Spring 2012 Classes

The Signature Academy offers a variety of classes in singing, acting, and dance. There are opportunities for students of all ages and experience levels. Instructors are members of the Signature staff or artistic associates closely associated with our programming.

Creating musicals is what Signature does best. The Signature Academy provides community access to the craft of musical theater that encompasses dancing, singing, and acting.

Members of the Actors Center, EMC, or AEA receive a 10% discount. Donors who have given a generous gift to Signature Theatre of $600 to $1,199 receive a 15% discount.

Click here for the registration form. Click here to register for Brother Russia Presents.

Spring 2012 Classes

Classes for Teens

Classes for teenagers are intended for students 13 to 17 years old. Students must be 13 by first day of class.

Acting a Song

Instructor: Evan Casey
Accompanist: Elisa Rosman
Time: Mondays from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Dates:   March 12, 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16
Taught by popular D.C. actor, Evan Casey (The Hollow, The Boy Detective Fails), Acting a Song will enable you to reach past the notes and reach into making a connection while performing a song. Basic acting skills will be applied to the process of treating a song like a text as well as developing the ability to analyze a composer’s work. How is acting a song different from acting a non-musical text? How do you utilize your body to communicate your character’s feelings and intentions in the song? What’s the difference between a ballad and an up-tempo song and how does the actor treat them differently? This class, which will provide opportunities for both observation and individual coaching, is a must for any budding actor interested in the world of musical theatre.
Tuition: $300
Registration Deadline: March 2

 

Outside/In: Creating a Character Physically

Instructor: David Zobell
Time: Saturdays from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Dates: April 21, 28, May 5, 19, 26, June 2, 9, 16
We can all think of actors who “play the same character every time.” Perhaps you’ve felt limited to “only playing yourself.” The good news is that “yourself” is actually capable of creating a myriad of characters. In this class, utilizing techniques created by famed practitioner Augusto Boal, you’ll have the opportunity to explore and discover what you are physically, vocally, and emotionally capable of. Initial sessions will focus on self-discovery with the final classes devoted to continued exploration as you learn to play somebody else, as you delve into creating characters from the outside-in.
Tuition: $350
Registration Deadline: April 13

Classes for Adults

To enroll in The Signature Academy’s classes for adults, the student must be 18 years old by the first day of class.

Acting: A Personal Craft

Instructor: Carol Cadby
Time: Saturdays from 12:30-2:30
Dates: March 31, April 7, April 21, April 28,  May 5, May 19, May 26, June 2
Bring truth and a strong emotional connection to your work as an actor by exploring daily behavior and how it transfers to the stage. Through a series of acting exercises, actors will discover how to fully motivate their actions and effectively communicate them to an audience.  Focus will be given to discovering privacy in public, sense of urgency, use of the fourth wall, substitutions, sensory awareness and endowments.
Tuition: $350
Registration Deadline: March 23

Call for Creativity: Now with new enrollment options!

Instructor: Sophy Burnham and Paulette Laufer
Time: Mondays from 7:00 PM – 9:15 PM
Dates: March 5, 12, 19, 26
Blending and borrowing techniques and skills from both writing and acting, this special series of classes will explore the creative imagination within you.  This is a collaborative workshop with your own creativity at the core, regardless of your artistic background, current pursuits, or your “day job.”  No previous experience required.
New this semester, this classic Signature course now offers different enrollment options: Interested in developing your creativity in one area but not another? Interested but maybe strapped financially? This semester, students have the opportunity to choose either a four-class or a two-class plan for Call for Creativity. Those who sign up for the two-class option will be expected to attend the first class, where they will find out the curriculum for the remaining three weeks and decide which class will best suit their needs. Of course, we hope you’ll be interested in the four-class option though, where work on silencing the inner critic, playing with creativity, and coming to know your inner creator will all be explored.
Tuition:
Four Class Enrollment – $200
Two Class Enrollment – $125
Registration Deadline: February 27

Master Classes

British Dialects: Mastery for Performance

Instructor: Adam Michael Rose
Taught by professional dialect coach, Adam Michael Rose, these master classes will utilize multimedia experiences, improvisational exercises, and games to teach what’s necessary to master basic British stage dialects: Proper mouth positioning, melody, rhythm, intonation, vowels, consonants and much more. Within three hours, we can promise you will leave better equipped to perform in both the Standard British and Cockney dialects. Mr. Rose, a professional coach based in Los Angeles, will be in the D.C. area for a very short period of time. Take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity while he’s here!
Two master classes will be taught. One for teenagers (ages 13-17) and one for adults (18+).
Tuition:
Teenage Master Class: $100
Date: May 12 (10:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
Adult Master Class: $125
Date: May 14^th (6:30 PM – 9:30 PM)

Registration Deadline: May 5

 

 

SIGNATURE WINTER SEMINAR

PRESENTS:

The Ultimate Backstage Experience

 

Instructors: John Dempsey, Gabriel Mangiante, Dana Rowe, Eric Schaeffer and Members of the Cast

This six-session seminar goes behind-the-scenes of the world premiere rock musical from the award-winning creators of The Fix and Witches of Eastwick. Meet the creative team and delve into the production process from first draft to opening night.

In a desolate potato field north of Omsk, a comically fourth-rate, Russian theater troupe sets up its tents and wows the local farmers with rock-fueled adaptations of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. Signature favorites Erin Driscoll, Amy McWilliams, Tracy Lynn Olivera, and Stephen Gregory Smith are featured the premiere of Brother Russia.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 7:30-8:30 PM
Session 1: From the Creative Process to Rehearsal
Composer Dana Rowe, book writer and lyricist John Dempsey, and director Eric Schaeffer talk about the creation of Brother Russia. From inspiration to developing a rehearsal draft, making a musical is an involved and complicated process.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 7:30-8:30 PM
Session 2: The Music from Brother Russia
The Musical Director and members of the cast will talk about approaching the music and the characters in Dempsey and Rowe’s inventive and entertaining new musical. Listen to music from Brother Russia and find out what challenges faced this premiere cast in bringing it to life.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 7:00-8:30 PM
Session 3: Tech Rehearsal
The sets, props, lights, costumes, and actors all come together to bring the premiere of Brother Russia to theatrical life. Watch a technical rehearsal as all of the elements are integrated into “the production.”

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 12:00-1:30 PM
Session 4: The Orchestra
The first rehearsal to add the orchestra into the mix is called a “sitz probe.” The actors hear the music with full orchestration for the first time and blend their voices into the mix to make music together.

SUNDAY, MARCH 4, 7:30 PM
Session 5: The Final Dress Rehearsal
The premiere of Brother Russia is ready to meet its first audience. Join us for the “invited dress.” See how the production comes together as the final element and crucial element—you, the audience—is added. Be there front and center.

MONDAY, MARCH 5, 6:30-7:30 PM
Session 6: Critics’ Corner
Share a glass of wine in the Signature lobby and share your critical opinions. It’s your opportunity to exchange your comments, questions, and critiques on the process, the production, and the Brother Russia Seminar.

Tuition: $300

Registration Deadline: February 8

Click here to register for Brother Russia Presents.