” students co-created a contemporary twist on the timeless classic. Jeremy Kruse, our head writer, is a published playwright and award-winning dramatic writer. Madison Kisst, our director, recently led a wildly successful production of “The Wizard of Oz.” Matt Mueller assumed the role of music director, leveraging his expertise to craft original songs that add a unique and enchanting dimension to the show.
After weeks of exploration and creation, our adaptation of “Peter Pan” will take center stage in the Grotto Theater March 15th @ 6pm, and March 16th @ 2pm & 6pm.
Tickets are $10, $5 for Groundlings (floor seating, best suited for young kids or those who prefer to criss-cross-apple-sauce)
We can’t wait to see you there!
About Our Artistic Director:

Jeremy Kruse, Artistic Director of Gorton Drama Studio is the author of “The Young Actor’s Handbook” (Applause Acting Series, 2017).The book was published in Korean and Chinese in 2022. Jeremy is a professional actor, published playwright, award-winning screenwriter, and award-winning filmmaker. Some of the classes he taught at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York include Method Acting, Comedic Improvisation, Sketch Comedy Writing, and Acting for Film and TV. He graduated from The Strasberg Institute at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he majored in drama. Jeremy also teaches privately, one on one www.jeremykruse.com and www.jeremykruseactingtraining.com

Madison Kisst is an actor, director, and theatre teacher. She has taught for professional theater companies across the country and for the undergraduate acting program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Madison has extensive training in physical and classical theatre, voice and movement, and devising. As an actor, some of her credits include: American Repertory Theater, Lyric Repertory Company, The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Nevada Conservatory Theater, and Santa Cruz Shakespeare. She has her BA in Theatre Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Performance.

Matt Mueller has appeared on Broadway as Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and in Chicago he’s been seen in The Play That Goes Wrong, and at Writers Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Marriott Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, and Northlight Theatre, among others. Regionally he’s performed at Asolo Repertory Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Lyric Repertory Company, and numerous productions at Utah Shakespeare Festival, Colorado Shakespeare Festival and Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, including multiple productions of Woody Guthrie’s American Song. Television and Film includes “Chicago Justice” and Popper Baxton’s Sickly Stew.

Herb Planting & Yoga (Parent/Child)
2024-03-16 10:00 - 11:00 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE NEXT CLASS IN MAY!
Learn how to plant, care and harvest an herb pot together. You will learn the plant families and what makes each unique while getting your hands in the dirt. After completing an herb pot, we’ll do a kids yoga class together led by a teacher from Black Cat Yoga. Fee covers Parent & Child, Ages 3+
North Shore Organic Kitchen Garden was created to help more families build kitchen or vegetable gardens in their yard. A garden is a great place for kids to learn and a perfect opportunity to get exposed to the world of herbs, salad greens, vegetables and fruits.
Black Cat Yoga started with the mission to help people empower their lives and wellbeing through yoga. Black Cat Yoga has blossomed into a diverse array of yoga practices, meditation offering + a holistic wellness spa. Located in downtown Libertyville.

GDS Peter Pan Saturday Matinee
2024-03-16 14:00 - 15:30

GDS Peter Pan Saturday Night
2024-03-16 18:00 - 19:30

U2 Hype
2024-03-16 19:30 - 21:30 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
There once was a pre-party delight,
For U2 fans, a festive invite.
Brewery’s green beer will pour, Specialty drinks to explore,
Join us outside with a food truck’s bite!
Make it a night, grab your friends and come for the pre-party starting at 6:30 in the Solarium and outside under the portecochere.

Lake Bluff Brewery – on tap for the night! You can enjoy green beer, craft brews and specialty drinks!
Mamma Mia Pizza-enjoy freshly made on-site wood-fired pizza. Dinner’s done! (see below for QR code menu)

U2 Hype is the ultimate tribute to U2. Delighting fans across the country since 2001, Hype brings you the authentic sights and sounds that make U2 one of the most popular bands in the world.
Hype takes the term tribute band to an entirely new level. Night after night, they recreate the total U2 concert experience in both sight and sound. Bono look-a-like Daniel “Danno” Burrow always delivers an unmistakable and captivating performance. The band travels with all the vintage gear and the latest in costume and wardrobe. Hype brings you all your favorite U2 songs the way you are used to seeing them. Hype has made television appearances on CBS, FOX, WGN TV, and the Discovery Channel.
With Hype you are truly getting the greatest U2 Tribute Band on the planet!
“An amazing tribute band that doesn’t just sound like U2 but truly has the energy of them. You will be convinced that Bono is only a few feet away. Spectacular performance!” – Kathy Gouwens

