You will create a brand-new play in seven hours. You start the day by picking an original creature that you will be in our play. You will decide what type of creature you are. Do you fly, swim, crawl on the ground? Maybe you are a robot? Which of the other creatures are your friends? Are you afraid of any of them? Draw pictures of what you look like and start deciding how you will play with the other creatures. Through a series of theater games, we create a story for our characters. Then you create masks and simple costumes. You will decide on what the world looks like that our creatures live in and create a simple set. Finally, after a little rehearsal, we will present our play for our family and friends at 3:00pm.
*Please have students come with lunch.
2-1 day session Ages: 5-14 yrs. Day: Saturdays Date: 6/21, 7/12 Time: 9:00 am-4:00 pm D/ND Fee: $40/$50 per session Location: Community Center Code: 263807B,C Min/Max: 4/10
Bring your fun and creative self to a weekly hour of theater games! This is a class to stretch your creativity - from improvisation games to ensemble building games - this class is for the enthusiastic actor who wants to bring the fun out of every moment on the stage! This 6-week class will end with a showcase of their new improvisation and stage skills!
6 weeks Ages: 6-14 yrs. Day: Wednesdays Date: 6/11-7/16 Time: 4:30-5:30 pm D/ND Fee: $50/$60 Location: Joseph C. Vallez Activity Center Code: 263807A Min/Max: 4/10
After doing improv together back in high school, the dynamic trio of Jane DiMaso, Joseph DiMaso, and Julia Dingman have reunited and will officially debut as Mirror Me!
With your help, these improvisers will create new scenes, worlds, and jokes just for you! They'll be performing a mix of short and long form comedy- all powered by your suggestions. Three brains, two nights, one stage, and zero scripts!
Tickets: $15 per performance Purchase Tickets: (708) 749-4900 or visit us @ 1619 Wesley Ave.
Dates: July 18, 2025 @ 7:00 PM July 19, 2025 @ 7:00 PM
Location: Joseph C. Vallez Activity Center 1529 Harlem Ave, Berwyn, IL 60402 Lower Level
1st Monday's "Let Me Tell You!" A Curated Story Telling Jam
1st Monday of each month storytelling event hosted by 2-time Moth winner Errol McLendon
Everyone tells stories. At family gatherings. In bars and coffee shops. Here is your opportunity to share your personal stories with your community. Stories can be funny or poignant. About love or tragedy, or maybe both. They can be about something you learned or something you wish you had never done. Something historic you witnessed or were a part of.
Submit a description of a 7 - 8 minute story you would like to tell to errol.mclendon@gmail.com to be included in an evening of friends sharing stories with friends. First time tellers are welcomed and encouraged.
A free Zoom workshop will be offered two weeks prior to each show to help enhance your story in a relaxed, informal environment. One-on-one coaching will also be available.
Ages: 18+ yrs. Days: Mondays Dates: 5/5, 6/2, 7/7, 8/4, 9/1, 10/6, 11/3, 12/1 Time: 7:00-9:00 pm Fee: Free Location: Joseph C. Vallez Activity Center 1529 Harlem Ave.
One person show: Dad? Daddy? Poppa? by Errol McLendon
When a heart attack took his dad the day before his 14th birthday, Errol felt like he never got a chance to know his father - didn’t even know what to call him. Dad? Daddy? Poppa? Through memories and words, he discovered years later a deep relationship and love after his father had gone.
A loving tribute to fathers and expressions of love not always clearly evident. Through slides and stories, both funny and poignant, Errol explores how individually and uniquely a father’s love can manifest.
About Errol McLendon
Errol McLendon has taught storytelling workshops in Houston, Dallas, St Louis and Lake Geneva and has told his stories in Kansas City, St. Louis and at National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN.
He has performed his solo shows at Fringe Festivals in Indianapolis, Atlanta, Orlando and Edinborough.
