Master Classes
ATC is proud to offer educators a wide selection of Master Classes to be presented in the classroom.
When you open your doors to an ATC guest artist your students won’t want class to end. With our creative warm-ups, exercises and activities, these workshops are not only exciting for students but provide cultural enrichment and added educational value.
All of ATC’s Master Classes will be tailored to meet the needs of you and your students. The classes listed below are only a sample of possible workshop topics; if you have something else in mind or would like a different spin on one of our offerings, give us a call and we’ll gladly work with you to design something for your class.
List of Available Workshops:
ACTING
Auditions
Many times actors do not have the luxury of a prepared monologue for an audition. From marking sides to creating a mock audition, ATC’s professional teaching artists show students how to prepare and make choices when an audition requires a cold reading. But what if the actor is supposed to come prepared with a monologue – do your students know how to best find and choose material, work the monologue for the best audition possible, and how to maintain power and confidence in an audition? Auditions can be terrifying even for the most seasoned of actors, but with a little help and preparation, your students can sail through any audition experience. Let ATC guide your students to their best auditions yet and help them prepare for the Arizona State Thespian Conference auditions.Character Development
ATC’s professional teaching artists use the fundamentals of text analysis to help students discover character motivations, traits, and information that are included within the play. They are then led through supplemental movement, voice and visualization exercises designed to build physical and emotional creativity. With these tools, your students will understand and be able to apply the use of mind, body, and voice in portraying their character. This workshop also includes a section on subtext and how to utilize subtext when creating a character.Script Analysis for Actors
Do your theatre students know what to do when they first receive a copy of a brand new script? Let ATC help them to know where to begin by teaching them about given circumstances. Script analysis can be daunting, but is one of the actor’s most important tools. From understanding given circumstances and super-objectives to differentiating between character objectives and scene objectives, ATC’s teaching artists will guide your students through the beginnings of script analysis. Students will learn important actor’s tools that they will use for the rest of their lives.Shakespeare – Acting
Enjoy an hour of performing scenes from your favorite Shakespearean works. Scenes can be pre-selected or you can tell ATC which play will be the focus and ATC teaching artists will choose the scenes for you. Through preparation of their very own scene performance you will watch your students’ understanding of Shakespeare grow. We all know Shakespeare was MEANT TO BE SAID, NOT READ and that is the purpose of this workshop.Target Acting
Based on Declan Donnellan’s acting treatise, The Actor and the Target, this workshop takes the “magic” out of acting and replaces it with the tools which every actor relies on whether or not they are aware: imagination and attention. The results of this approach to acting are committed, intuitive, and spontaneous young performers. Empower your students to instantly unlock and trust their instincts using six simple steps. Lay the foundation for your students regarding any type of performance: theatre, musical theatre, film, or television.Acting Basics
Are your students still shy when it comes to performing in front of their peers? Maybe all they need is a new way of learning some basic theatre skills. This workshop allows even the most novice actor to participate in a stress-free, nerve-free environment. Build your students’ confidence and creativity through basic acting, improvisation, and give and take exercises. Examples include:
- Zip-Zap-Zop – Teaches the value of eye-contact and the passing of energy to one another.
- Two Truths and One Lie – Strengthens awareness and listening skills.
- Finish the Story – Promotes spontaneous creativity in a way that stresses the importance of a linear story (with beginning, middle, and end).
- Trust Circle – Builds a sense of ensemble among students while breaking down barriers and inhibitions.
After an hour of playing, your students will be ready to take center stage!
Advanced Acting
The concepts of motivation and objective are the focus of this workshop. Through games and activities that explore different tactics and motives, ATC’s teaching artists guide students to answer the all important theatre questions including:
- Who is this character?
- What does the character want in the scene?
- Where is the character from? Where is the character going?
- Why is the character in this scene?
- How does this character’s presence impact the scene and its outcome?
As students begin to integrate motivation into scene work, their acting will come to life. This workshop can be used in a classroom setting or can supplement your rehearsals for your school’s upcoming theatre production.
Life of an Actor
ATC employs actors from all over the U.S. and the world. Invite one into your classroom to paint the picture for your budding actors about what it takes to make it in this career field. From headshots and resumes to postcards and DVDs, our actors have spent many years perfecting the art of marketing themselves to theatres, agents and studios across the nation. An extensive question and answer session is always the best way for this workshop to provide the most inclusive experience for your students.Stage Combat
In this workshop, students learn safe and effective ways to sell the illusion of combat. Choreographed stage punches, slaps, hair pulls, and choke holds will have all administrators afraid for their students’ lives…until they learn it is all a trick of the theatre. Safety is the name of the game in ATC’s stage combat workshop. Students follow a trained and certified stage combat professional to learn the best methods to safely “act” a fight.
DESIGN/TECHNICAL THEATRE
Costumes for the Stage
From the audience, each costume looks like clothes seen on the runway, but if you look closer costumes are specially constructed for each production. How does the ATC costume shop do it? What are the first, second, third, and final steps in creating costumes? Are costumes made for the specific actor? Are they reused? Where are they housed? Your students have the opportunity to ask a professional – a member of the ATC costume department. And if you’re lucky, they just might be able to dress up as their favorite character from a past show.Lighting and Sound Design for the Stage
Learn the technical skills needed to design the show of your dreams. Gain knowledge of design qualities, equipment required, and materials necessary to serve the script and the action both visually and aurally. Instructors will teach the “how to” for original lighting and sound design for a variety of dramatic works. Additionally, they will show young designers how to create sound effects to enhance a scene or employ lighting techniques to reinforce a mood.
DIRECTING
Directing
What does it take to be a director? You must tell a story, create a concept, lead a collaborative process, organize your actors and designers, and produce a performance with purpose. Sound easy? ATC’s staff of professional directors will help students learn how to take a script and create a story that is worth telling. Students will learn how to analyze a dramatic text, research for clues, cast a play, collaborate with designers, and conduct effective rehearsals from some of the best directors in Arizona. Students will see how to apply these skills to scene work, monologue work, or elaborate full scale productions.
Resources
Master Class Request FormAll resources are in PDF format.
For More Information
Phoenix:
Bryanna Patrick, Education Associate
(602) 256-6899 x 7008
bpatrick@arizonatheatre.org
Tucson:
April Jackson, Education Manager
(520) 884-8210 x 7513
ajackson@arizonatheatre.org
