Horace Mann Summer Theatre Intensive

for Teens

HM Students "Intense" about Theatre this SummerPosted 07/06/2010 04:21PM

• HM's Summer Theatre Intensive is designed for teens and pre-college students ages 15 to 19 who wish to raise the level of their acting skills. Ten students- HM and non-HM- did just that this summer from June 14-26. The two-week program, held in HM's Alfred Gross Theatre, Black Box Theatre, and the Cooper Dance Studio, featured a faculty of four distinguished professional performers and directors, all who returned for the second time this year.

• Susan Ryan, Head Teacher and Workshop Host, led the students daily in the Company

Class, including vocal and physical warm-up, and an introduction to "Viewpoints," a technique of improvisation. Ms. Ryan is an Assistant Teacher of Voice and Speech for NYU Undergraduate Drama, Playwrights Horizons Theater School. She is an Assistant Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework™. Susan is skilled in the movement disciplines of Viewpoints and Contact Improvisation. She has studied Suzuki with the SITI Company and has been trained in Practical Aesthetics by members of the Atlantic Theater Company.

Shakespeare’s Language &

Practical Aesthetics by David Mamet & William H. Macy

• The students also worked with Guest Artist Francine Zerfas, who is the Head of the Voice and Speech Department at Playwrights Horizons Theater School, an undergraduate studio of NYU, an Instructor of Voice at Atlantic Theater's Conservatory Program and their Summer Advanced Intensive Program in Vermont. Ms. Zerfas teaches a physical approach to Voice and Speech work using the heightened language of Shakespeare.

• The students then worked with faculty from the Atlantic Theater Acting School, who taught Practical Aesthetics, the acting and script analysis technique developed by David Mamet and William H. Macy, founders of the Atlantic Theater Company.

Mask WorkAole Miller

• During the final three days of the Intensive, students did some Mask Work with Aole Miller, Creative Director of STUDIO 5, Executive Director of the International Antonin Artaud Fringe Theatre Festival, the Producing Director of New Moon Rep. in Brooklyn, and Director of the Bali Conservatory, Indonesia.

• In addition to being the first African American Ceremonial Mask Dancer of Bali, Aole coached Michelle Williams for her Academy Award nominated performance in Brokeback Mountain directed by Ang Lee.

• Aole returned to HM after a year of teaching in Singapore. Aole's work is very physical and involves a great sense of imagination, play and fun!

Mask Work with authentic Balinese Masks

Links to Guest Artists and their Affiliated Artistic Organizations

Atlantic Theater Companyhttps://atlantictheater.org/

Fitzmaurice Voicework (Susan Ryan, Aole Miller, Francine Zerfas)http://www.fitzmauricevoice.com/

Playwrights Horizons Theater Schoolhttps://tisch.nyu.edu/drama/about/studios/playwrights-horizons-theater-school/

Susan Ryan (Voice – Viewpoints)http://fitzmauricevoice.com/author/susan-ryan/

Francine Zerfas (Physcial Approach to Shakespeare’s language)https://atlanticactingschool.org/francine-zerfas/

Aole Miller (Mask Work)http://www.lasalle.edu.sg/academics/aole-miller/