Errol runs a storytelling open mic, hosts a monthly storytelling show at the North Berwyn Park District and teaches an ongoing drop-in workshop. Errol is a two-time Moth winner.
Tickets: $15 per performance Purchase Tickets: (708) 749-4900 or visit us @ 1619 Wesley Ave.
Dates: July 13, 2025 @ 7:00 PM July 14, 2025 @ 2:00 PM (time changed 2/26 after printing of brochure) July 15, 2025 @ 2:00 PM
Location: Joseph C. Vallez Activity Center 1529 Harlem Ave, Berwyn, IL 60402 Lower Level
You will create a brand-new play in seven hours. You start the day by picking an original creature that you will be in our play. You will decide what type of creature you are. Do you fly, swim, crawl on the ground? Maybe you are a robot? Which of the other creatures are your friends? Are you afraid of any of them? Draw pictures of what you look like and start deciding how you will play with the other creatures. Through a series of theater games, we create a story for our characters. Then you create masks and simple costumes. You will decide on what the world looks like that our creatures live in and create a simple set. Finally, after a little rehearsal, we will present our play for our family and friends at 3:00pm.
2-1 day sessions Ages: 5-14 yrs. Day: Saturdays Date: 9/6, 11/1 Time: 9:00 am-4:00 pm D/ND Fee: $45/$55 per session Location: Community Center Code: 264811E,F Min/Max: 4/10 * Pre-registration is required 1 week in advance of class session to ensure your spot and supplies. *Please have students come with lunch.
Theater Games
Bring your fun and creative self to a weekly hour of theatre games! This is a class to stretch your creativity - from improvisation games to ensemble building games - this class is for the enthusiastic actor who wants to wring the fun out of every moment on the stage! This class will end with a showcase of their new improvisation and stage skills!
Learn the basics of unarmed fighting for the stage in this class covering the basics of tumbling and stage combat. Learn how to safely execute individual actions (such as falls, rolls, and somersaults) as well as partner-based actions (such as pushes, slaps, punches, kicks, and hair-pulls). We will cover how to do this all in a safe and fun manner. We will also learn respect for our bodies and others. We will present a group fight at the final session for friends and family.
8 weeks Ages: 9-16 yrs. Day: Mondays Date: 9/8-11/3 *No class 10/13 Time: 5:30-6:30 pm D/ND Fee: $60/$70 Location: Community Center Code: 264811A Min/Max: 4/10
Beginning Acting
Learn the basic skills of acting through theater games and exercises. We will explore the physical and emotional aspects of creating a character. Each actor will learn a short scene, the “same one”- and through this, learn how dialogue can help shape a character! This class will end with a showcase of their work for family and friends!
This class will teach students armed Quarter Staff stage combat for the theater with a concentrated focus on partnership, safety, and storytelling through movement. Focus on hand-to-hand combat and quarterstaff. Learning how to understand and apply stage combat techniques in a safe and effective manner -- Develop a better sense of awareness, balance, control, and coordination. Learn partnering skills that include clear communication and trust. This class is for students with some prior knowledge. We will present a group fight at the final session for friends and family.
8 weeks Ages: 9-16 yrs. Day: Mondays Date: 9/8-11/3 *No class 10/13 Time: 4:30-5:30 pm D/ND Fee: $60/$70 Location: Community Center Code: 264811B Min/Max: 4/10
The Epic Staging of “The Big Bad Wolf” by Megan Tripaldi
A modern retelling of “The Three Little Pigs” that focuses on an unlikely hero. Bernard is a descendant of a long line of “Big Bad Wolfs”. His brother, Zack is all for keeping the legacy, (or so he says), but Bernard finds himself drawn to more artistic endeavors. When he meets the three siblings who run The 3LP Theatre Company he realizes that he doesn’t need to run away from his problems, he just needs to act his way out of them.
