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Class Tells
You may have been whiling away your summer hours, conferrin' with the flowers, but the students at New Conservatory's Teen Theater Summer Stock program were working very hard to learn the craft of acting to prepare for the opening of Charlotte's Web, a theatrical adaptation of E.B. White's enchanting tale of Wilbur the pig, which runs July 24 to 27.

NCT offers summer programs for students aged 5 through 17. The Half Daycamp students (the 5-to-7s) learn theater games and dramatic play. The Summer Daycampers (ages 8 through 12) work on theater games, musical theater, and play production. The pupils study acting technique and styles of performance; their work culminates in public performances. This year, in addition to Charlotte's Web, the company presents DAGS, a painfully funny look at the tortures of adolescence and the desperate quest for popularity. DAGS runs Aug. 1 to 4. For tickets and for information about NCT's year-round theater classes for young people, call 861-8972.

Get Class-fied
I was lucky enough to see The Don't Quit Your Day Job Dancers' summer show, Play It Again; I can't remember when I've had more fun at the theater. Imagine seeing 120 dancers, many in red hot-pants, onstage at the same time. The semiannual presentation grew out of classes taught by company choreographer Doree Susann Clark. What started as a recital in a dancer's living room now sells out the Palace of Fine Arts. The company members range in skill from visibly counting to could work professionally if they wanted, which makes the task of choreography especially difficult. Clark's skill is to showcase the talent while giving the beginners a chance to shine as well. Also clear is that Clark's students love to dance, dance, dance. Their enthusiasm and obvious delight at their newfound skills is captivating. For information on dance classes -- tap, ballroom, jazz, ballet, and belly -- call 258-0558.

New Plays
Eureka Theater continues its Discovery Series of New Plays with Do Videnja (So Long), an exploration of the war in the former Yugoslavia as seen through the eyes of a Croatian actress. The staged reading is at Bayfront Theater on July 24 at 7 p.m. Admission is by donation; call 243-9895. ... The Marsh presents a new version of Don Quixote, created by Deborah Gwinn and performed by Gwinn and Jim Cave, plus The Gordons, about a musical duo who tell stories with music. Is Don Quixote with a cast of two an impossible dream? You decide. Also premiering at the Marsh: a dessert bar with pastries by chef Donna Meadows. Sounds like a great accompaniment. Call 826-5750.

By Deborah Peifer