The Workshop Series was designed with the idea of extending community outside of production and continuing our growth in process. We are dedicated to exploration and excellence and providing a nurturing environment to do that work.
Sept 16
Sept 21 & 22
Sept 29 & Oct 6
click below!
Oct 7
Viewpoint Play w/Mike McNulty
September 16, 2024 | 7:00-9:00pm | $30
In this workshop, you will explore Anne Bogart's viewpoints of movement through on-your-feet exercises. You will discover how these viewpoints can be used as tools for both actors and directors, expand your awareness of where these ideas can be found throughout the rehearsal and performance process, as well as dip your toes into composition work. Participants should wear clothing they feel comfortable moving in, and can work barefoot, in socks, or in jazz shoes. No prior experience with viewpoints is necessary to attend this workshop. For accessibility questions or concerns, please reach out directly.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
After starting out in dance and musical theatre, Mike McNulty went on to extensively study viewpoints, composition, and devised work with Anne Bogart's SITI Company. During this time, in addition to progressing through the advanced level courses, he also performed in a workshop performance of Cafe Variations under the direction of Bogart herself. Since then, Mike has worked or studied with groups like Superhero Clubhouse, Ume Group, Palissimo Company, and Improbable Stage, as well a number of individuals and unnamed production companies using the skills gained with SITI Company to devise, create, and perform in over a half dozen performances over the years.
Directing for Actors w/Judson Jones
September 21 and 22, 2024 | 6:00-10:00pm on 9/21 & 1:00-5:00pm on 9/22 | $150
Do you find yourself focused on staging versus story? Do you find yourself searching for what emotions you want actors to express only to rehearse the same moment over and over and still not get the performance you envisioned? You're not alone. You just might need a different tool.
Whether you are a director wanting to learn how to better communicate with actors or an actor wanting to learn about the director's process, this 2-day workshop will open up new ideas on how we direct for actors. How do you get the most out of rehearsals? How do you convey your vision with great specificity? How do you truly create a space for collaboration? How do you champion actors in a way that leads to exploration and discovery? By utilizing a process proven by 25 years of directing experience and over 10 years of teaching directors, participants will work hands-on, exploring text, techniques, and rehearsal in order to foster truly transformative performances.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Judson Jones is an award-winning producer and director who has had the privilege of collaborating on the premieres of Tim Blake Nelson’s EYE OF GOD, Christopher Durang’s THE VIETNAMIZATON OF NEW JERSEY (NY Times Critic Pick), David Crawford’s HARVEST (Smith & Kraus Best New Plays of 2008; Back Stage Critic’s Pick), Bennett Windheim’s NORMALCY, Megan O’Brien’s THE JUNGLE BOOK, Daniel MacIvor’s THE SOLDIER DREAMS, and DEVIL AND THE DEEP with Air Supply‘s Graham Russell. Regional producing credits include: THE JINN (The American Theatre Critics Award) HEDDA, BASH, and DESIRE. His directing credits include: HOLY GHOSTS, NAME FOR A GHOST TO MUTTER, and THE SOLDIER DREAMS (Theatre East), HARVEST (Alchemy Theatre Company), BASH (the dirigo group), S-MAN (Scriptworks), THE ELF and GIFT (Salvage Vanguard Theatre). He is a member of Actors’ Equity and SAG/AFTRA, and has been instructor at the Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU for over a decade where he teaches directing for the camera.
Fundamentals of Playwriting w/Julia Rae Maldonado
September 29 and October 6, 2024 | 1:00-4:00pm | $100
In this workshop, we'll improve our playwriting fundamentals through group writing exercises focused on conflict, character development, structure & reversals, and theme. This workshop is appropriate for any experience level, whether you are new to playwriting or simply want to sharpen your fundamental skills in a fun and low-pressure environment.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Julia Rae Maldonado is a Bronx based actor & writer for stage and screen from San Antonio, Texas. Her work has been developed & produced in NYC by companies including Theatre East (Muses), LAByrinth Theatre and internationally (MUT! Theatre, Hamburg & Interkultural Festival, Stuttgart). She was a 2024 finalist for the Judith Royer Award in Playwriting (Muses), a 2021 finalist in the Samuel French OOB Festival (Juntos), and a 2017 finalist for Actor Theatre Louisville’s Heideman Award (Buskers!); Her play Real Life is published in Gary Garrison’s A (More) Perfect 10 & A Younger 10. Julia is a founding member of the GirlSOUP Collective and currently a faculty member at the Actors Studio Drama School & the Director of New Works Development with Theatre East. Member of the Dramatist Guild. BFA- NYU, Tisch, MFA - Actors Studio Drama School.
Freeing the Playful Body:
Movement Exploration for Actors w/Mace Cowart
October 7th, 2024 | 7:00-9:30pm | $30
We are not defined by our bodies but informed by their presence. What we physically possess does not dictate who we are or who we can be. Play is too powerful to be limited by our skeleton. Think of a child who pretends that a blanket is a ship out at sea. The play presents two realities in one object existing fully and simultaneously: the blanket and the ship. One connects with concrete sensory information, while the other is derived from “as if” play.
In our time together, I am interested in elevating the actor's body to a state of freedom and play that we once gave to a blanket in our childhood. By connecting to our inner groove and raising sensory awareness, we can establish and break physical patterns in service of becoming character. During this two and a half hour workshop, we will dive into a physical exploration of identity and the body as a vessel for infinite possibilities and pleasure. We listen to the body before telling it what to do.
This developing movement approach is based on the Gaga, a movement language developed by Ohad Naharin for the Batsheva Dance Company. If you like Frantic Assembly, Viewpoints, Butoh, and/or Laban, this workshop will be right up your alley!
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Mace Cowart is a recipient of the Southern Methodist University Engaged Learning Fellowship 2022. His research, "The Gaga/Theatre Project", investigated how Gaga can be used in theatre spaces to better understand the connection between body and identity. Further research efforts included "Gender Conditioning and Performance", an essay and performance piece accepted into the National Conference on Undergraduate Research 2023. Mace's research has most notably resulted in LINO, a one-person show premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and most recently seen as part of the Theatre East 2023 season.