2019 Summer Musical Theatre Intensive
SPAA's 2019 Summer Musical Theatre Intensive
Dates:
Workshops - July 22-25, 2019 @ 9am-5pm & July 26, 2019 @ 9am-4pm
Tech Rehearsal - July 26, 2019 @ 6pm-10pm
Shows - July 27, 2019 @ 1pm & 6pm
Location:
Shelton Presbyterian Church
1430 E Shelton Springs Rd, Shelton, WA 98584
Erica Bergman (honorary) - Improv
Bio: Erica has enjoyed doing theater, commercial, and voice over work in the Seattle area for close to 20 years. She has worked with numerous theater companies from Everett to Tacoma. and is featured in several Vern Fonk commercials, as well as, lending her voice to video games and radio. For 6 years she was a member of the sketch group ‘Some Kind of Cult’ who opened for improv and comedy legends such as Fred Willard (Best in Show, A Might Wind,) and Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson). Erica enjoys being weird, creating characters, and making people laugh, which is why she loves working with young artists and is excited to be a part of Shelton’s musical extension!
Workshop: Will Ferrell, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Poeler, Bill Murray….all powerhouses who have their roots in improvisational comedy. Improvisation, quite simply, is creating something without previous preparation. It is responsible for some of our favorite characters seen in movies and television. Whether recovering from a dropped line, developing characters, fostering trust with your fellow actors, or gaining confidence in yourself; improvisation is a valuable tool for any young performer. In this workshop, we will focus on various games and exercises that encourage trust, communication, agreement (“yes and”), active listening, character, and making your scene partner look good.
Steven Wells (2005) - Stage Combat
Bio: Steven is the Managing Artistic Director/Co-founder of Pacific Northwest Theater in Olympia and a teaching artist who has worked with Olympia Family Theater, Capital Playhouse,Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Tacoma Little Theater, Mariah Art School, Olympia Community School, Sunrise Beach School, and many others. You can also see him on stage locally. He studied musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Steven has lived and performed in both LA and Chicago.
Workshop: This workshop will teach you the basics of how to: slap, punch, kick, chock, drag, fall, and many more without ever causing harm to your fellow actors. This workshop will introduce you to the world of stage combat, and teach you how to do the moves that are used in every actions scene on stage and in the movies.
Jeffrey Wilsor (2003) – Musical Theatre Auditioning
Bio: Jeffrey Wilsor (‘03) is musician and actor living in Seattle after extended stopovers in Nashville and New York City. He is currently appearing in MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Village Theatre (u/s Jerry Lee Lewis). Other credits include BIG RIVER (Huck Finn), THE WIZ (music director), BAT BOY (Bat Boy). He is the Minister if Music at Woodland Park Presbyterian Church in Seattle and proud Pop to two adorable chihuahua mixes. Love to Dustin and the whole family!
Workshop: Auditioning - As Yourself! This workshop will focus on how to audition, not with a list of dos and don’ts, but with self-awareness and true confidence. Everyone will have a chance to give a mock audition and we will discuss what makes us strongest when we put our whole selves into the audition process.
Katie Buttz (2006) – Dance
Bio: Katie is a 2006 graduate from Shelton High School and is so excited to have the opportunity to be a part of this year's Musical Theatre Intensive. She has always loved dancing and spent all her years at Shelton involved in the musical theater program, Shelton Dance Center, and Shelton HS Dance Team. She participated in the first several Alumni NOMT's after graduating, and has spent the past 10 years leading group fitness classes (including zumba and step classes) as a way to continue her love of movement and wellness. Katie currently lives in Port Orchard with her amazing husband and adorable 2 children and works as a nurse. She is looking forward to helping students unleash their inner dancer and learn some of the basic fundamentals of dance.
