AACTFest 2017 Workshop Videos | AACT

AACTFest 2017 Workshop Videos

Insights from Theatre Experts
Deepen your understanding of a variety of theatre-related topics

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The State of Theatre in America (and how we can prepare for the future)

David StewartDavid Stewart, Director of Production, Guthrie Theater
Click this button to view videoDavid Stewart has served as an AEA stage manager for Madison Repertory Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, St. Louis MUNY, Kansas City Starlight Outdoor Musicals, The Little Theatre on the Square, and Austria’s English Theatre. He is chair of the People of Color Network at USITT and sits on their board of directors. He co-founded the highly successful Gateway mentorship program, pairing diverse young talent with professionals who can help them navigate the industry as they build their careers. He has two nationally published articles on diversity in theater production, and is technical editor for two theatre management books. Awarded the Distinguished Alumni Achievement award from his alma mater, Webster University, he served as the University of Wisconsin, Madison Production Manager and Head of Stage Management, as well as Director of Production for the Multi-Cultural Arts Institute. 


The Journey of a New Musical--From Idea to Production

Michael John LaChiusaMichael John LaChiusa, composer, lyricist, and librettist
Click this button to view videoMichael John LaChiusa is a five-time Tony Award nominee for his Broadway productions of The Wild Party, Marie Christine and Chronicle of a Death Foretold. His acclaimed off-Broadway musicals, for The Public Theater and Lincoln Center, include Giant, Queen of the Mist, See What I Wanna See, First Lady Suite, Bernarda Alba, Hello Again, Little Fish, and Four Short Operas: Break, Agnes, Eulogy For Mr. Hamm, Lucky Nurse, and First Daughter Suite. LaChiusa also received commissions from Chicago Lyric Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, among others.  Writes Stephen Holden of the New York Times, Broadway musicals “need composers as talented as Mr. LaChiusa, who have the courage to sacrifice commerciality and go their own way.” Winner of two Emmys for the children’s animated series The Wonder Pets, he teaches at both NYU and Columbia University.


Insights into Arts Management

Barry Hughson

Barry Hughson, Executive Director, National Ballet of Canada
Click this button to view videoWith a wide range of leadership in the arts, Barry Hughson has served as arts advocate, consultant, and educator, including teaching and speaking engagements in the US, Europe and South America. Under his leadership as Executive Director, the Warner Theatre in Torrington, Connecticut, successfully mounted the largest capital campaign in the community’s history, restoring the art deco theatre to its former grandeur in 2002. Hughson also served as the Festival Chair for the 2003 AACTFest held in Torrington. He is a founding member of Dance/USA’s National Leadership Council, and has served as a mentor to emerging arts executives through the Institute for Leadership Training. He is the Vice Chair of Dance/USA, North America’s largest service organization for professional dance, and serves on the Steering Committee for the Canadian Arts Summit.


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Theatre Branding in the Digital Age

Get the most from graphic designers, photographers, and videographers, and use your organization’s website as a marketing tool. Are you attracting the right audience for your production? What is your theatre’s graphic identity communicating to your prospective audience? The workshop will examine what works, what doesn’t, and suggest how to maximize your budget to make your marketing look as good as your productions.

Presenter: James Gallagher, Co-Creative Director at Herrmann Advertising, Owner of Drama Queen Graphics, Annapolis, MD
Jim GallagherJim is a Co-Creative Director at Herrmann Advertising I Branding I Technology, in Annapolis, Maryland, and the owner of Drama Queen Graphics, LLC, a graphic design firm that specializes in creating marketing materials for theatres and arts organizations. He has over 28 years of experience in the advertising design industry, where he’s created award-winning designs for a wide range of clients including National Geographic, Top 100 law firms, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, La Guardia Airport, numerous Maryland Historic Associations and Health Departments. Jim is also an actor and director. Combining decades of theatre and graphic arts experience, he founded Drama Queen Graphics, whose clients include Steele Spring Stage Rights, Young Artists of America, The Center for Arts in Natick, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and WSC Avant Bard.


Recipe for a Musical

Go inside the creative process to dissect what makes a musical work. Hear five-time Tony Award-nominated composer, lyricist and librettist Michael John LaChiusa for an intimate discussion on the recipe for a musical.  Michael John will take you inside his creative process to dissect what makes a musical work.

