Improvisation This workshop is designed to help actors learn to respond spontaneously and honestly in both rehearsal and performance situations. When liberated from the obligation to remember lines, actors are able to focus on the actual business of acting - "living truthfully under imaginary circumstances," to quote Stanislavski. This workshop specifically uses the techniques of Viola Spolin and Keith Johnstone to give actors an understanding that learning the lines is not enough. Actors need to be playfully involved in the unfolding action of the onstage action. The old adage "acting is reacting" is shown to possess a lot of truth. When the workshop is conducted in conjunction with a New Stage Theatre touring production, participants have the opportunity to use the characters from the play to improvise alternate scenes and alternate endings for the play, if desired. The workshop is also available on a stand-alone basis, in which case the improvisations are usually based on historical events and popular culture. Students should leave the workshop with a better understanding of how an actor uses his imagination to create dynamic performances. Students should understand that acting is always a collaborative effort. Students should understand that improvisation can be an important tool for rehearsal, as well as a tool to create improvisational comedy performances. The workshop is led by members of New Stage Theatre's Professional Acting Intern Company. The length is between forty-five and sixty minutes, at the discretion of the sponsor. Fee: $100 in conjunction with a New Stage Theatre touring production $250 as a stand-alone offering Creative Dramatics This workshop is based on the work of legendary children's theatre practitioner Viola Spolin, and is ideal for students who want a playful exploration of theatre and drama. Through structured improvisation, participants explore different characters, locations, and actions. When the workshop is conducted in conjunction with a New Stage Theatre touring production, participants have the opportunity to put themselves into situations suggested by the play. The workshop is also available on a stand-alone basis, in which case the themes are usually drawn from fairy tales and legends. Students should leave the workshop with a better understanding of how an actor uses his body and voice to create characters. Students should also learn how an actor uses situations to help them create a character's behavior. The workshop is led by members of New Stage Theatre's Professional Acting Intern Company. The length is between thirty and sixty minutes, at the discretion of the sponsor. Fee: $100 in conjunction with a New Stage Theatre touring production $250 as a stand-alone offering Stage Combat This workshop is designed to help actors learn to safely participate in stage fighting. Safety is the most important aspect of this workshop, and participants must agree to abide by the rules established if they wish to take part in the activities. Most actors at one time or another in the course of their career are called upon to "beat up" other actors or to be the recipient of stage violence. This workshop teaches actors safe techniques for creating hand-to-hand combat in most theatre situations. Actors learn both sides of the fight equation - aggressor and victim - and learn their responsibilities in either situation. Students should leave the workshop with a greater appreciation of the need for frequent rehearsal of scenes requiring combat. Students should also understand that safety is the first concern when rehearsing or performing combat scenes. The workshop is led by members of New Stage Theatre's Professional Acting Intern Company. The length is between forty-five and sixty minutes, at the discretion of the sponsor. Fee: $100 in conjunction with a New Stage Theatre touring production $250 as a stand-alone offering Movement and Mime This workshop is specially designed to emphasize an area of actor training that is too often ignored, the physical life of characters. Through structured exercises loosely based on the works of F. M. Alexander, Moshe Feldenkrais, and Rudolf Laban, students will learn how to use their bodies to help them communicate more effectively with an audience. The workshop includes working in silence, working with music, and working with simple dialogue. When the workshop is conducted in conjunction with a New Stage Theatre touring production, participants have the opportunity to examine and experiment with the physical choices made by the actors in the play. The workshop is also available on a stand-alone basis, in which case character studies are usually drawn from historical and fictional characters. Students should leave the workshop with a better understanding of how an actor uses his body to create characters. Students will also learn the importance of warming up their physical instruments before they perform. Students should also learn how an actor may use either concrete or abstract concepts to help him create a character's physical life. The workshop is led by members of New Stage Theatre's Professional Acting Intern Company. The length is between forty-five and sixty minutes, at the discretion of the sponsor. Fee: $100 in conjunction with a New Stage Theatre touring production $250 as a stand-alone offering Voice and Diction This workshop is designed to help actors achieve freedom from the various muscular tensions that impede vocal production. Students are then enable to work towards increased clarity of tone and variety of pitch. Students also work to gain ample breath support needed to carry them through to the ends of thought phrases. Through structured exercises derived from the works of Kristin Linklater, Cecily Berry, and Arthur Lessac, students will learn how to use their voices to help them communicate more effectively with an audience. The workshop includes hands-on experience with haiku, familiar short poems, and longer passages of prose. When the workshop is conducted in conjunction with a New Stage Theatre touring production, participants have the opportunity to examine and experiment with the vocal choices made by the actors in the play. The workshop is also available on a stand-alone basis, in which case character studies are usually drawn from historical and fictional characters. Students should leave the workshop with a better understanding of how an actor uses his voice to create characters. Students should learn the importance of warming up their vocal instruments before they perform. Students should also learn how an actor may use either concrete or abstract concepts to help him create a character's vocal patterns. The workshop is led by members of New Stage Theatre's Professional Acting Intern Company. The length is between forty-five and sixty minutes, at the discretion of the sponsor. Fee: $100 in conjunction with a New Stage Theatre touring production $250 as a stand-alone offering