Spark your creative energy this spring!
Is there an artistic pursuit you've been wanting to explore? Are you looking to energize your free time or learn new theatre skills? Our virtual enrichment workshops on Zoom offer a way to enjoy crafts, design and performance activities while learning from professional theatre artists. Choose from a variety of interests and skill sets, from writing and storytelling to craft-making and painting to singing and performance. Spring into something new and fresh in a fun and supportive environment! (Kids and teen workshops are also available.)
An Introduction to Stage Makeup Techniques
Saturdays, April 24, May 1, 8 & 15
4:30-5:30 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $60
Step up your makeup game! Learn introductory practices in stage makeup, including color theory, light/shadow manipulation, brush strokes and texture application, corrective techniques, distortion of natural features for effect, and wounds.
Your imagination is limitless! View the supply list, which all participants will need to purchase separately.
Instructor: Melanie Mortimore
Melanie is a freelance costume, puppet, hat designer/maker and artist in the Cincinnati area. She taught college theatre for 20 years and is the current resident costume designer for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Off the Hill production
series.
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Writing and Performance: Introduction to Spoken-Word Poetry
Monday, April 26
6:30–8:30 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $30
Learn the art of spoken-word poetry! This workshop is composed of one, two-hour class. The first hour focuses exclusively on writing with topics like learning what makes a spoken-word piece compelling, effective literary tools to use and writing practices. The second hour focuses on performance with instruction on analyzing what makes a strong performance and the opportunity for students to share work and receive feedback.
Instructor: Nesha Kriv Ruther
Nesha is a poet and teaching artist from Takoma Park, Maryland. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with an English degree and specialization in Creative Writing, she’s a member of the 10th cohort of First Wave, the nation’s
only full-tuition scholarship program awarded to select students with a background in arts and activism. She was a member of the 2016 DC Youth Slam Team and competed in the Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Festival. She went on the facilitate Brave New
voices in 2018 as a member of FutureCorp. She was a 2016 YoungArts winner in spoken word, a 2016 winner of the DC Commission of the Arts Larry Neal Writing Award, a 2017 winner of the Mochila Review Writing Award (which was judged by Nikki Giovanni)
and a 2020 winner of the University of Wisconsin’s Eudora Welty Fiction Thesis Award. She has been commissioned to write and perform multiple spoken-word pieces for the National Education Association and has had work published in NarrativeNortheast,
Angles Literary Magazine, Beltway Quarterly and more.
Register
Creating Worlds on Stage: An Introduction to Scene Design
Tuesday, April 27
6:30–8:30 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $30
Have you ever wondered about how the set is designed for a show onstage? Why is it abstract or sculptural? Or why is it realistic? What story is the set telling? Explore the design process of creating scenery for the stage and how to think like a scenic designer. Discover the tools and rules a scenic designer uses to tell a story and create an environment onstage! (Supplies needed include drawing materials such as pencil and paper.)
Instructor: Tamara L. Honesty
Tammy is the Assistant Professor of Scenic Design Kent State University. Tammy’s designs have been seen on stages from Off-Off Broadway to the Midwest. Her designs have earned recognition regionally, nationally, and internationally. A few
of her favorite designs include An Evening with Groucho at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Merchant of Venice at Cleveland Play House, the Midwest premiere of Becky’s New Car and the world premiere of Family Ties at the Human Race Theatre. Tammy has been a scenic artist for 30 years. Most recently, she and a student team at Kent State painted a nearly full-scale 3D-printed replica of Pio Fedi’s Liberty of Poetry statue that was on display at the Ellis
Island National Immigration Museum. She currently serves as the Vice President of Education & Training for USITT (United States Institute of Theatre Technology). Tammy is a member of USA Local 829 as a scenic designer.
Register
Acting is Being!
Friday, April 30, and Friday, May 7
6–7:30 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $45
Use your imagination to discover that acting is being! Through scene study, learn the basic building blocks of acting: objective, obstacle and action. Learn to establish a personal connection between the beginning actor and the scene, and explore acting through imaginative play and ensemble exercises.
Instructor: Nichole Ferry
A Northern Kentucky native, Nikki is excited to return to the area, having spent the last 12 years working and living in New York City. A professional actor and educator, she currently teaches at Northern Kentucky University. She holds a BFA in
Acting from Wright State University, an MFA in Acting with a Classical Emphasis from Wayne State University and is a certified teacher of the Michael Chekhov Technique through the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium. She has appeared on stages
regionally, including Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and in New York City. Nikki is a proud member of the Actors' Equity Association.
