Festival On Demand!

Welcome to Maine Thespian's Festival On Demand!

Because we can't meet together in 2020, Maine Thespians has invited the best of our Festival Presenters to offer live online workshops that teachers may select to enhance your remote classroom experiences for your students. Please peruse the offerings from professional teaching artists below, and contact the presenter directly if you are interested for more information. We will continue to add new workshops throughout the fall so please come back periodically to check for new offerings!

Mariel Roy

Director, Atlantic Dance Arts, Gorham, ME

After receiving my BA in Dance from Dean College, I moved back to Maine to teach dance, and eventually opened my own studio, Atlantic Dance Arts. In addition to running a studio, I also choreograph musicals at Biddeford City Theater, Gorham High School, and teach for the York County Regional Fine Arts program.

Musical Theatre Dance

We will begin class with a basic warmup and stretch and then work on an excerpt of (my own) choreography from a musical.

Workshop length:
45 minutes (this can be adjusted if necessary)

Contact info:
Email: meroy626@gmail.com or mariel@atlanticdancearts.com
Cell: (207) 671-5161

Pricing:
Please contact Mariel for more information.

Mark Drum

A NYC-based artist and graduate from the University of Northern Colorado, with a B.A. in Theatre. Mark is an EdTA professional member, ETF Board of Trustee, EdTA Board Member, proud Thespian alum from Thespian troupe 6513 and Junior Thespian troupe 88331. He was also an ITO representative in 2005-2006. Mark was on the MTV reality competition 90’s House that was seen around the world. He has also appeared in shows on ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, HBO Max and NBC. Follow him on social media @whoismarkdrum and check out his website www.whoismarkdrum.com


Hip Hop Choreography

Come break it down! The tempo and complexity of each class will be tailored to the participants involved, so all are welcome to join the crew! You'll learn not just a basic hip hop routine, but also to not be too timid to try new things or to ask questions.

Learn a movement combination, participants to explore movement, participants will ask questions and be able to try new things in a safe and controlled environment.

https://youtu.be/BgDOMU_Hnks

Workshop Length:
Can be 45 - 90 minutes, depending on time needed

Contact Info:
https://www.whoismarkdrum.com/contact

Pricing:
Pricing is negotiable. Please contact Mark for more information



Teaching Artist Alliance

TAA To Go

TAA To Go offers a collection of live (synchronous) and recorded (asynchronous) workshops by professional teaching artists from across the country for remote learning classes and festivals.

Please visit their website for more information:

Nick Turner

Nick Turner is the Executive Director of The Grand in Ellsworth which presents film, live music, opera, and produces four live theater productions a year – pre-pandemic. Nick spent two years in NYC where he worked for a Tony Award winning producer and taught theater workshops in all five boroughs. He spent over 20 years in Colorado owning and operating a performing arts school, a 49-seat cabaret theater and 380 seat dinner theater. He has cast, directed and/or produced over a hundred productions. He has also written numerous plays and mini-musicals and was a member of the Playwright’s Unit at the Denver Center of the Performing Arts.

Yes, Shakespeare!

If you haven’t already, you will someday be asked to do a classical monologue probably from Shakespeare’s works. In this class, actors will be coached through selecting to performing a piece from one of Shakespeare’s plays. The goal is to go beyond the acting to engage the audience and draw them into the wonder and humanity that is infused in the plays.

(Student’s experience levels and interests will be ascertained, monologues recommended and approved. A brief review of acting Shakespeare will be presented and discussed including the history and evolution of approaches. Then we’ll work through the interpretation and acting of the piece referencing examples and theories. And have fun.)

Workshop Length:
Length of class sessions will be adjusted to class size but 1-2 hours at time is optimal. All can be over several weekly sessions. Very flexible.

Contact Info:
Nick Turner – director@grandonline.org – 970-412-4413

Pricing:
There will be no charge.


Nick Turner

Nick Turner is the Executive Director of The Grand in Ellsworth which presents film, live music, opera, and produces four live theater productions a year – pre-pandemic. Nick spent two years in NYC where he worked for a Tony Award winning producer and taught theater workshops in all five boroughs. He spent over 20 years in Colorado owning and operating a performing arts school, a 49-seat cabaret theater and 380 seat dinner theater. He has cast, directed and/or produced over a hundred productions. He has also written numerous plays and mini-musicals and was a member of the Playwright’s Unit at the Denver Center of the Performing Arts.


Playwriting

    • A small group class exploring scriptwriting from inspiration to performance. Interactive writing experiments will engage us as writers and encourage collaboration and the gifting of sparks that serve another writer’s work better than our own. Then we work through to a final script in a supportive and positive environment.

(Student’s experience levels and interests will be ascertained, and their goals discussed. Using a selection of proven creative exercises, we will pursue inspiration for the story each writer wishes to tell. Then, we’ll go through all the stages from notes to multiple drafts to a “staged” reading as time and opportunity allows. And have fun.)

Workshop Length:
Length of class sessions will be adjusted to class size but 1-2 hours at time is optimal. All can be over several weekly sessions. Very flexible.

Contact Info:
Nick Turner – director@grandonline.org – 970-412-4413

Pricing:
There will be no charge.


