Located at 600 S Yonge St. Suite 7-A, in Ormond Beach, Florida, sits a small theatre where a lot of action takes place. The DarkSide Theatre, evoking the dark side of the moon, is owned by Jennifer Kinsey, who moved to Florida from Hawaii about six years ago to pursue her passion for acting. Kinsey has been acting her whole life, both in community theatre and professionally, and this is where she gained experience as a professional film and commercial actor as well as on the production side of the industry. She is currently a photography major at Daytona State College.
“An actor is the first thing I wanted to be in life. Acting gives people the chance to feel comfortable and stick their neck out to try something new,” said Kinsey. The DarkSide Theatre offers acting classes, venues to rent, and the chance to perform without any experience needed. Kinsey and her co-founder, Spencer E. Meehl, maintain their non-profit performing arts theatre on their own. “I try to focus on the events and workshops and school I need to get done,” she said. “It’s all about time management.”
In the beginning of the pandemic, the DarkSide Theatre refrained from holding events in order for the crew to maintain their safety. Now, after many precautions, the DarkSide theatre specializes in workshops that include training in monologues, scene and character study, commercial acting, and audition techniques for film. DarkSide Theatre hopes to eventually start having shows in the early fall.
Kinsey said that anyone is welcome and she “would love to encourage anyone who wants to give acting a try to come visit.” For as little as $15, the theatre offers ongoing weekly classes in on-camera film acting. Weekly classes are kept small to ensure quality, individualized attention for each student. For more information: https://www.darkside-theatre.com/
Lydia Hamel
Staff writer