Register
It’s as Easy as Pie! Making Fake Food for the Stage
Saturday, May 1
6–8 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $30
Have you ever watched a play and wondered, “Is that real food they’re eating?!” Take a look into the materials and techniques theatrical artisans use to create the food you see onstage. Sometimes it’s edible, sometimes it’s not — but it must always meet the demands of the show!
Instructor: Tamara L. Honesty
Tammy is the Assistant Professor of Scenic Design Kent State University. Tammy’s designs have been seen on stages from Off-Off Broadway to the Midwest. Her designs have earned recognition regionally, nationally, and internationally. A few
of her favorite designs include An Evening with Groucho at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Merchant of Venice at Cleveland Play House, the Midwest premiere of Becky’s New Car and the world premiere of Family Ties at the Human Race Theatre. Tammy has been a scenic artist for 30 years. Most recently, she and a student team at Kent State painted a nearly full-scale 3D-printed replica of Pio Fedi’s Liberty of Poetry statue that was on display at the Ellis
Island National Immigration Museum. Tammy is a member of USA Local 829 as a scenic designer. She is the co-author of The Fake Food Cookbook: Props You Can’t Eat for Theatre, Film, and TV.
Register
Meeting Your Inner-Clown
Monday, May 3
6:30–8:30 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $30
Join this masterclass to find and hone your inner clown! Clowning is all about acknowledging the parts of ourselves that we might keep hidden and turning them into our greatest fuel for exploration, joy and theatricality. Vulnerability, play and audience interaction create an experience that’s universally relatable, limitlessly adaptable and extremely entertaining. Finding and honing your clown is a highly personal journey that requires diving deep into your understanding of the physical and psychological. This masterclass provides foundational tools to build this unique theatrical character known as the Red Nose Clown. (Red noses are welcome, but those without can still participate fully. A red marker on the nose works just as well!)
Instructor: Walter Blake Taylor
Blake is a recent MFA recipient in Devised Performance from The Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training and The University of The Arts. They are also an alum of the National Theater Institute and Transylvania University. Located in Lexington,
Ky., they are working to bring physical theatre and ensemble-creation practices to their home region. They are currently a Creative Consultant for Tates Creek High School’s Drama Department in Lexington and are consulting for other various artists
and their ventures. Along with their educational work, they are also working on their own projects with longtime collaborators in the region and beyond.
Register
The Joy of Scene Painting
Tuesday, May 4
6:30-8:30 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $30
Have you ever wondered how to take something that’s completely flat and make it look like a three-dimensional object? Or have you ever wondered if you can use only three colors to mix any color you desire? In this class, explore a variety of painting techniques that can be utilized to create a wide range of trompe l’oeil (to fool the eye) effects that scenic artists use onstage to make the sets come to life.
Supplies Needed
Paper; paint (either acrylic or watercolor); paintbrushes are helpful if you want to try the techniques during class (or you can just watch and learn). Using artist paintbrushes will work to try out these techniques
on a small scale, like half of a piece of paper. Using house painting brushes (two inches wide or larger) will work if you want to work on a larger scale, such as 11 inches by 17 inches.
Instructor: Tamara L. Honesty
Tammy is the Assistant Professor of Scenic Design Kent State University. Tammy’s designs have been seen on stages from Off-Off Broadway to the Midwest. Her designs have earned recognition regionally, nationally, and internationally. A few
of her favorite designs include An Evening with Groucho at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Merchant of Venice at Cleveland Play House, the Midwest premiere of Becky’s New Car and the world premiere of Family Ties at the Human Race Theatre. Tammy has been a scenic artist for 30 years. Most recently, she and a student team at Kent State painted a nearly full-scale 3D-printed replica of Pio Fedi’s Liberty of Poetry statue that was on display at the Ellis
Island National Immigration Museum. She currently serves as the Vice President of Education & Training for USITT (United States Institute of Theatre Technology). Tammy is a member of USA Local 829 as a scenic designer.
Register
I Love to Sing — Indeed I Do
Wednesday, May 5
6–8 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $30
Do you have a song in your heart that’s waiting to burst through? Have you ever wanted to start singing just like your favorite Broadway actors or your favorite pop star? All great singing starts with the basic foundations of technique. In this workshop, joyfully explore breathing, posture, diction and more as we learn to sing in this welcoming, supportive, beginner-friendly environment!
Instructor: Tyler Dobies
Tyler
(he/him) is a performer, writer and teaching artist based in New York City. As a writer-performer, Tyler has developed, written and performed three original one-person shows, including The Role of Other, which was created during his tenure with the
2017 Intiman Emerging Artist Program in Seattle, Wash. Additionally, during his time at NYU, Tyler studied performance under the renowned and award-winning actress Anna Deavere Smith. He is a founding faculty member for Building Voices of the Future,
a summer voice intensive for high school students to increase their skills as vocalists and storytellers. Tyler holds a BFA in Acting/Directing from Pacific Lutheran University and a MM in Vocal Performance: Music Theatre from NYU. Find out more at
www.tylerdobies.com.
