Orcas Center announces the rare opportunity for local actors to study with one of Seattle’s most prominent directors and actors, Jane Jones, of the Book-It Repertory Theatre on May 3 through 6.

Actors at all levels are encouraged to participate in this class in which Jones will share her own method of character development, movement and vocal training, and the “Book-It” style of literary theatre. Jones will be returning to Orcas Island in September to direct local actors in an original adaptation of Dicken’s Great Expectations.

The class, which is open to teens and adults, will meet Sunday to Wednesday, May 3 through 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuition is $120. Payment plans may be arranged, and tuition assistance is available if the cost prohibits an interested actor from participating.

Jones is the founder of Book-It and founding co-artistic director of Book-It Repertory Theatre, with Myra Platt. In her 20 years of staging literature, she has performed and directed works by Charles Dickens, Eudora Welty, Edith Wharton, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Pam Houston, Raymond Carver, Frank O’Connor, Ernest Hemingway, Colette, Amy Bloom, John Irving, John Steinbeck, Daphne du Maurier, and Jane Austen.

A veteran actress of 25 years, she has played leading roles in many of America’s most prominent regional theatres including The Guthrie, American Conservatory Theater, The McCarter and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Locally, she has been seen at Seattle Repertory Theatre, ACT Theatre, The Empty Space, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Tacoma Actors Guild, and INTIMAN. Film and TV credits include The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Singles, Homeward Bound, “Twin Peaks,” and Rose Red.

For more information about the workshop or to register, contact Sparks at sparks@orcascenter.org or 376-2281 ext. 2. The registration deadline is April 27. Class space is limited, so early registration is encouraged.