KCACTF Region 1 Festival 50: Full Schedule

January 30, 2018 - February 4, 2018
Western Connecticut State University
Danbury, CT

1:30pm EST

Directing on Impulse

Directors need to plan everything, but then be willing to throw it all out the window as we make discoveries in rehearsal. This workshop develops the "director's impulse" to tell stories, and builds our confidence to create spontaneously in collaboration with performers. We will work with short, 1-minute "blank scenes" conceptualizing, casting, and rehearsing theatrical moments. No preparation allowed! This is going to the gym for directors. Note that participants will be both directing AND performing in each other's work. Actors with an interest in the directing process are welcome as well.

Speakers

Eric Parness

Wednesday January 31, 2018 1:30pm - 3:00pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop

4:00pm EST

ASPIRE: Careers in Creative Leadership: Theater Management and Producing

Join this exciting panel of diverse theater professionals as they discuss the roles, challenges and practical realities of theater producing and management in regional theatre. The panel invites students of all backgrounds and experience to engage in a discussion about leadership, mentorship, diversity, and finding job opportunities for the next generation of arts leaders in America.

Moderators

Kelvin Dinkins, Jr.

Assistant Dean/General Manager/Assistant Professor in Theater Management, Yale School of Drama/Yale Rep Theatre

Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. is the Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor Adjunct in Theater Management for Yale School of Drama and the General Manager of Yale Repertory Theatre. Kelvin joins Yale from Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey where he spent four years as General Manager... Read More →

Speakers

Shaminda Amarakoon

Chair of Technical Design & Production Department/Director of Production, Yale School of Drama/Yale Repertory Theatre

Al Heartley

Associate Director of Development and Alumni Affairs, Yale Repertory Theatre/Yale School of Drama

Kit Ingui

Associate Managing Director, Long Wharf Theatre

Jocelyn Prince

Artistic Coordinator/Lecturer in Theater Management, Yale Repertory Theatre/Yale School of Drama

Wednesday January 31, 2018 4:00pm - 6:00pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

ASPIRE Workshop

9:00am EST

"From Head to Heart" - The Longest Journey

This is an actor's worshop focusing on getting out of your head and into your Heart. We will focus on how to build on the basics of Who,Where and Why and learn how to "work" when you aren't working.
The truth in us is in everyone. We will attempt to improve our aim at that target.

Speakers

Tim Gleason

NPP One Act Director, Independent Artist

Tim Gleason is the Founder and Artistic Director of KNOW Theatre in Binghamton, NY, often producing Region 1 plays. Tim has been attending the Region for 21 yrs. and is heavily involved with NPP.

Thursday February 1, 2018 9:00am - 10:30am EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop

11:00am EST

Writing Outside of Realism

Writers will be introduced into a world beyond the everyday. Writers will learn to develop a theatrical world that is not limited to everyday conversation. Through a series of exercises, writers will expand their own ideas of what stories are possible to tell on the dramatic stage.

Speakers

J. Julian Christopher

Thursday February 1, 2018 11:00am - 12:30pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

NPP Workshop

1:30pm EST

Writing From The Outside In

There are a million ways to write a play; that doesn't make it any easier to start writing one. In this workshop we will investigate alternative structures for scene writing. We will attempt to work from the outside in - experimenting with how structure might influence character and plot. There will be three short writing sessions in which playwrights will chose one event (a break-up, a confession) and write it in three different ways, using a song, a sporting event, and a painting as inspiration. After each writing session we will discuss our revelations and the merits of the exercise.

Speakers

James Ryan Caldwell

Playwright & Professor, VIP

James Ryan Caldwell is an actor, playwright, and screenwriter from New York City. His work has been seen at Walkerspace NYC, P.S. 122, 3LD, Classic Stage Company, The Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Public Theatre, and Playwrights Horizons. The first season of his web-series, Ms... Read More →

Thursday February 1, 2018 1:30pm - 3:00pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop

3:30pm EST

ASTEP Artist as Citizen

This is an active workshop, we will have some discussion as well as some on our feet work.

Speakers

Ali Dachis

Artists Striving To End Poverty

Thursday February 1, 2018 3:30pm - 5:00pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop

5:00pm EST

Living in the Moment- Neighborhood Playhouse

This renown acting technique was developed at the world famous Neighborhood Playhouse, NYC. Students will be guided through exercises designed to ignite one's acting instincts & talent. Meisner technique is applicable to all mediums: film, TV, theatre, & new media. The workshop is an opportunity to experience serious training and develop one’s instrument and understanding under expert guidance.

Speakers

Gary Kingston

Gary Kingston is a native of California, where he was a member of LACT in San Francisco. While there he appeared in a number of plays, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Present Laughter among others. His most recent performance was at The Schoolhouse Theater in Conor... Read More →

Thursday February 1, 2018 5:00pm - 6:30pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop

9:00am EST

The Art of Storytelling

Do you have a story to tell? Have you wondered about how to organize your story, and make it active? Are you interested in that deep performer / audience member connection that can only happen through the intimacy of story telling? If so, come to this workshop and learn about how to bring your personal, compelling experiences to life on stage.