Lake Forest Civic Orchestra Concert "Gloria"
2024-03-17 16:00 - 17:30 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Join the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra for our Sunday concert series at Gorton Center. The orchestra continues our season of celebration with Gloria. We mark our 35th anniversary season with a new work by Chicago-based composer Amos Gillespie. Brahms’s Variations on a Theme by Haydn is not only a wonderfully exuberant score, but this experimentation in the orchestral medium led to the composition of his triumphant first symphony (which the orchestra will play in May).
The concert is anchored by a collaboration with Lake Forest High School Forester Singers and freshmen from the Select Group – Tenors and Basses who join Lake Forest’s orchestra for Vivaldi’s joyous Gloria.
Our Program:
Gillespie – World Premier – The Names of Artemis
Brahms – Variation on a Theme by Haydn
Vivaldi – Gloria
Ticket prices:
$20/adult 18-65
$10/senior 65 and older and students with an ID
Free to children under 12
For more information or tickets visit:
https://www.lakeforestcivicorchestra.org/concerts-tickets/p/gloria-march2024

Acting for Ages 5 to 8
2024-03-19 16:00 - 17:30 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Do you have a budding actor in the family? Turn your child’s love of make-believe play into a passion for the arts. Through theater games, improvisation, performing fairy tales and performing children’s books, your budding actor will explore her creative side, build confidence, and develop spontaneity – while enhancing social and motor skills. Students learn and practice skills such as listening, sharing the stage, hitting a mark, enunciation, voice projection and creating a character. Ages 5 – 8
All students will participate in a class presentation on May 14th.
March 19- May 14
8 Classes
$300.00

Jeremy Kruse, Artistic Director of Gorton Drama Studio, is the author of “The Young Actor’s Handbook” (Applause Acting Series, 2017). Jeremy is a professional actor, published playwright, award-winning screenwriter, and award-winning filmmaker. Some of the classes he taught at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York include Method Acting, Comedic Improvisation, Sketch Comedy Writing, and Acting for Film and TV. He graduated from The Strasberg Institute at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he majored in drama. Jeremy also teaches privately, one on one. www.jeremykruse.com and www.jeremykruseactingtraining.com

Instructor, Madison Kisst is an actor, director, and theatre teacher. She has taught for professional theater companies across the country and for the undergraduate acting program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Madison has extensive training in physical and classical theatre, voice and movement, and devising. As an actor, some of her credits include: American Repertory Theater, Lyric Repertory Company, The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Nevada Conservatory Theater, and Santa Cruz Shakespeare. She has her BA in Theatre Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Performance.

Acting for Ages 9 to 14
2024-03-20 16:30 - 18:30 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
First-timers and veterans explore their creative sides on stage and in front of the camera. The basics of acting such as hitting a mark, enunciation and voice projection as well as more advanced acting principles such as developing a character, developing a relationship and creating real behavior are explored. Classes consist of acting exercises, character work, improvising in character and doing scene work. Bring in material and characters from any play, TV show, film, book – anything that interests you. Performance material will also be provided. Strengthen your technique and be ready for your next audition and performance. The focus of the class is on learning about acting, learning life skills and having fun! Ages 9 – 14 Years
Wednesdays 4:30- 6:30
March 20- May 15
8 classes- $400
All students will participate in the a class presentation May 15th. More details to come!
About Our Artistic Director:

Jeremy Kruse, Artistic Director of Gorton Drama Studio is the author of “The Young Actor’s Handbook” (Applause Acting Series, 2017).The book was published in Korean and Chinese in 2022. Jeremy is a professional actor, published playwright, award-winning screenwriter, and award-winning filmmaker. Some of the classes he taught at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York include Method Acting, Comedic Improvisation, Sketch Comedy Writing, and Acting for Film and TV. He graduated from The Strasberg Institute at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he majored in drama. Jeremy also teaches privately, one on one www.jeremykruse.com and www.jeremykruseactingtraining.com

Instructor, Madison Kisst is an actor, director, and theatre teacher. She has taught for professional theater companies across the country and for the undergraduate acting program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Madison has extensive training in physical and classical theatre, voice and movement, and devising. As an actor, some of her credits include: American Repertory Theater, Lyric Repertory Company, The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Nevada Conservatory Theater, and Santa Cruz Shakespeare. She has her BA in Theatre Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Performance.