Presenter: Michael John LaChiusa, composer, lyricist, and librettist
Michael John LaChiusa Michael John LaChiusa is a five-time Tony Award nominee for his Broadway productions of The Wild Party, Marie Christine and Chronicle of a Death Foretold. His acclaimed off-Broadway musicals, for The Public Theater and Lincoln Center, include Giant, Queen of the Mist, See What I Wanna See, First Lady Suite, Bernarda Alba, Hello Again, Little Fish, and Four Short Operas: Break, Agnes, Eulogy For Mr. Hamm, Lucky Nurse, and First Daughter Suite. LaChiusa also received commissions from Chicago Lyric Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, among others.  Writes Stephen Holden of the New York Times, Broadway musicals “need composers as talented as Mr. LaChiusa, who have the courage to sacrifice commerciality and go their own way.” Winner of two Emmys for the children’s animated series The Wonder Pets, he teaches at both NYU and Columbia University. 


Playing the Action

Explore two essential elements that bring a character to life. This workshop focuses on analyzing the action a character takes to achieve their goal within a scene, and how the character adjusts strategies, when faced with opposition, to achieve that goal. Once these strategies are clear, the actor has a roadmap with which to play the scene, freeing them up to focus on living through the character by playing the action of the scene. Volunteer participants will use improvisational scenes and scripted material to help illustrate the points of the workshop.

Presenter: Stephen Carver, Executive Director, Kalamazoo [MI] Civic Theatre
Stephen CarverStephen is the Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre. An award-winning actor/director, with over 35 years’ experience, he has appeared in numerous regional and stock theatres before landing in Los Angeles. He spent 17 years in Hollywood and has guest starred & reoccurred on such shows as Golden Girls, Star Trek: Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, General Hospital, Melrose Place, Diagnosis Murder, Ellen, Dream On, Moloney, Dark Skies, and Hunter. His film work includes Liar Liar, Die Trying, Housesitter Hanoi Hilton, and He’s My Girl. After Hollywood, Stephen was a resident director and president of the Longmont Theatre Company, where he directed numerous productions. He also has taught many classes and workshops for community theatres, universities and schools around the country.


Licensing and MTI Resources

Everything you ever wanted or needed to know about making the licensing of a show painless, fun, and affordable. Learn how to lower your royalties, and make your interaction with your licensing house as pain-free and fun as possible. This all-inclusive workshop covers MTI’s latest and greatest production resources.

Presenter: John Prignano, Senior Operations Officer, Music Theatre International
John PrignanoThroughout his life, John has been a loyal advocate of educational theatre. Since obtaining a BA in Dance/Theatre from Montclair State College in 1986, he has been involved in the arts in many facets—including touring in productions of A Chorus Line, West Side Story, Damn Yankees, and Guys and Dolls. For 20 years, John has been employed by Music Theatre International, and in his current role as Senior Operations Officer, he has led workshops around the world, and is instrumental in creating tools that encourages meaningful dialogue and interaction between the licensing house and theatre educators.
 


Email Power Tips:  Turn Your Email List Into $$$

The greatest power tips to turn your email mailing list into a profit powerhouse. Email is a powerful tool in your media mix, and can generate revenue at a very low cost. Learn how to become a moneymaking email master with the one secret ingredient to selling with email. Drive up your reads, open and click-through rates with a few simple tricks. Plus, how to keep your email list growing stronger and more lucrative, avoid spam filters, grow your list with each show, keep your list lean and effective, and (most important) create a responsive audience that you can convert into dollars for your theatre when you make an offer.

Presenter: Jarrod Kopp, Theatre Executive, Communications Consultant, Sand Springs, OK
Jarrod KoppJarrod has an extensive background in public relations, marketing, advertising, and business communications, covering more than 20 years. His previous corporate work includes positions at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma, Wiltel Communications, Enovation Controls, Schnake Turnbo Frank PR, and Williams Energy. He is currently the Managing Director of Theatre Tulsa, where he was part of the original core team that overhauled the leadership and completely revitalized the long-running theatre in 2012.

 


 

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