Speakers

Paul Ricciardi

Immediate Past Chair, Region 1, Kingsborough Community College

Welcome to festival everyone! A bit about me: in addition to serving as Co-Chair for Region I, I am also a full-time faculty member at Kingsborough Community College/City University of New York, in Brooklyn, where I teach Acting I, II and Voice and Diction. I'm a Designated Linklater... Read More →

Friday February 2, 2018 9:00am - 10:30am EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop

11:00am EST

Navigating the Business: Making Diversity an Asset

Get the practical tools and resources you need to help you navigate the business as an artist of color and/or performer with a disability from one of the country's leading advocates for full diversity and inclusion in theatre, film and television. During this interactive workshop, we'll discuss the importance of being your own advocate; auditions - before, during and after; creating professional relationships with agents and casting directors; and developing strategies and resources to give you the edge you need!
(This workshop is geared toward STUDENTS, but anyone is welcome to attend.)

Speakers

Christine Bruno

Disability Consultant, Inclusion in the Arts

Christine Bruno is an actor, freelance disability consultant, and Disability Advocate at Inclusion in the Arts. She received her MFA from the New School, is a member of the Actors Studio and has worked nationally and internationally as an actor, director and acting coach. Christine... Read More →

Friday February 2, 2018 11:00am - 12:30pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop

1:30pm EST

Audacity of Authenticity: Increasing Diversity on Your Stages FOR FACULTY

Whether we view art as a mirror to reflect society or as a hammer to shape it, it's no secret that the faces and bodies we see on our stages and screens don't reflect what we see on America's streets. In this interactive workshop led by a representative from one of the country's leading advocates for artists of color and performers with disabilities, we'll discuss the value of increased diversity in theatre training programs, as well as practical tools to help prepare students for what to expect after graduation. We'll tackle essential questions, including: What is diversity and why is it important? Is there a difference between non-traditional and inclusive casting? Whose stories are being told and by whom? We'll share strategies and best practices for how to expand the culture of our professional training programs, encouraging diverse perspectives and nurturing diverse artists committed to telling stories that reflect our changing world.

Speakers

Christine Bruno

Disability Consultant, Inclusion in the Arts

Friday February 2, 2018 1:30pm - 3:00pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop

3:30pm EST

ILLUSIONS OF VIOLENCE

Speakers

Jim Beauregard

Workshop Presenter, Dean College

Jim Beauregard serves as Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance and Technical Director for The School of Arts and The School of Dance at Dean College in Franklin, MA. Jim has a Master’s degree in Theatre and Dance and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from Rhode Island College... Read More →

Friday February 2, 2018 3:30pm - 5:00pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop

5:00pm EST

Limitless Potential in Puppetry

In this interactive workshop, we will be discussing how one can use puppetry as not only a storytelling device but an environmental, and economical, way to create theatre. Inspired by Bread and Puppet, her work with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the depths of our imagination, participants will be encouraged to explore how everyday materials can become puppets in a simple and effective way.

Speakers

Mindy Escobar-Leanse

Puppeteer/Performer, Actor

Mindy Escobar-Leanse was raised in El Paso, Texas and became involved in theatre very early on; first at the JCC and then through a multi-disciplinary company for children, teaching all aspects of theatre. Soon she was involved in the University of Texas at El Paso's theatre program... Read More →

Friday February 2, 2018 5:00pm - 6:30pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop

11:00am EST

The Physical Actor: WAY beyond the psychological! Aware, Available, Responsive!

Limited Capacity filling up

Join us for this dynamic and explosive investigation of the actor creator from the perspectives of Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre. Come prepared to be present, open and available; to move and be moved; to respond and react; to create and engage in a playful vitality as participants explore the the work of the physical actor. (Max participants: 45)

Special Guests

Pratik Motwani

Dell\'Arte International School of Physical Theatre, VIP

Originally from Mumbai, India Pratik Motwani is a resident actor/teaching artist/company member with Dell’Arte International in Blue Lake, California. Pratik creates, produces, tours original works of devised physical theatre; Recent works include: #////# - Official Selection... Read More →

Saturday February 3, 2018 11:00am - 12:30pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop

1:30pm EST

The Director's Foundational Responsibilities

~A Boot Camp of Practical Tasks
~ This workshop is a primer of essential tips for interpretively directing a play in three progressively sequential categories:

* Work With Text
* Work With Mise-en-Scene
* Work With Actors

Speakers

Benny Sato Ambush

Freelance SDC Director

Benny Sato Ambush: is a professional SDC stage director, former Artistic Director of three theatres (two of them professional theatres), educator, consultant, former National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) panelist/site evaluator, and published commentator. For the past nine years... Read More →

Saturday February 3, 2018 1:30pm - 3:00pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

SDC Workshop

3:30pm EST

Producing New Works in Educational Settings

This will be a discussion regarding producing new works in educational settings, led by actor and writer Christine Toy Johnson and Tina Fallon, executive director of creative affairs at the Dramatists Guild of America. What are the challenges you face when choosing new works to study or produce? What if you had easier access to working playwrights for approvals to script changes? What resources can the industry supply to help educate your community in the event of a controversy?

Speakers

Christine Toy Johnson

President, Moongate Productions

Christine Toy Johnson (playwright/director) is a Tony, Obie, and Rosetta LeNoire award honored writer, actor, director and advocate for inclusion. Her written works have been produced and/or developed by the Roundabout, Village Theatre, Barrow Group, Prospect Theatre, Weston Playhouse... Read More →

Saturday February 3, 2018 3:30pm - 5:00pm EST
Westside Classroom Bldg 218 - President's Room

Workshop