LOCATION

JULY 17: ART NY Theatre, 502 West 53rd Street (at 10th Avenue)
JULY 24: Pearl Studios, 500 8th Avenue (at 35th Street)

FORMAT

Spend a day immersed in the craft and joy of directing , guided by Broadway professionals who go in depth to answer your questions, trade ideas, and translate their skills, methodology and practical knowledge to your academic setting.

A DIRECTOR PREPARES with Peter Flynn

Directing a play or musical requires both a specific point of view and an ability to facilitate good work from a variety of personalities and skill levels. Vision, communication, and discernment of shared perspective are all integral to the collaboration we cultivate as the leaders of the process, from preproduction to performance. How do we find our personal way in to any given script? What do the writers require and how does our perspective clarify, enhance, and heighten that? Ultimately, how do we communicate this vision and approach to the rest of our company: producers (administration), designers, and actors?

This workshop will use the Stephen Schwartz / Bob Fosse musical Pippin to illuminate an understanding of “concept” and how the director becomes both the spokesperson and arbiter of this vision from creative talks with designers, through casting, to rehearsals and performance. This course is designed to discuss and answer questions around the entire directing process including design, casting, scheduling, character development, staging, tech, and enrolling all key players along the way. 

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10:00am – 12:00pm – Concept, preproduction, & design

12:00pm – 1:30pm – Casting & scheduling       

1:30pm – 2:30pm – LUNCH

2:30pm – 4:30pm – Staging and working with actors

4:30pm – 5:00pm – Wrap up and Questions

LOCATION

ART NY Theatre, 502 West 53rd Street (at 10th Avenue)

FORMAT

Divided into three parts (Scenery, Sound, Lighting), this workshop will focus on translating best practices from Broadway to your school or community theatre setting: Using what you have in your theatre for maximum impact on stage; Building your stock; Where best to spend your money to gain the most; New technology, resources and ideas; The most affordable methods, materials, equipment; Integrating students onto your team; Ask a Pro Q&A: Discuss solution opportunities for your program with Broadway technicians and designers.

1. LIGHTING DESIGN: DRAFTING YOUR PLOT with Tony nominee Japhy Weideman (Dear Evan Hansen, Shucked)

Join Japhy for a study comparing the lighting plots from his Tony Award nominated lighting design for Dear Evan Hansen and his newest Broadway musical, Shucked. Japhy will breakdown the elements of each design and how you can apply them to your own lighting plots.

2. SCENIC DESIGN & EXECUTION with Rob Bissinger (Magic Mike Live)

Join Rob Bissinger, who has designed around the world from Broadway to the Winter Olympics, for an exploration of Scenic Design conception and creation, using images, spatial consideration, construction and painting techniques.

3. SOUND DESIGN with Emmy Award winner Matt Kraus (Liza’s At The Palace)

The class will break down and simplify the process for creating sound designs based on your space, how to draft a plot, how to amplify orchestra, how to use click tracks and sweeteners, and how to make best use of your equipment – how and when to use different types of microphones, speakers and mixing boards.

LOCATION

Pearl Studios, 500 8th Avenue (at 35th Street)

FORMAT

Spend a day immersed in the craft and joy of choreography, guided by Broadway professionals who go in depth to answer your questions, trade ideas, and translate their skills, methodology and practical knowledge to your academic setting.

Divided into three parts, the workshop will arm you with new techniques for staging group numbers, integrating story into your musical staging, and break down classic choreography from a beloved show.

1. CLASSIC CHOREOGRAPHY

In this session you’ll learn a classic piece of choreography (Jerome Robbin’s “America” from West Side Story) and explore how the choreographer’s style has contributed to the art form. The class will be led by Charlotte D’Amboise who has been gracing the Broadway stage for decades. Since making her Broadway debut in Cats, Charlotte has been nominated for two Tony Awards for her performances in the Broadway Revival of A Chorus Line (Cassie) and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway (multiple roles.) She has also won numerous Fred Astaire Awards for her roles in Pippin (Fastrada), Sweet Charity (Charity) and Damn Yankees (Lola).

2. BIT BY BIT, PUTTING STEPS TOGETHER – INSIDE THE CHOREOGRAPHER’S PROCESS

Join Parker Esse, four-time Helen Hayes Award Winning Choreographer, as he embarks on a creative discussion of his choreographic process.  Having choreographed productions all over the country and abroad, Parker’s choreography has been tailor fit and adapted to exciting design challenges and creative discoveries with each unique production.  We will take an in-depth look at the collaboration between director, music director, costume designer, set designer, lighting designer, and sound designer and the role they play in shaping his choreography for a production — spanning from the first creative team production meeting to the opening night performance.  Creating choreography is a complex, thrilling journey breathing dynamic storytelling into Musical Theatre.  Parker is eager to share behind the scenes choreographic stories from past productions along with answering any questions you may have.

3. INSPIRATION INTO MOVEMENT

Inspiration can come from just about anywhere: location, sound, character, relationships or environment. This workshop will explore how to use these different sources to find inspiration, and then how to use those inspirations to create movement. These exercises and practices are building blocks that can be used with your students so they themselves can learn to create using these techniques. 

LOCATION

Pearl Studios, 500 8th Avenue (at 35th Street)

FORMAT

Spend a day immersed in the craft and joy of music directing , guided by Broadway professionals who go in depth to answer your questions, trade ideas, and translate their skills, methodology and practical knowledge to your academic setting.

1. MUSIC DIRECTION: WORKING WITH ENSEMBLES, SOLISTS & CREATIVE TEAM with Ian Weinberg (music director, Hamilton)

In this session, we’ll look at music direction from several angles. In a mock ensemble rehearsal, with the participants as the ensemble, we’ll talk about rehearsal techniques and some best practices, along with ways to activate ensemble singing from a dramaturgical point of view. In a vocal coaching with a single actor, we’ll see how rehearsing with a soloist can be varied and flexible – and what happens after learning “just” notes and rhythms. Finally, in a panel with some of Ian’s favorite collaborators, we’ll talk about the music director’s relationship to directors and choreographers. What can the creative team do to ensure a successful and productive collaboration? 

2. INTEGRATING YOUR PIT ORCHESTRA with Charles DuChateau (Music Director, The Music Man with Hugh Jackman & Sutton Foster)

Do your instrumental musicians feel like a separate part of your production? Do you have a hard time filling your pit orchestra with student players?

Join Broadway veteran Charles duChateau, who has played and conducted on B’way for the last 30+ years and also happens to be a high school music director for an exploration of how to create a fully integrated musical theater production, so that cast, crew and orchestra feel like equal members of this bold artistic endeavor: putting on a school musical! 

Charles will demonstrate how he has used Sinfonia, a technology that enhances and supports your orchestra, in both Broadway and High School productions – and how you can do the same for your shows!