Workshop:
Jennifer Davies (2003) – Musical Theatre Singing
Bio: Jennifer Davies is a 2003 graduate of Shelton High School, and is currently an active teacher and performer throughout the Portland-metro area. Comfortable in both musical theater and operatic/classical repertoire, Jennifer has performed with Portland-area companies such as Portland Opera (Carmina Burana), Opera Theater Oregon (Werther/Out of Eden), Broadway Rose Theater (Evita, Ripper, Cats, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Addams Family), Lakewood Theatre (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Show Boat, Call Me Madame), Pixie Dust Productions (Legally Blonde, The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast), Staged! (Parade, Merrily We Roll Along), and Portland State Opera (The Merry Widow, Falstaff). As a concert soloist, she has performed major works with Anna's Bay Center for Music (Handel’s Messiah, Faure’s Requiem, Haydn’s Seasons: Spring ), Village Baptist Church, Lake Oswego High School (guest professional artist), and the Portland State University New Music Ensemble.
As a teacher, Jennifer is a member of the Cascade Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She has had the privilege of teaching private voice for the past decade to students from both the Portland and Salem areas, and has vocal coached some of the top high school and middle school choirs in the state of Oregon. Jennifer has extensive experience teaching both drama and voice classes for middle school through college aged students, and has vocal directed for classes and productions with Broadway Rose Theater (Tigard), Staged! (Portland), Allegro Dance Studio (Canby), Christian Youth Theater (Beaverton), Theater Outreach (Salem), West Linn High School, and Wilsonville High School. Additionally, Jennifer is currently an adjunct Professor of Theater at George Fox University teaching Musical Theater Performance.
Jennifer received her Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from Portland State University in Portland, OR, and her Bachelor of Arts in Music (Vocal Performance emphasis, minor in Theater Performance) from George Fox University in Newberg, OR.
Workshop: Musical theatre singing covers a broad range of styles, including operatic, rock, country, pop, folk—and yes, even rapping! As a musical theatre performer, you become more marketable (“castable”) if you are able to accurately adapt your voice to a wider variety of styles. Each different style requires a different kind of vocal technique, and it is vital to learn how to sing in a healthy manner no matter what style you sing. In this workshop, Jennifer will cover the basic vocal pedagogy and techniques needed to create a healthy sound in a variety of musical theatre styles, including “belt,” “mixed voice,” “contemporary legit,” “speech-level singing,” and more.
Chris Clarey (2003) - MTI Director
Bio: Christopher Clarey graduated from Shelton High School in 2003. While in attendance he served as the director of Journey, Night Of Musical Theater 2003. He went on to direct Alumnight of Musical Theater in 2004. Chris moved to Ithaca, New York where he attended Ithaca College earning his Bachelors of Arts degree in Theater Production and Direction. After graduating college he worked closely with several local theater companies in Ithaca in a variety of aspects and positions through concept, development, and production. Chris currently lives in Austin, Texas where he works as a Sommolier, and Event Planner. Chris is returning for his third year being involved in the Musical Theatre Intensive; in 2017 he conducted a workshop regarding the importance and benefits of performing arts for the non-performaning arts career, in 2018 he conducted a workshop around scene work, movement, and expression, and this year he is taking on the role of MTI Director!
Tim Donnell (2005) - MTI Choreographer
Bio: Tim Donnell is the Show Choreographer and Alumni Director of the 2019 summer SPAA production, On My Way. He has been involved with SPAA since its inception in 2017, as well as numerous AlumNight of Musical Theatre productions. A former dance minor and member of Orchesis Dance company, Tim also brings ten years of experience coaching and designing competitive color guard. Outside of SPAA, he travels the country for his career in hospitality and recently made Shelton home again after living in Ellensburg, WA then Portland, OR.
Connie Miser (honorary) - MTI Musical Director & Accompanist
Bio: Connie has been playing the piano since she was 7 years old. She went to Olympic College and majored in music and studied both piano and organ. For the last 20 years she has been doing the same thing she did in high school, accompanying the choirs and various vocal and instrumental soloists. She currently can be seen behind the piano at Shelton High School and Oakland Bay Junior High. She is also accompanies Anna's Bay Chorale and the Shelton Presbyterian Church choir. When not playing the piano she can be found stalking Big Foot, along with her husband Dave, throughout the Olympics.