Students will rehearse twice a week as they prepare for a full weekend of live performances. From auditions to opening night, they’ll experience every part of a real production—costumes, lighting, props, and sound included! Along the way, they’ll learn to work as a team, build characters, memorize lines, and help create props and costumes. A fun, hands-on way to discover the magic of theater!
Ages: 8-16 yrs. Day: Tuesdays & Thursdays Date: 9/9-12/7 *No class 10/13, 11/27 Time: 4:30-6:30 pm D/ND Fee: $240/$260 Location: Joseph C. Vallez Activity Center Code: 264815A Min/Max: 10/10
Performances: December 5, 2025 @ 7:00 pm December 6, 2025 @ 2:00 pm December 7, 2025 @ 2:00 pm
Tickets: $8 for adults $5 for children 4-12 yrs.
Purchase tickets by calling (708)749-4900 or visit us @ 1619 Wesley Ave.
*This show is subject to enrollment numbers and may be changed to meet the cast size.
1st Mondays, “Let Me Tell You!” A Curated Story Telling Jam
hosted by 2-time Moth winner Errol McLendon
Everyone tells stories. At family gatherings. In bars and coffee shops. Here is your opportunity to share your personal stories with your community. Stories can be funny or poignant. About love or tragedy, or maybe both. They can be about something you learned or something you wish you had never done. Something historic you witnessed or were a part of.
Submit a description of a 7 - 8 minute story you would like to tell to errol.mclendon@gmail.com to be included in an evening of friends sharing stories with friends. First time tellers are welcomed and encouraged. A free Zoom workshop will be offered two weeks prior to each show to help enhance your story in a relaxed, informal environment. One-on-one coaching will also be available.
Ages: 18+ yrs. Day: Monday Date: 9/8, 10/6, 11/3, 12/1 Time: 7:00-9:00 pm Fee: Free Location: Joseph C. Vallez Activity Center
Do I Know You? Two person show
“Do I Know You?” is a brilliantly funny and unexpectedly touching comedy show about what happens when two people spend 56 years together and still haven’t quite figured each other out. Jeff and Val, a real-life couple and corporate trainers-turned-comedy duo, take the stage (and your heart) as they explore marriage, miscommunication, memory lapses, and the eternal mystery of the dishwasher. It’s a love story with subtitles.
Part stand-up, part TED Talk, part therapy session (for them, not you) this show proves that the secret to lasting love might not be knowing everything; it’s being curious enough to keep showing up. Whether you’ve been married forever or just thinking about it... this is your laugh-out-loud survival guide to coupledom.
Bio Life’s a blast with Val & Jeff Gee. Married in 1970. Irish twins circa ‘73. Flew across the pond in ‘83. Started their own business in ‘85. Became American citizens. Acquired two sons-in-law. Got 3 grandkids. Did all kinds of crazy stuff like climbing to Base Camp, Mount Everest, Val going all spiritual and shaving her head; Jeff beating cancer; starting a comedy Fawlty Service dining business in Lake Forest, hired to do standup comedy on the train from Wilmette to Chicago, performing The Queen and Prince Phillip at the Winnetka Follies to drowning in the recession, climbing back out, writing books, telling stories, and still keeping their corporate business afloat after 38 years. Their target audience is everyone who wants to laugh out loud at life.
Performances: This is an 18+ show October 10, 2025 @ 7:00 pm October 11, 2025 @ 7:00 pm October 12, 2025 @ 2:00 pm
Tickets: $15
Performance Location: Joseph C. Vallez Activity Center 1529 Harlem Ave, Berwyn, IL 60402 Lower Level
Purchase tickets by calling (708) 749-4900, or visit us @ 1619 Wesley Avenue Visit us @ www.nbpd4fun.org
Save Your Programs Nothing prevents a good program from running more than waiting until the last minute to register for it. Classes that have a low enrollment are generally cancelled approximately one week prior to the first meeting date. Please register for your programs as early as possible to avoid cancellations. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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