Special Events
Please register BELOW.
Take advantage of learning from the masterful artists scheduled to present their shows at SMA Solo Fest!
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Get to know the artists BEFORE you see their shows, and then expect to be thoroughly impressed and entertained!
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Opportunities like these don't come knocking at your front door very often! Enjoy!
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NOTE: You MUST have a PAID RESERVATION ahead of time.
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ARTISTS' MASTERCLASSES
Week 1 - March 11-16
Musical Theatre Dance!
Kayla Boye
(Call Me Elizabeth)
Tuesday, March 12
11-12:30 PM
THIS CLASS IS CLOSED
Learn choreography from one of Broadway's biggest hits: Chicago!
In this master class facilitated by Kayla Boye, participants will be guided through a gentle physical warm-up prior to rehearsing choreography - you will learn a dance combination in the style of Bob Fosse, from the well-loved Broadway hit Chicago! You'll feel like a star! All levels welcome!
"Come on, babe, why don't we paint the town...? And All That Jazz!"
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Cost: $35 USD ($600 pesos)
Group Max: 12-16, Min: 4
Location: Arthur Murray Dance Studio.
(You will receive an email closer to the class date with address and directions.)
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ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
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Kayla Boye is a Chicago-based musical theatre professional and a member of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers. As a performer, she has appeared in numerous productions, including The Youngstown Playhouse (Roxie in "Chicago"). As a choreographer, she was awarded Best Choreography by the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival for "Wonder Women: The Musical." She is the creator of "Call Me Elizabeth," a one-woman show about the early life of Elizabeth Taylor, which is featured as part of the San Miguel Solo Theatre Festival.
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Intro to Accents, dialects and character voices
Terri Weagant
(Every Brilliant Thing)
Wednesday, March 13
11-12:30 PM
Location: The Studio Space
(Subida al Caracol #11)
Do you ever wonder how actors can speak so flawlessly in a different accent? Or how one person can differentiate multiple character voices in a single solo show?
In this masterclass we will explore the possibilities of vocal character range through a series of games and exercises. We'll learn to create an entire character starting with vocal impulses and then have them speak to each other!
We'll also learn the basics of how to acquire an accent or dialect other than your own, breaking it down into its component parts. With these basic steps, you’ll leave the workshop with the ability to learn any dialect or accent!
Cost: $35 USD ($600 pesos)
Group Max: 16
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ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
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Terri Weagant is an award winning actor, director, producer and dialect coach based in NYC. Her performance in “Bo-Nita” at the United Solo Festival in NYC received the Best Storytelling Show Award in 2019. Regionally, she has worked with such companies as Play On Shakespeare, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Urbanite Theatre, Denizen Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, ACT Theatre, and Book-It Rep. As an educator, she has taught at Cornish College of the Arts and NYU Playwrights Horizons Theatre School.
Week 2 - March 18-23
Mime and the Invisible!
Lynne Jassem
(Being Richard Greene)
Tuesday, March 19
11 AM-12:15 PM
Location: The Studio Space
(Subida al Caracol #11)
What is mime? Basically, it's an agreement between you and an audience to “see” and believe in the same invisible things. Mime makes us flexible and youthful… using the limbs and the brain to create a world to play in as we get back in touch with our playful selves.
The invisible cup, the cabinet you open to retrieve it and put it back, my heart is beating in my hand and, as I pass it to my friend, it keeps beating. Find that invisible rope and give it a pull... someone else picks up the other end and we haver a tug-of-war contest.
Whether you want to up your stage- business skills as an actor or explore fun mime games you can later wow your kids and grandkids with, these skills are good for the mind, body and soul. Come love, laugh and play together!
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Cost: $35 USD ($600 pesos)
Group Max: 12
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ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
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Lynne broke into showbiz in the 50s as a 10 year-old "Comoette" on the Perry Como TV Show. In her twenties she traveled for three years with the Claude Kipnis Mime Theatre playing such notable venues as the White House, Lincoln and Kennedy Centers. Next she morphed into writing, choreographing and directing 40+ Industrial Shows. Lynne became one of the five Founders of The American Tap Dance Orchestra, who appeared on PBS and at The Cotton Club with Gregory Hines and Tommy Tune. Onward to the world of solo shows!
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Finding the Funny!
Warren Epstein
(Borscht Belted)
Wednesday, March 20
10:30 AM-12:30 PM
Location: The Studio Space
(Subida al Caracol #11)
THIS CLASS IS SOLD OUT
Want to get more out of life? The secret is easy: find the funny. Even in the pains and frustrations, hilarity lurks.
This master class will help you find the grand comedy in your life. Learning to laugh at the stuff life throws at you, and connecting with others, will inject more fun into your day. Standup comedy stands as the purest form of theatre. The feedback comes instantaneously. The bond with performer and audience can be as intimate as you can get with your clothes on.
Whether you’re an experienced comedian looking to refine your act or a layman eager to learn more about how and where to find the funny, this class will help you get there. All of us have funny bones just waiting to flex. And if you can do that without poking somebody’s eye out, all the better.
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Learn how to get past stage fright
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Gain insights about finding humor in your life
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Learn the basics of performing and stand-up comedy
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Personally experience the excitement of connecting with a non-judgmental audience
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Have an opportunity to write and perform some original comedy
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Cost: $35 USD ($600 pesos)
Group Max: 12
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ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
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Warren Epstein has over 20 years of experience performing standup comedy in clubs and theaters in Colorado. He has opened for national performing artists, including Leon Redbone. He regularly teaches comedy workshops for the Pikes Peak Library District. He will be performing “Borscht Belted,” at the SMA Solo Festival, his tribute to the comedians who made it big in New York’s Catskill Mountain resort area, where he grew up.
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Great Monologue Secrets!
Dan Hoyle
(Border People)
Wednesday, March 20
1:30-3:30 PM
Location: The Studio Space
(Subida al Caracol #11)
THIS CLASS IS SOLD OUT
In an inclusive and welcoming class environment, we will explore the first steps to creating your own short piece, and plant the seeds to further this work.
Through exercises and improv exercises you will start creating a compelling theatrical monologue. We will discuss the essential elements, including dynamic setting, heightening the stakes, honing in on character, short form dramatic arc, and reversal of expectation.
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Cost: $35 USD ($600 pesos)
Group Max: 10
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ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
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Dan Hoyle is an actor and writer whose brand of journalistic theater has been hailed as "riveting, funny and poignant" (New York Times) and "hilarious, moving and very necessary" (Salon). His solo shows BORDER PEOPLE, EACH AND EVERY THING, THE REAL AMERICANS, and TINGS DEY HAPPEN have toured the country—including The Public Theater, Culture Project, Baltimore Center Stage, Berkeley Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, Playmakers Rep—and overseas in India, Nigeria, Wales, and Ireland.
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Register Here
Class size is limited. First come, first served.
No refunds for cancellations after March 1, 2024
Thanks for your understanding.