WORKSHOP archive

September-October, 2012
“I Hate Shakespeare!” – a workshop series

Hate Shakespeare? Think it’s too big, too difficult, too “high art,” too old? Has anyone made you believe “this isn’t for you”? Fell asleep through the boring Shakespeare classes in college? Love it and want to study it more? All are welcome. In this interactive workshop, you’ll discover how much you already know about William Shakespeare and his plays, break down any fears or apprehensions about 400-year-old English, and speak with clarity and understanding in front of a supportive audience. Come for one workshop in the series or come for all of them, it doesn’t matter, they’re free, and the focus will be new each week. You’ll walk away with either a love of the work or educated reasons as to why you still hate it.

May 6, 2012
Patrick Schmitz – Comedy Improv for Everyone

12:00 – 2:00 – Comedy Improv class
2:00 – 4:00 – Open Improv JAM session (you’ll see!)

This comedy improvisation workshop is a fun yet intense experience for the beginner or expert alike. It focuses on creative rapid-response exercises and spontaneous dialogue/role play. Students learn to create simple stories without scripting ahead of time. Participants learn to focus their listening and reactions. . A great workshop for actors who are looking to expand their skills and develop spontaneity. This workshop is also great for non-actors who want to explore their dramatic imaginations. Participants will gain knowledge of how to work off their partners on stage in order to build an effective, interesting, and comical scene.
Please wear clothes you’re comfortable moving around in.

Patrick Schmitz trained with Second City and IO in Chicago and is currently the founder/creative director for a guerilla theatre operation Sketch 22. Patrick has performed/taught for Comedy Sportz, The Gentlemen’s Hour and Comedy College. When not performing or on the road, Patrick is the improvisation coach at First Stage Children’s Theater where, among other projects, he organized 100 students in a group called “Organized Chaos.” Patrick has also written/produced two plays: RUDOLPH THE PISSED OF REINDEER and BACK AND FORTH. Patrick is also the co-producer of the Milwaukee Comedy Festival.

April 29th, 2012
(discussion group) – Picking Up a Script

When we create a play together, we generally start with a script – but do we really know all we need to know about what the words on the page do for us? Who does the playwright communicate to when they put their ideas on paper? And how far can our interpretations of those words go?

From wordless performance pieces to the various editions of Shakespeare, from David Mamet to Tennessee Williams, there are all sorts of scripts that dictate all kinds of interpretations. In this workshop we’ll discuss where personal interpretation meets collaborative art, and what these copywright laws really mean.

Feb 12th, 2012
Chris Elst – Stage Combat

Introduction to Stage Combat will verse students in simple and effective techniques for delivering the illusion of danger. At the end of the class, students will be able to perform a variety of utility stage combat techniques to fool audiences and not be too banged up to perform that Sunday matinee.

Christopher Elst has been performing and teaching stage combat for 15 years. As an Advanced Actor/Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, recommended in all weapon styles, he has attended intensives all over the country learning from the best stunt performers in the business.

January 22, 2012
Jared McDaris – Unrehearsed Shakespeare

The Unrehearsed Shakespeare Technique is an acting style inspired by Patrick Tucker’s Secrets of Acting Shakespeare, which posits that Shakespeare embedded clues in his plays that allowed actors to perform without rehearsal. Performers knew only their own lines and had no idea who was performing what other roles or even what the play was about. Nowadays, the technique is a masterful bend of in-the-moment intensity and poetic structure. It demands both personal discipline and collaborative flexibility, and rewards you with a beautifully spontaneous creation unlike any other.

Instructor Jared McDaris received his MFA in Theatre from Western Illinois University. It was there that he learned about the Unrehearsed Shakespeare Technique. No other acting style has rewarded or challenged him so consistently, nor simultaneously provided the perfect balance of structure and freedom. It was this love that prompted him to help found the new Unrehearsed Shakespeare Company, which has performed four shows in Chicago to date: Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, Taming of the Shrew, and Othello.

June, 2011
Grace DeWolff – Character development

A fun and friendly introduction to acting designed for anyone and everyone who is interested in exploring character development through movement and scene work.
We will delve into acting in an accessible way that involves exercises, motion and theatre games designed to introduce or develop performance skills and technique.

Grace DeWolff is a local actor who’s been taking theatre classes since age five, including First Stage Theatre Academy here Milwaukee, the British American Dramatic Academy in Oxford, Mid Pacific University’s summer theatre program in Honolulu, and back in Milwaukee again with UWM’s Peck School of the Arts. With a BA in Theatre Studies and a minor in Psych, Grace has a passion for examining the world through theatre techniques.

May, 2011
Erica Case – How to Get Hired

In this workshop, learn all the “dos and don’ts” of how to present yourself as a professional in your interview, resume, communication skills, and overall presentation. You’ll learn how to build a resume, how to present your portfolio, when to call and when to e-mail, who to talk to and how to talk to them, and all the basics you need to get the job you want.

Erica Case has real-world human relations and business experiences that make her a unique and important member of the Milwaukee theater scene.  She is currently an H.R.Business Partner at Harley Davidson with previous experience at the Kraft Corporation and AT&T.
She co-directed the Alchemist Production of Murder Castle: The Chronicle of H.H.Holmes which was met with both commercial and critical success and has also participated in nearly every aspect of keeping The Alchemist Theatre a vibrant, artistic and successful company.