KCACTF Region 5 Festival 57

Program Representative and Teaching Artist, Rachel Kelsey, draws upon her professional performance experience to bring you this workshop on acting through musical song. The intention of this session is to assist performers in improving their understanding of musical theatre acting. Here we will work on crafting strong, professional, and creative choices when acting through musical text. Actors should have a 32 bar cut or full song prepared to workshop in this setting, in which Rachel will workshop with the student and provide feedback. We will create tactics, analyze the subtext & tone, clarify objective, and apply/utilize particularizations. The session is taught from the lens and personal experience of Rachel Kelsey as both an instructor and performer. The workshop is open to actors at all levels in their educational career. We are thrilled to bring KCACTF a taste!

The fairytale design workshop is a three-day intensive workshop focused on collaboration and innovative theatrical designs. Each team member specializes in one technical theatre role: props, costumes, lighting, or scenic design, creating a high-concept design for classic fairytales. The final session will be presentations with guest judges and awards.

This workshop is for anyone interested in what it means to begin. In our time together, we will explore what it means to conceive of a creative project, how we can get past our inner critic to create from a space of curiosity, and offer observations on the work of our peers to foster ideas rather than critique them. This workshop will combine writing, performance, and directing as well as leave space for engagement with the work presented.

Maybe you're preparing for an audition, or you've already got the part, or you've been called back and they said "let's hear it with [fill in the blank] accent next time." Now what? We'll walk through the steps of adopting a dialect -- and the right one for the role -- using a process adaptable to any language/dialect/situation, from "I need it tomorrow" to "I've got months to get it right."

This workshop will cover best practices in maintaining a positive and collaborative relationship between directors and playwrights. From expectation agreements to rehearsal room behavior, students will discuss what it takes to balance the playwright’s intent with the director’s creative interpretation. Students will go over curated questions that every director and playwright should answer at the beginning of the production development process, check-in tactics, conflict resolution techniques, and creating time lines with clearly defined goals.

This workshop will serve as an introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Participants will learn the basic IPA symbols most useful to a performer. These will then be applied to both a Standard American Dialect and a Standard English Dialect.

In a production, the status you are given is not always what is earned. As actors, it is imperative to begin with an analysis of character. Who are you? Who is above you? Who is below you? What does that mean in terms of your relationships with the characters around you? This workshop is designed to understand what we mean when we talk about status, how to both demonstrate and observe it, and how to put that into practice onstage through a series of interactive exercises and active observation.

Bring your tap shoes! This workshop is ideal for the student with a basic level of comfort with tap steps and vocabulary. Following a warm up and some technique practice, we will learn a combination to “Dancing Through Life” from “Wicked”.

Elevate your audition game with this hands-on workshop designed to help actors excel in film and TV auditions. Participants will work with real sides from actual productions, learning techniques to deliver memorable performances that make a lasting impression. This workshop will focus on essential skills such as breaking down sides, understanding character motivation, adapting to direction, and creating authentic, engaging auditions that stand out. Whether you're a seasoned actor or just starting your journey, this experience will provide the tools and confidence to shine in front of casting directors.

This interactive workshop explores the basic principles of Greek tragic performance that make it challenging for modern actors and directors. Participants will be led through exercises that develop skills necessary for approaching the content and form of Greek Tragedy with a focus on vocal presence, expressive gesture, spatial relationship, and the function of Chorus. Participants will be asked to come prepared with a memorized text.

Program Representative and Teaching Artist, Rachel Kelsey, draws upon her professional audition experience to bring you this workshop. The intention of this session is to assist performers in improving their audition technique and specificity for both self-taped as well as in-person auditions. Here we will work on crafting strong, professional, and creative auditions experiences. Actors should have a 32 bar cut or 1-2 minute monologue prepared to workshop in a mock audition setting. During the workshop, participants will perform, work with Rachel, and have the opportunity to apply adjustments. The session is taught from the lens and personal experience of Rachel Kelsey as she has been in the room with individuals such as Alison Franck (Casting Director), Jeff Whiting (NYC Director/Choreographer), Kristian Charbonier (Casting Director), Sue Frost (Broadway Producer), etc. The workshop is open to actors at all levels in their educational career. We are thrilled to bring KCACTF Region 5 a taste of the current audition climate!

This workshop will provide an introduction and exploration of the technical and aesthetic aspects of stage combat. Goals include developing the ability to safely portray violence onstage within the context of a play. Students will learn awareness of space, strikes, pushes and falls.

Maybe you're preparing for an audition, or you've already got the part, or you've been called back and they said "let's hear it with [fill in the blank] accent next time." Now what? We'll walk through the steps of adopting a dialect -- and the right one for the role -- using a process adaptable to any language/dialect/situation, from "I need it tomorrow" to "I've got months to get it right."