
Actors rehearsing a production of Grease, directed by Dina Shadwell, choreographed by Ricardo Aponte, for Habima Theatre.
Theatre Classes Beginning July 2023
Building skills. Building community.
Join us in our inaugural arts classes taught by
seasoned theatre professionals.
If you are interested in one or both of these classes, please fill out the form above and we will contact you as soon as possible. Potential students (and their Guardians, if applicable) will go through an interview process before committing to a class.
Musical Theatre Workshop
- Saturdays
- July 8, 15, 22, 29, 2023
- 10:00am-12:00pm
- Tucker Rec Center
- Instructor: Ricardo Aponte
- Minimum # of students: 8
- Maximum # of students: 15
- Class Fee: $80*
*This class is subsidized by Peter & Paul’s Place in order to offer it at a price that is accessible to more people.
Students will have tons of fun dancing and singing to some favorite Broadway show tunes. Instructor Ricardo Aponte leads the way along with guest instructors who may introduce other theatrical elements such as puppetry. No performances, just a chance to dance like no one is watching!
Who is this class for?
- Adults (18+) with and without developmental disabilities who want to explore musical theatre.
- Adults (18+) with and without developmental disabilities who want to have fun and make new friends.
Theatre FUNdamentals
- Saturdays
- September 9–October 28, 2023
- 10:00am-12:00pm
- Tucker Rec Center
- Instructor: Dina Shadwell
- Minimum # of students: 8
- Maximum # of students: 12
- Class Fee: $160*
Love the theatre and curious about acting? Give yourself some time to play, with no pressure to perform. Students will explore movement and voice, improvisation, character development, and basic stage composition with instructor Dina Shadwell, former long-time director of Jerry’s Habima Theatre at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.
Who is this class for?
- Adults (18+) with and without developmental disabilities who want to explore acting.
- Adults (18+) with and without developmental disabilities who want to have fun and make new friends.
Instructor Biographies

Dina Shadwell has worked in Atlanta and regionally for over thirty years as an actor, director, producer, puppeteer, casting director, and teaching artist. For thirteen seasons she directed Jerry’s Habima Theatre, a company featuring adult actors with developmental disabilities at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. Also at the MJCCA she helped create and ran an on-camera acting intensive program for actors with disabilities, the Spotlight Company, for which she helped produce a mockumentary web series, Swampy Meadows. Dina is the Communications and Development Manager at the Frazer Center where she gets to do all sorts of creative things in support of Frazer’s mission of inclusion for adults and children with and without disabilities. Dina is also a graphic designer, collage artist and blogger (rootpaperleaf.com). She lives in Decatur with her husband Frank and their cat Zuzu Spettles.

Ricardo Aponte is an Atlanta-based director/choreographer and a three-time Suzi Award winner whose work has been seen at the Alliance Theatre, Theatrical Outfit, Aurora Theatre, Actor’s Express, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, and Synchronicity Theatre, among many others. He has worked for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Emory University for several years teaching dance classes to adults aged 50+. Ricardo has also choreographed several shows for Habima Theatre, a company at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta that produces musicals with adults with developmental disabilities. His passion and dedication to offer theater to all communities is what drove him to begin Theatre Platform Project, a nonprofit organization that focuses on inclusivity and diversity.