This spring, the Theatre Company is increasing its number of workshops and spreading them throughout the county. In lieu of its annual spring production, the group is focusing on providing short performance training opportunities.
“We will be offering a variety of our favorite workshops with concentrations on audition preparation, dance technique, vocal technique, and vocal performance preparation,” said Bethany Rader, Theatre Company director. Rader reports that several workshops are being planned for select Saturdays in March and April in Exeter.
One of the Exeter workshops is a mock audition training. Students will have the chance to sing, dance, and present a monologue for an audition panel and then receive their feedback. “This is a unique opportunity young performers rarely experience,” Rader said. “The workshop will help students grow, and understand their strengths and weaknesses as they prepare for future auditions.”
A second Exeter workshop will focus on best audition practices. Students will learn that from the moment they walk into an audition space, everything matters. Theatre Company staff will work with participants in choosing songs, dance, and monologues to fit any situation, and how to study quickly for “cold reads.”
Participants in other upcoming vocal workshops will receive technique instruction, audition tips, and performance preparation coaching for classic and current Broadway singing styles.
Future dance workshops will focus on the fundamentals of jazz and/or tap techniques while building strength and increased flexibility. Students in the dance workshops will also gain performance skills and learn storytelling through movement.
Students in acting workshops will learn how to find and explore characters as they prepare a monologue for auditions and performances. They will also practice giving and receiving feedback on their work to experience theatrical appreciation and critique.
Later this spring in Visalia, the program will hold a two-week staged reading workshop. In this workshop, which is a scaled-down version of a full production, actors will sit on stools in costume and read through the comedy The Curious Savage by John Patrick. The workshop teaches students to fully perform their character. “This is an exciting new project, different from the musicals we have done in the past,” Rader said. “We are eager to offer this to students this spring.”
“This new direction for the Theatre Company has the potential to spark a passion for performing in more young people across the county,” said Tim Hire, Tulare County Superintendent of Schools. “I encourage district superintendents who want to bring our Theatre Company staff to their area to reach out to us.” Rader reports that the Theatre Company is looking for partnerships and workshop space in the Dinuba, Porterville/Strathmore, and Tulare areas.
For more information about the Theatre Company’s spring workshops, contact Bethany Rader at [email protected].