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Creating Tiny Worlds for the Stage: Building a Scale Model
Saturday, May 8
6–8 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $30
Before you build it, make it small! As part of the scenic designer’s process, they create scale models of the set before it goes onstage. Explore why scenic designers create models and how to create a scale model with things from around the house like cereal boxes, shipping boxes, paper, tape, scissors and a ruler.
Supplies Needed
Paper; pencil; scissors; cellophane tape; ruler. Cardboard from cereal boxes or other food boxes is helpful. Other art supplies could be useful.
Instructor: Tamara L. Honesty
Tammy is the Assistant Professor of Scenic Design Kent State University. Tammy’s designs have been seen on stages from Off-Off Broadway to the Midwest. Her designs have earned recognition regionally, nationally, and internationally. A few
of her favorite designs include An Evening with Groucho at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Merchant of Venice at Cleveland Play House, the Midwest premiere of Becky’s New Car and the world premiere of Family Ties at the Human Race Theatre. Tammy has been a scenic artist for 30 years. Most recently, she and a student team at Kent State painted a nearly full-scale 3D-printed replica of Pio Fedi’s Liberty of Poetry statue that was on display at the Ellis
Island National Immigration Museum. She currently serves as the Vice President of Education & Training for USITT (United States Institute of Theatre Technology). Tammy is a member of USA Local 829 as a scenic designer.
Register
Dramaturgy in the New Play Process
Monday, May 10
6–8 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $30
How do dramaturgs function throughout the new play process? From creative inception and drafting to workshops and staged readings to pre-production through closing night and beyond, a dramaturg helps a play achieve a successful first, third or thousandth production. A dramaturg’s work creates cohesion in the story by combining detailed research, relationships and recall. Led by a new play dramaturg/director, learn dramaturgical tools and how a dramaturg’s work informs the world of the play to attain more rounded, in-depth storytelling.
Instructor: Margot H.G. Manburg
Margot is a dramaturg, director and writer specializing in new plays and Theatre for Young Audiences. She has collaborated on new plays at the Kennedy Center, Marin Theatre Company, Bay Area Children’s Theatre and Alliance Theatre, amongst
others. As literary manager of Playwrights Foundation, she led the 37th annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival in San Francisco. She was honored to be an inaugural dramaturg for the Kennedy Center’s New Play Dramaturgy Intensive and Undergraduate
Playwrights’ Workshop. Awards include the 2011 National K.C.A.C.T.F./LMDA Runner-Up in Dramaturgy Fellowship and the 2013 Solano County Arty Award for Best Direction of an Adult Drama (Benicia Old Town Theatre Group). Recently, Margot adjudicated
the 2019-20 Helen Hayes Awards new plays panel and wrote Nancy Brew Zoom Dunnit (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park). Margot holds a B.A. in Anthropology, Theatre Arts minor from Sonoma State University. A California native, Margot resides
in Virginia.
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Intro to Voice-Over Technique
Tuesday, May 11
6-8 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $30
Come play with your voice! Learn more about your voice as you work on the techniques and skills associated with commercial voice-over work. Explore methods for approaching text and vocal flexibility, increase your vocal toolbox, and gain skill in audition technique.
Instructor: D'Arcy Smith
D’Arcy
is a professor in the acting department at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He brings over 20 years of experience as a professional actor, coach and teacher of performers. As a voice, text and dialect coach, he has worked
on over 90 professional productions. Before coming to CCM, he was a resident voice coach at the Guthrie Theater for four seasons and voice coach for numerous professional acting companies in the U.S., Canada and New Zealand.
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Finding Your Light: Unlocking the Performer Within
Friday, May 14
6–8 p.m. on Zoom
Cost: $30
Make the spotlight your element! Discover the tools and techniques that actors use to create performances and compel audiences. We will explore both the onstage and virtual/on-camera applications for these methods. (Participants will be asked to complete a short questionnaire before the class. They will also be asked to select a short piece of text to recite during some exercises.)
Instructor: Phineas Clark
Phineas
is an actor, improviser and voice actor. A native New Englander, he made his professional debut at age 17 at the Peterborough Players while concurrently training with Kathy Manfre at Mission: Improvable and subsequently the University of Minnesota
Acting Program. Now, with 15 years of professional experience upon which to draw, Phineas teaches and utilizes improvisation as a foundational element of the actor's toolkit.
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