A Cup of Coffee With Beth Painter

Beth Painter has held a number of roles. In addition to being an actress, the Westfield resident is also a teacher, the mother of two daughters and the founder of Contagious Drama Workshop, an acting school for children, teens and adults. 

A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Painter boasts more than 20 years of stage experience, ranging from community theater to Off-Broadway. She also holds a Masters Degree in Education. 

Painter said the early years pursuing her craft were exciting but daunting. She began pounding the pavement right after graduation and waited tables while going on auditions. 

"It's hard work to get to be working as an actor," she said. "You have to always be trying but you have to keep working at the same time because you don't want to turn down a job because it doesn't pay."

Painter said one of her favorite performances came about when she joined forces with two friends and fellow performers to stage an off-Broadway production of Beth Henley's 'Crimes of the Heart.'

Although she still enjoys acting, Painter explained that she no longer travels to Manhattan for casting calls. With age has come wisdom, the actress and teacher said, and she feels she now has a greater sense of where her priorities lie. 

"It was an easy decision to make," she said. "If someone calls and offers me a job, I go but I don't go auditioning. Now I do local stuff and there's a lot of excellent theater in New Jersey."

Currently the project that has captivated the heart and soul of the actress is the drama workshop she runs out of . Started in 2006, Painter offers a variety of classes for budding actors from 5 to 95 years of age. 

What started out as one class once a week quickly grew into multiple sessions geared toward children in kindergarten through middle school. When Painter's oldest daughter became a teenager, she added a class for teens, which has subsequently become one of her most popular. 

"That has become one of my greatest joys," she said. "I love the others, too, but I do things with the teens that I can't do with the others. It's really blossomed. We have 18 teenagers; it's the biggest it's ever been." 

Students in the teen class have the opportunity to meet with playwright Ben Clawson, who holds a B.F.A. in Theater from Montclair State University. Clawson spends time with pairs of students early in the session, getting to know them, and discussing what intrigues them most about a character.

Clawson then creates original, short plays based on that conversation. The works are performed for the public at the end of the session.

Another class that came about almost unexpectedly, Painter said, is her Adult Improvisation Workshop, which she had been teaching through the l. 

"I had some followers who would come to every session, and when it ended they asked if they could have their own class because they wanted to keep going," she said. "Many of them have improv experience and many of them just want to get out of themselves or others have to speak (publicly) and it drives them insane. They get so nervous."

Painter said the lessons learned and skills practiced in improv transcend all areas of life. Specific rules and principles of improv such as maintaining eye contact, encouraging agreement and striving to create open-ended conversations can be applied to any situation.

"Something as simple as using the word "and" rather than "but," it's just creating awareness of giving up control and the idea is to make your partner look good by being an active listener," the instructor said. "It sounds so basic but if everybody did that, their lives would be so much more successful."

Painter said a new addition to her repertoire is to take her show on the road in form of corporate team-building. She recently held a two-hour workshop for Maidenform to work on the some of the skills improv incorporates.

"It's something I would definitely like to do more of and something everyone can benefit from," she said.  

Painter said she also hopes to spread the contagious enthusiasm she and her students have for acting by visiting senior centers. She believes it is important to bridge the gap between the generations as both age groups benefit from the shared experience.

Contagious Drama Workshop is currently enrolling for the six-week spring mini sessions which begins on May 2.

Painter said she encourages anyone who has not given acting a chance to consider it at some point. 

"It's so much more than acting class," Painter said. 

For more information, visit Contagious Drama Workshop's website,  call Painter at 917-836-3740 or email contagiousdrama@yahoo.com

*Note: Painter said she enjoys a decaffeinated cappuccino at .