RMKLF: Kids Theatre with DeLaney Hardy Ray

After the Character Parade, stay for an interactive acting workshop with Youth Conservatory Director DeLaney Hardy Ray!

Students at The Montana Kid Lit Festival will get to experience a NOVA Acting class!

The session will begin with a warm up that focuses on relaxing the mind and body and warming up the mind, body and voice. Warm ups will be followed by a series of group and ensemble building activities, which will lead into our improv or acting exercises. The session will end with a simple cool down activity that focuses on concentration and developing group think. 

DeLaney earned a degree in Theater Performance and is a well respected teacher, writer, actress, and director. She has been volunteering with the youth programs at NOVA Center for over 9 years. She has taught a wide variety of ages from Kindergarten on up. Some of the subjects she has taught are how to develop a character and how to write, produce, and perform a play. DeLaney uses creative teaching techniques to help her students excel. She helps them grow by using storytelling, improvisation, and visual imagery to advance their skills.

Along with her vast experience as a teacher, DeLaney has also been a part of many shows at NOVA, on stage and off. Some of the performances DeLaney has been seen in include: A Christmas Carol, From Chekhov with Love and Laughter, Sherlock Holmes, and Sweet Charity. Off stage, DeLaney can be found in the director’s chair in Free Birdie, Charlotte's Web, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, and many more. DeLaney also directed a play she wrote called, The Vote. This play was written as a tribute to the “first lady of Congress,” Jeannette Rankin.

DeLaney’s experience in theater does not stop at NOVA. She has also worked with other companies around the area. Some of the other places DeLaney has left her mark are Billings Studio Theatre, The Virginia City Opera House, Venture Improv, Seattle Children's Theater, Yellowstone Repertory Theatre, and Slapstick Improv.