ONLINE ACTING WORKSHOP
THE CLASSICAL MONOLOGUE
Saturday, February 13, 2021
11:00 PM - 6:00 PM
ZOOM ONLY
with HEIDI GRIFFITHS and FRANCHELLE STEWART DORN
Testing out a new piece? Have an old favorite that could use a fresh perspective? Uncertain how your piece will work online? This class is perfect for audition prep or simply as a reinvigoration of your classical chops! In the first half of the day, you will work with acclaimed classical actor FRANCHELLE STEWART DORN. Then class progresses to a mock audition and a valuable opportunity to meet and work with the Public Theater’s Casting Director HEIDI GRIFFITHS.
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Essential Question:
How do you prepare monologues, both in person and on tape, in a way that shows yourself in the best light to a casting director. What aspects of an actor’s preparation are most essential when preparing for an audition. How do you vocally prepare yourself for a classical audition in this format? How do you engage honestly with a stage monologue in a high-stress online environment?
Course Objectives:
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Develop a technique for preparing for auditions both live and online
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Explore how Shakespeare’s verse, text, and rhetoric provide clues to how to deliver a monologue
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Learn how to create the true life of your character and their surroundings in an audition setting
Enduring Understandings:
Shakespeare’s verse provides clues for how to develop a truthful character efficiently. Like any tool, it requires training to use it effectively. A flexible, confident voice and body are essential for the effective presentation of a character in an audition. Auditions are, by their nature, artificial environments, creating a technique that allows you to be committed, brave, and truthful under these trying circumstances.
Instructors:
FRANCHELLE STEWART DORN has been an actress for more than 40 years having played leading roles at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C, Arena Stage, The American Conservatory Theater, Yale Repertory Theater, Long Wharf, Great Lakes Theater Company, Cleveland Playhouse, Arizona State Theatre, Chautauqua Theatre, the Guthrie and at both The State, ZACH and Austin Shakespeare theaters in Austin. She spent the 2014 season at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Red Bull Theater's spring 2015 off-Broadway in 'Tis a Pity She's a Whore. Dorn has also been seen on "Law and Order" and in such films as "Die Hard With a Vengeance," "Chances Are" and "Raise the Titanic." She can be seen on one of PBS's longest-running series, "Literary Visions." She fondly remembers her role as Dr. Rita Madison on NBC's "Another World." Dorn has been nominated for seven Helen Hayes Awards and has been the recipient of three. She has also won the Austin Critics' Circle Award for her performances in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Mrs. Warren's Profession, and The Edge of Peace. She has more than 400 voice-overs and on-camera appearances to her credit. Dorn received her acting training at the Yale School of Drama. She has been named both an Academy Distinguished Teacher and Regents' Outstanding Teacher. She is also a past recipient of the College of Fine Arts' Outstanding Teacher award.
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HEIDI GRIFFITHS has worked for more than twenty-five years at The Public Theater in NYC, where she has cast over 250 productions Off-Broadway and at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, including Shakespeare, new plays, and musicals. She has also cast both plays and musicals on Broadway.
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Schedule:
Saturday
11:00 - 2:00: Audition work with Franchelle Stewart Dorn
2:00 - 3:00: Meal Break
3:00 - 6:00: Audition work Heidi Griffins
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Preparation:
You should have a classical monologue prepared and fully memorized.
Materials:
A journal is recommended to record notes and observations. Comfortable clothing that you can move and breathe freely in and a water bottle is strongly encouraged.
Concerns? Questions?
Contact Nathan Winkelstein.
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