THEATRE PROFESSIONALS HOSTING WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS AT UNA SUMMER THEATRE PROGRAM
June 12, 2008
By Eric Hanback
UNA Student Writer
FLORENCE, Ala. — The University of North Alabama Summer Theatre Program is set to feature several professional actors, directors and managers in a series of workshops, seminars and classes next month.
Featured talent includes Emmy Award-winning actress Vicki Lawrence, national casting director Mike Lemon, music director and conductor Nathan Perry, recent UNA theater professor Angela Green, actress Emily McNamara, actor Will Stutts and other professional cast members.
“I’ve been producing theater for 40 years, and I think that the happiest blend of theater and academics is when it happens like this,” said Stutts, veteran performer and producing artistic director of the program. “I think of it like a continuing education course, but also an opportunity for those aspiring to a career in entertainment.”
Stutts said that even non-performers should enjoy the workshops because they give audiences a chance to look behind the scenes.
“It’ll give them a chance to see something different from on television or on stage,” Stutts said, adding that audiences usually have “little thought for all the hours of preparation for those few moments.”
Stutts said he hopes the events will “illuminate” those aspects that audiences rarely get to see or experience. “It’s more than people coming in and rehearsing somewhere and then doing a show,” he said.
He also said the workshops are a great opportunity for people who are trying to or would like to have a career in theater because they would get to see how professionals work, ask questions and participate.
“The goal is that everyone should leave the workshops knowing something that they didn’t know before,” he said.
Stutts said it took some coordination to arrange the workshops during the times when guest artists will be on campus, but theatre professionals are usually willing to share their time and experience. “Theatre is a craft, after all, and as in any craft, it should be shared with those who aspire.”
“The process was already in place, from the basic traditions of professional theatre. I already knew virtually everybody we were bringing in,” Stutts said. “It’s exactly like running a professional theatre – it just happens to be in a university setting.”
Scheduled workshops for the program include:
Stage Movement Workshop
with Angela Green and Emily McNamara
Date: July 7
Time: 7:30-9 p.m.
Location: Norton Auditorium, UNA Campus
Admission: $10
Musical Theatre Workshop
with cast members and the music director for “Stand by Your Man”
Date: July 7
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Norton Auditorium - UNA Campus
Admission: $10
Casting Seminar and Audition Techniques
with Mike Lemon
Dates: July 14 and 15
Time: 6-10 p.m.
Location: Norton Auditorium, UNA Campus
Admission: $25 for both sessions
A Cast of One … Aspects of the One-person Show
with Will Stutts
Date: July 16
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Location: Norton Auditorium, UNA Campus
Admission: $10
Acting Techniques and Monologue
with Angela Green and Will Stutts
Dates: July 20
Time: 6-10 p.m.
Location: Norton Auditorium, UNA Campus
Admission: $10
Vicki Lawrence: Master Class, Discussion and Q&A
Date: July 31
Time: TBA (depending on Lawrence’s rehearsal schedule)
Location: Marriott Shoals Conference Center
Admission: $10
Workshops are open to the public. However, participants should be at least 16 years of age. All workshops require advance registration. Attendance is limited.
For more information or workshop registration, call Nancy Gonce at 256-766-9719.
The summer program will also include several performances, including Stutts’ one-man show “Mark Twain’s America,” the Tammy Wynette musical “Stand by Your Man” and Lawrence’s “Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show.”
For tickets or more information, visit www.una.edu/summertheatre or call 256-765-4201.
