Dr. Milton Bloch is teaching a playwright/improv class at Heckscher Park in Huntington.
Bloch is 96 years old, a World War II veteran, and a retired orthodontist. He became involved in acting when one of his daughters suggested he attend a local improv class. He found it enjoyable, and was good at it, so he then attended another class in Great Neck. He did so well in that particular class, that he was invited to star in a local production of the play “Twigs” by George Furth.
Eventually he started to write plays, because he found memorizing lines to be “tedious.” He enrolled in playwriting classes at Queens College, and then began teaching his own playwright class at the Book Revue, in Huntington Village. Once the Coronavirus Pandemic began in 2020, the classes moved to a virtual setting.
Bloch prefers face to face interactions, which is partly why the class meets now outdoors in Heckscher Park. Bloch says he “tries to give everyone a chance to participate” and that his students are “not professionals, but are talented, accomplished people that are retired.”
Generally, Bloch will choose a play for the class to do together, and then he and his students will improve together as a class. Bloch takes pleasure in teaching his class and said “I feel it’s an accomplishment and I enjoy watching my students develop into semi professional advanced amateurs” He equates it to a “blossoming flower.”
Bloch doesn’t advertise for his class, but if anyone is interested in joining, it’s open to the public, and he can be reached at the email address [email protected] or the phone number 631-673-7071.
The class runs on a biweekly schedule at 2:30 PM on Wednesdays.