MACT
Four Theatre Workshops on June 15 in St. Paul
Four theatre workshops will be offered on Saturday, June 15, at the Wellstone Center, 179 Robie Street, St. Paul. Anyone from any level of theatre is invited to participate.
The workshops are offered by the Minnesota Association of Community Theatres, through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to the voters of Minnesota and a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Workshop choices are:
10:00-noon History, Theory & Practice of Improv
Improvisational theater is one of the world’s youngest art forms. It has come a long way in 70 years, and maybe it still has a long way to go. This workshop will look at improv’s origins, spell out the principles underlying it, and demonstrate some simple exercises and games.
The instructor, Steve Schroer, has taught improv actors in Chicago and the Twin Cities.
10:00-noon Season Planning with the Marketing Mix
The Marketing Mix, or the “Four P’s,” is a useful framework for examining your offerings and refining your season. Product, Price, Placement, and Promotion do not need to be thoughtlessly recycled year after year — conscious choices on how to position particular shows as part of a season can help you expand your audiences, control your costs, and/or impress your donors.
The instructor, Michael Speck, is Operations Director, Chatfield Center for the Arts; and Adjunct Instructor, Viterbo University.
1:30-3:30 Making the Most of a Bare Stage
An elaborate set design isn’t the best choice for every show. Sometimes a stripped-down approach can be more effective, and it’s almost always cheaper. This workshop will consider a variety of topics, both artistic and technical, related to producing a show on a bare or nearly bare stage.
The instructor, Steve Schroer, has written, directed, and produced dozens of plays, often with minimal or non-existent sets.
1:30-3:30 Working with a Fight Director
This is NOT a how-to in stage combat. Instead, we’ll look at how fight directors (prefer to) work; questions a fight director will have for directors/producers, AND questions they can answer for you; collaborative opportunities with other designers; and how to find a fight director to work with.
The instructor, Michael Speck, is a Certified Teacher for the Society of American Fight Directors; and also Operations Director, Chatfield Center for the Arts.
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.Lunch s available in the neighborhood, along with networking opportunities with other theatre people. You can select one workshop from the morning and one in the afternoon. Cost is ONE WORKSHOP: $25 (MACT member $20); TWO WORKSHOPS: $40 (MACT member $30).
To register or to request accessibility accommodations, go to https://mn-act.net/index.php/about-us/training-workshops/ .
For more information, call Jon at 612-819-0949 or mactfactor@icloud.com.
Additional workshops include a Captioning Workshop on Saturday, June 1 at Artistry in Bloomington, and several more theatre workshops on Saturday, June 22. More info is on the MACT website. https://mn-act.net/ and in its weekly Mini MACT*Facts.
