“I had a wonderful time working with our Acting Basics class last fall,” said O’Mealey. “Our class really enjoyed participating and being on stage! I’m excited that we are offering this class again in the spring.”

The non-credit classes include a mixture of discussion, activities, games, lectures, script analysis and practice to help both beginning and experienced actors perform more confidentially on stage.

“The mixture of learning activities opens the students’ awareness of how they are performing on stage,” said O’Mealey. “Students will be in a supportive environment to work out some of their fears or inhibitions about acting in front of others.”

The classes, held from 6:30-8 p.m., address everything from learning lines and analyzing characters to finding ways to eliminate stage fright.  Specific classes include:

  • March 3, “Nuts and Bolts.” What is acting? Learn basic stage and acting terms, suspending the audience’s belief and using imagination when reading a script.
  • March 10, “Prepare to Act.” Learn warm-up techniques, projecting on stage, listening and relating to fellow performers, memorizing lines, bad habits to avoid and staying in character.
  • March 17. There will be no class during Spring Break.
  • March 24, “What’s My Motivation?” Learn to define a character’s traits and emotions.
  • March 31, “Deep Thought.” Learn modern acting techniques and how to analyze what is behind the lines.
  • April 7, “Stage Fright.” Learn relaxation and breathing techniques and how to deal with mistakes.
  • April 14, “At Rise.” Students will perform a short scene using the techniques they have learned and begin to develop their own acting technique.

O’Mealey has appeared onstage in 18 theater productions and has directed three. Some of his portrayals include Chris Keller in “All My Sons,” Scarecrow/Hunk in “The Wizard of Oz” and Sherlock Holmes in “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” He was both the playwright and director of “Strange Times in Sacred Oaks,” and has written two other plays.

O’Mealey is a past president of Town & Gown Theatre (2007-2009) and a former member of the Town & Gown board of directors (2006-2009). He has been a member of OSU Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers and is currently a member of the Stillwater Chamber Singers.

“Acting Basics” is a non-credit course open to the community. The course fee is $89 for students who enroll prior by Feb. 23, and $109 thereafter. To register, go online to the OSU Marketplace at http://bit.ly/1gUmDBO or call (405) 744-8459.

For more information, please email Christine Nichols at .

Stillwater Public Library is located at 1107 S. Duck St. (the corner of Duck and 12th Ave.). Library hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Visit the library online at http://library.stillwater.org.