TIP-OFF                                                                                                                   March 21, 2003

WINSTON-SALEM – High school drama students from across North Carolina will converge on Winston-Salem next weekend when the North Carolina School of the Arts hosts the annual conference of the North Carolina Thespian Society.

Approximately 250 students and their teachers are expected to attend the festival, which is Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, on the NCSA campus, 1533 S. Main St., Winston-Salem.

The society will conduct elections, hold a play marathon and stage their own drama competition for individual events (monologues, pantomime, etc.) during the conference.

On Saturday (March 29), beginning at 9:30 a.m., faculty members, alumni and advanced students from the NCSA School of Drama and School of Design & Production, as well as guest artists from the community, will present workshops for the aspiring actors and behind-the-stage artists. Workshops will include, among others:

·        “Auditioning” with School of Drama faculty member Martin Rader. Students will learn the “dos and don’ts” of auditioning, and will be given guidelines to help them prepare and deliver a successful audition monologue. 

·        “Circus Techniques” with School of Drama alumnus Dikki Ellis, an original member of the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit. Students will learn about circus skills including comedy, juggling, card tricks and others.

·        “Finding the Character Voice” with Ben Furey, School of Drama adjunct faculty member who has been the vocal and accent coach for numerous plays and films in America and Europe. Students will learn how to make physical choices to find a character’s voice – rather than imposing a voice on the character.

·        “Improvisation” with School of Drama faculty member Robert Moyer, who worked with the original improv comedy troupe in Chicago, Second City. Students will learn how to get on their feet and into a scene in eight or fewer exercises.

·        “Makeup: Character Ages” with School of Design & Production faculty member Martha Ruskai, resident wig and makeup specialist at NCSA. Students will learn how to apply makeup to age the young performer from ages 17 to 70.

·        “Preparing a Role” with School of Drama faculty member Matthew Bulluck. Conference attendees will learn how to use the text of the play to create a role. School of Drama students will assist, combining hands-on work with demonstrations.

·        “Scenic Painting: Marble Technique” with School of Design & Production students Melissa Jackson and Jason Strom. The workshop will cover a variety of tools and techniques used in scenic painting.

·        “Stage Combat” with School of Drama faculty member Dale Girard, fight choreographer for countless plays, operas and movies. He will focus on hand-to-hand combat.

·        “Stage Properties: Eggs From Mashed Potatoes” with School of Design & Production faculty member Bland Wade. Students will learn how to create food and beverages for the stage that are actor-friendly and easy to prepare.

For more information, including a schedule of workshops, contact Marla Carpenter at 336-770-3337 in the public relations office

at NCSA.

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