Newcastle Unlimited-Build Confidence Through Theater!

Space is filling up for our summer camps! Remember to send in your registration forms as soon as possible.

This summer, do something to help build the confidence your child needs in life! Sign up for one of our summer camp programs today and see your child grow into who they can be!

We want to know what you're thinking. Whether you're a parent or one of our students, feel free to comment on our program. Let us know if you like what we're doing!

When I write a script, I always try to weave in a moral theme or message that teenagers today can relate to. The trick is to keep the themes relevant to their lives, because the things that are relevant to them change. Quickly.

I have a script on this the Read a Script page called "Strength Beyond Strength" which I wrote years ago. It stars Jimmy Donnelly (one of my true-life friends who always gets a kick out of it when I tell him I used his name in another one of my plays). Jimmy in the story is a mild mannered kid, but he has the reputation as the toughest kid in the school. That reputation is used by two girls who are bullying a younger kid. The girls tell him that if he doesn't do their homework, Jimmy Donnelly will beat him up.

The reputation turns out to be wrong. Jimmy Donnelly is kind to the younger boy, and even helps him to stand up for himself. I'll let you read how he does it...

The point is that reputations, bullying, and standing up for yourself are themes that may never get old. No matter where you are in your life, you can relate to these themes. We all live with reputations, good and bad, and bullying doesn't stop in middle school. And standing up for yourself is a theme that will last into our old age.

A skit that has a moral message does much more than just deliver a performance- it makes you think. It makes teenagers think. And relate and understand and evaluate and synthesize and learn.

And they remember...

We're happy to announce the start of our 2009 Winter Theater Workshops! In these fun and interesting workshops, kids learn a variety of acting skills and perform in front of a live audience.


We have several workshops available in the Morris County area, and more joining all the time. Current workshops are being held in Boonton, Montville, Mountain Lakes, Denville and Mt. Arlington.


We've scheduled these workshops on Saturday mornings in the winter and early spring because we know young people are busy than most of their parents. We'll teach them the essentials of voice projection, movement, action/reaction and have fun in the process. We will hold a live performance on the last day of the workshop for family and friends.

Please consider joining one of our Winter Workshops, and watch your child grow in self-confidence!

Thank you to all the people who helped make our latest play come to life. Thank you to all the cast who put in much time and effort.

But now that the play has been performed, it's time to start thinking about new ideas for our next play. I am always looking for ideas, so if you have one, please respond to this post and we'll see what we can do!

There may be no better way to build confidence than through theater and acting. I've been writing and directing for a long time, and seen a lot of kids in the ten years I've been doing this. I've seen how involvement in theater and acting can change kids. 

I'll tell you a story. There was a student years ago in 7th grade who was very shy and introverted, and her parents contacted me about getting her involved in the play I was writing. She was so shy that she didn't want to even audition. She had an interest in acting, but lacked the confidence you need to get up on stage.

When she auditioned, she did well enough to get an understudy role. Her parents were glad that she was at least involved. 

Then one day as I was walking down the hall of our school, I heard someone playing the piano. As I got closer, I looked in the music room and saw the same girl playing this beautiful music, I mean unbelievable. I asked her where she learned to play like that, and she said shyly that she'd been taking piano lessons since she was four years old. I immediately decided to write a part especially for her where she could showcase her talent. I wrote a new scene that night, included her as a new character where she could play the piano, and we included it in the play.

Everyone saw a change in her. She was no longer the shy little girl who was too scared to speak loudly on stage. Her parents called me in shock later that week and thanked me up and down. They said she officially broke out of her shell, and they were so happy how she had grown.

The great thing about what we do is that it's all original. I often change plays and scenes and characters on the fly as we're rehearsing, and I revise constantly. This can't be done in a copyrighted play.

Okay, so what happened to that girl? She's 23 now and in NYU acting school. Somebody told me she's auditioning for Broadway shows, and won't stop until she gets there.

Think about your funniest friend. That friend that makes you laugh almost every time you see them. Now think about WHY that person is funny.

Is it his laugh, or her facial expressions, or the way he does impressions, or the way she comes up with hilarious sarcastic comments. Why is that person so funny? They are entertaining to talk to, to watch, to listen to. In a sense, that person is on stage each time you see them. They've gotten good at acting. They're the only actor in their own private play, and when you see them, you're the audience.

Think about how many times you are asked by your parents "How was your day?" Most people just give a one word answer: "Good." What if you decided to entertain your parents for that moment? What if that question came up, and you took it as your cue to perform?

You are always on stage. When you talk to your friends, your family, your class- you're always on stage. But we don't realize it enough.

We watch TV because it's entertaining. Actors entertain us all the time. People can be funny, interesting, captivating...even thrilling. Take your chance to entertain more, because what you gain in return is confidence.

Use your acting skills to entertain.

Look at your audience. Use facial expressions and voice inflection. Use your arms and body to tell a story. Entertain them. 

You're always on stage.