Have you ever wished you could find that extra time in your theater's busy rehearsal schedule to teach the things you know your actors need? Well, Joanie Walsh, founder and executive director of the Children's Theatre Workshop (CTW) in Wilmington, has developed a creative solution to do just that.

In addition to the main stage productions and multiple workshops she runs, CTW also offers a Friday evening workshop for middle school kids called "Pizza and a Play". Each workshop runs for twelve weeks at a cost of $140 per student. This winter, 22 kids meet with Joanie and her staff of capable high school students on Friday evenings in the basement of the United Methodist Church in Wilmington. The two-hour workshop features warm-ups, acting tips, rehearsal time and, yes, pizza, in a relaxed, fun atmosphere.

"Yes, it's theater," says Joanie. "But it's social, too."

By the loud voices and laughter, you can tell the kids are there to have fun but also to work hard. Each 12-week session is different. Last fall, the students put on a bare-bones version of Sleepy Hollow to tie in with Halloween. "We had so many kids playing so many roles, that we'd pass Ichabod Crane's hat from person to person so a different actor could play him in different scenes." This winter's session features three one-act plays-all comedies: My Name is Leslie, Imperfect Proposal, and The White Elephant Comes Home.

"The plays were chosen for humor so the kids could work on their comic timing and physical comedy," Joanie explains. "They're discovering that often in theater the funniest moments are when nothing is being said. They're learning to allow for silences on stage, that the best laugh comes with a look. So, yes, there's a play but the workshop part of this is the teaching part."

CTW used to offer theater experiences for kids from 4 to 9 years old, but as their population has grown, Joanie has found that the theater has to keep offering kids more opportunities. As with Pizza and a Play, she offers shows and workshops for middle schoolers. Those that have "aged out" can come back as counselors but she is thinking of developing programs for her high school kids, too.