DreamWrights founding member and Teaching Artist, Sara Hricik has a robust resume of theatre education qualifications, but playing around is her favorite way to teach. “I believe in play! In theatre, they call it ‘a play’ for a reason,” she says with a laugh. Hricik will be teaching three summer camps at DreamWrights this summer: Devised Theatre, Shakespearean Bootcamp, and Improv and Theatre Games.
Hrick says that her camps will be fun and challenging and participants can expect lots of activities and games. “Each of my camps involves the campers working together in an ensemble, so everyone will build skills for theatre and for life. Working together ensures that everyone will have an opportunity to shine.”
Devised Theatre is a new concept to many. Hricik explains that it is not exactly improvisation, but it’s not a traditional approach with a script and director either. She says it’s somewhere in between, where there’s more structure and rehearsal than improvisation, but none of the limits of precise memorization and following the director. “It’s all about the ensemble–the people inventing the play–and how theatre allows them to build stories out of the air. It’s perfect for anyone who feels like they want more freedom to express themselves and create something completely unique.”
Hricik in Electra at Arcadia University
Giving a preview into her Improv and Theatre Games camp, she promises loads of games including icebreakers, warm up games, and variations on well-known games. She hints with a chuckle, “There’s more than one way to play Zip Zap Shazam.” She plans to play the traditional improvisation scene games as well as those that build acting skills. “We’ll play a lot of circle games; including the infamous ‘Hard Game’ that no one has managed to win…at least, not yet! Some games will be physical, some will focus on verbal skills, and others will demand both.” But Hricik promises that they’ll have so much fun with the games, they’ll want to break them out at their next party! She guarantees, “One thing is for sure–I’m going to try to play every game I know, and I know a lot of games!”
Hricik also takes a playful approach to her Shakespeare Bootcamp. She confesses that she loves teaching Shakespeare because of the timelessness of it. “His characters are as breathlessly hopeful, brave, joyful, vengeful, and alive as anyone walking around today. Shakespeare’s verse flows like a heartbeat–the original rhythm every person hears, and the one we all live by–so for an actor, mastering Shakespeare is like learning to take a deep breath. Everyone breathes, but how often do we stop and take a long, deep breath? It feels so good when we finally do…and that’s what understanding Shakespeare feels like.”
Hricik playing Phoebe in As You Like It at the American Shakespeare Center
As far as qualifications, Hricik’s robust resume includes doing just about everything related to theatre: acting, directing, dramaturgy, stage managing, producing, writing, educating, crewing, and more. She majored in English and Theatre at Arcadia University and received her MFA at Mary Baldwin College with the American Shakespeare Center. She’s studied and worked with a variety of theatre companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company. Additionally, she’s acted professionally for the June Bug Center, Tailgate Shakespeare, and Open Air Shakespeare and has worked as an educator at many of those theatres as well. She currently teaches 8th grade at Northeastern School District.
Hricik is excited for summer to begin so she can begin the task of theatre play. The Devised Theatre Camp runs June 19 – 23, Shakespearean Bootcamp runs June 26 – 30, and Improv and Theatre Games runs July 5 – 7. Please visit dreamwrights.org for more information and to register. Hricik affirms, “If we all work together with open hearts and open minds, we can create something beautiful. Theatre is all about saying yes to this moment, and this one, and this one…together let’s be bold and brave, and go on a marvelous adventure!”
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