Academy Instructor to Present at American Alliance for Theatre and Education Conference

June 27, 2022 - Mansfield, OH - Theatre Actor, Director, and Instructor Maria Getz Beery will be presenting at the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE)’S national conference in Providence, Rhode Island on Saturday, July 30, 2022. The national conference is scheduled to take place for four days from July 28 - July 31, 2022.

She will be presenting, Thinking on Your Feet! Using Acting and Improvisation as a Tool in ESL Instruction. The session will provide useful strategies for ways to use improvisation and creative drama exercises in the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) in a fully integrated general education classroom with English Language Learners (ELL'S). Her session is geared for both ESL teachers, as well as regular classroom teachers. Educators will be presented with an overview of sample exercises to build language acquisition, critical thinking and social skills in a practical, hands-on format. Participants will be on their feet, working with small groups and partners and taking part in sample improv and acting exercises.

“We are so blessed to have an instructor like Maria at the Academy,” says Marianne Cooper, Executive Director at Richland Academy. “Maria’s heart for her students, passion for the arts, and personal drive is an asset to the Academy and the Mansfield community as a whole.”

Maria teaches several classes and camps each semester at the Academy, including Junior Theatre Camp, Storybook Theatre, and Teen Acting Institute. Maria was among one of the first theatre instructors at the Academy in the mid-1990’s and has returned to the Academy almost 30 years later.

“Any aspiring actor, from children to adults, would greatly benefit from spending time with Maria through her classes, or even taking private lessons,” says Cooper.

For more information on registering for classes or lessons, call Richland Academy at (419) 522-8224 or visit www.richlandacademy.com. “Richland Academy… where anyone can explore the artist within,” located at the corner of 4th and Walnut St. was founded in 1991 and is supported by the Ohio Arts Council.