Nick Turner

Nick Turner is the Executive Director of The Grand in Ellsworth which presents film, live music, opera, and produces four live theater productions a year – pre-pandemic. Nick spent two years in NYC where he worked for a Tony Award winning producer and taught theater workshops in all five boroughs. He spent over 20 years in Colorado owning and operating a performing arts school, a 49-seat cabaret theater and 380 seat dinner theater. He has cast, directed and/or produced over a hundred productions. He has also written numerous plays and mini-musicals and was a member of the Playwright’s Unit at the Denver Center of the Performing Arts.


No Worry Auditioning

    • A practical look at audition preparation with a strong focus on the process, the monologues and what happens after you get the role. Also, a look at musical theater auditions.

(Student’s experience levels and interests will be ascertained, and their goals discussed. The basics of auditioning will be reviewed, and audition pieces approved. Proven techniques and methods of preparation will be explored and practiced, and actors will have multiple opportunities to audition for the class. And have fun.)

Workshop Length:
Length of class sessions will be adjusted to class size but 1-2 hours at time is optimal. All can be over several weekly sessions. Very flexible.

Contact Info:
Nick Turner – director@grandonline.org – 970-412-4413

Pricing:
There will be no charge.


Shirlee Idzakovich

Costuming Your Show
from A to Z

We will learn to costume a show from the very beginning to seeing it on stage. This work-shop teaches you the core elements of how to start and touching on every step alongthe way. If you are a beginner or an advanced costumer, this is for you. I have combined allmy experiences as a professional costumer, an educator to guide you on how to do this. Eachworkshop we will be building a lesson and I hope you join me for a great and positive work environment that allows you to express how you can build your show better and more efficient.

1- Forming your plan, envision.
TH:Cr1.1.I.a. Apply basic research to construct ideas about the visual composition of a drama/theatre work.
TH:Cr1.1.I.c.Use script analysis to generate ideas about a character that is believable and authentic in a drama/theatre work.
Creating your team
Script analysis/Character analysis
Starting your book
Discussions - Jobs in theatre, costuming.
2- Prepare, Developing your book
TH:Pr5.1.I.b Use researched technical elements to increase the impact of design for a drama/theatre production.
TH:Re7.1.I.a. Respond to what is seen, felt, and heard in a drama/theatre work to develop criteria for artistic choices.
Director Directions
Budgets
Time Frame
Costume Plot
Discussions - Color Coding What is it?
3- Evaluate, Research - ArtisticTH:Re9.1.I.a. Consider the aesthetics of the production elements in a drama/theatrework.Mood BoardsCroquisColor storyBBBR (Buy, Build,Bring or Rent)Discussions - What if I am not artistic?4 - Evaluate, to the stage!TH:Cn11.2.1.I.b. Use basic theatre research methods to better understand the socialand cultural background of a drama/theatre work.Mic PlotsCostume ParadeHow it all fits together, lights, sound, set, actors, crew.Discussions- Everyone has a seat at the theatre table.Added CurriculumStrategies for Inclusion:Sketching alternativesVisual sharing alternativesOral presentation alternatives.

For more information, contact Shirlee Idzakovich, shirleezak@yahoo.com

Michael Trautman

For more information, please contact Michael at info@michaeltrautman.com

207.450.5342

Mime and Physical Character

This workshop is intended to teach participants how to discover and develop strong, consistent physical characters, and how to use them in performance. The foundation of this work lies in the study of MIME, the use of the body to communicate. The only universallanguage, spoken and understood around the world, not only by humans, but by every sentient species, is Body Language. Mime is the study of that Language. Anyone wishing to communicate with another living being already possesses a fundamental understanding of body language. The task is to become more aware of it, and to use that language intentionally and purposefully. The shape of the body, the speed of movement, the imitationof another person or animal gives us specific character traits. Understanding how to mold that information will help performers create character.
Warm-Up. Stretching, loosening, and warming the body at the start of class. Getting students to become comfortable with movement, and expanding their movement vocabulary. Exercises from dance, mime, yoga, and acrobatics are employed.Isolations/Separations. The basis of Mime Technique, and all movement, lies in the ability to move and control the various parts of the body independently of one another.Undulations. Movement that begins in one part of the body and travels through consecutive parts to the opposite end. (i.e. head to toes; fingertip to fingertip)Delsarte System. Body language and how to read and use it.Movement Vocabulary. Learning to expand one’s movement vocabulary through exploration of movement found in nature.Time and Timing. Use of varying rhythms to find and show attitudes and emotions. Also, exploring the great secret of comedy – timing.Movement Improvisation. The ability to improvise varies among all people. Anyone who remembers how to play can improvise. And like most skills, practice will lead to an increased ability. The improvisational skills that we focus on are based in movement. By taking the voice out of the equation in trying to convey a thought or idea, the actor’s constant tool, the body, must invent and improvise in ways that are not unknown, but perhaps unfamiliar. Move like a squirrel. Stand like a tree. Tell me what your day was like.It should come as no surprise that when we take away the burden of spoken language, the ability to communicate through gesture becomes easier.Students will be led through a wide variety of improvisation exercises in solo, duet, and small group forms. The importance of listening in being able to improvise is chief among qualities. That listening includes observing and allowing input from other actors, directors, audience members, along with the constant bombardment of our own senses and thoughts, and accepting that input and furthering the ideas put forth. This same concept is taught in traditional Improv workshops through the idea of “Yes, and…”As a fundamental step in the Creative Process, improvisation skills will help students in any situation involving problem solving. Besides enjoying the spontaneous sense of play, actors learn how to use that play to write, invent, and create new works.PLAY. Students will be required to play, have fun, and be open to discovery.