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FALL 2008 Now in its second year, the Signature School is an extension of Signature’s commitment to the reinvention of classic musicals and the invention of new voices for the American theater. Instructors are members of the Signature staff or theater artists closely associated with our artistic programming. Creating musicals is what Signature does, and these educational offerings provide access for the community to the craft of musical theatre. Class size is limited, and classes are open to adults 18 and over unless otherwise indicated. Click here to download and print the registration form.
FINDING YOUR VOICE: VOCAL TECHNIQUE TO EXPAND YOUR RANGE Want to get out of your comfort zone and expand your range? Maybe you are a soprano who is dying to sing an Ethel Merman song, a belter who yearns to put “I Feel Pretty” in your repertoire, or a bass who wants to move into baritone territory. This is the course for you: a vocal technique workshop that will enable you to explore the process of healthy singing while you expand the limits of your vocal range. Led by Helen Hayes nominated actress and vocal instructor at Catholic University, Tracy Lynn Olivera. DANCIN’ BROADWAY Love musicals? Wish you could perform some of those fantastic numbers from your Broadway favorites? Then this is the class for you! Learn movement and dances to your favorite musical numbers from Wicked, Hairspray, A Chorus Line, Chicago, Smokey Joe’s Café, and more. Request your own personal favorite. Classic Broadway comes to life in this sampler class for beginners to intermediates. Explore fundamental dance movements of musical theater with a Helen Hayes Award nominee for Outstanding Choreography, Matt Gardiner. BUILDING A SONG BOOK: SELECTING MATERIAL THAT WORKS FOR YOU “Do you have a ballad…or something legit…or…? You’ve sung your song and now the auditors want to hear more. Musical theater performers need to have four or five selections that show their voice at its dynamite best. This class teaches just how to build a repertoire that works for all occasions. Get personal feedback on your voice, valuable information about your audition selections, and tips on preparing your music for an accompanist by Helen Hayes Award-winning Musical Director and Signature Theatre’s Resident Musical Director.
ACTING WITH MUSIC Learn to approach musical theater by applying basic acting techniques to songs as well as scenes. Your acting doesn’t stop once the music starts or vice versa! Acquire the skills that allow you to bring a character to life through lyrics as well as dialogue. If you consider yourself an actor who sings or a singer who acts, this course can help you to build upon your strengths and expand your acting skills. Whether you are working on a scene or singing a song, increase your effectiveness on the stage under the guidance of a recipient of multiple Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. GETTING TO WORK Get the inside scoop on auditioning in the DC area. Learn who to ask and where to look for audition information. Receive a “Getting to Work” packet with names, contact numbers, and casting practices of local theaters. Focus on how to prepare an audition and résumé, where to find a photographer, and other practical aspects involved in working in the theater. Sherri L. Edelen has been working in DC theater for over 20 years and is a Helen Hayes Award winner for her work at Signature in Side Show. AUDITIONING: AN INSIDE PERSPECTIVE It’s a general audition, and you have to put your best foot forward. You are asked to prepare a monologue and a song and bring your sheet music and a resume. Now, it’s your job to make the strongest impression possible. Get behind-the-scenes instruction on how best to do that very thing from Signature’s casting director. From selecting and preparing audition material to conquering the art of the cold reading, this course will give you a heads up on nailing that audition and making sure the auditors will want to see you again. APPROACHES TO DIRECTING A director is responsible for the artistic elements of a production, of which the script is merely one, to fashion a singular work of art. The director decides upon the interpretation given to the script, casts the actors, works with the designers, conducts rehearsals, and coordinates all of these elements into a finished stage production. Yet each director is unique in their approach to accomplishing this intangible art. Meet three successful, award-winning directors as they delve into their approach to directing: Jeremy Skidmore, Joe Calarco, Eric Schaeffer. OPEN CALL FOR CREATIVITY Blending and borrowing techniques and skills from both writing and acting, this special series of classes will explore the creative imagination within you. This is a collaborative workshop with your own creativity at the core, regardless of your artistic background, current pursuits, or your “day job.” Join us in experiencing how simple exercises can serve as the ground floor for drama; or, in true dramatic fashion, how those exercises can simply show us something about ourselves. And the decision is yours: to participate - to be the storyteller or the actor, or to observe - to be the audience. Either way, each evening session will provide entertaining insights into the creative process. Wear comfortable clothing and be ready to unwind, get charged, and set sail.
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