'Process Over Product' in SCR's Actor Training

Christopher Huntley (Oberon), Rachel Charny (Titania), Alex Theologides Rodriguez (Bottom) and Jamie Ostmann (Puck) in rehearsal for A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Theatre Conservatory Director Hisa Takakuwa teaches her students to understand the craft of acting as they create their characters, rather than concentrating on the result, which is the show itself. That’s “process over product.” It’s deeper and more complicated than memorizing and blocking. In the end, it’s more rewarding than acclaim because it’s what sustains them as actors—and as people. “The process of acting brings confidence,” Takakuwa says, “and that allows students to have fun onstage—and it brings maturity, and that helps them throughout life.

That may sound like pretty heavy stuff, but it’s ingrained in Takakuwa’s students.

“It’s our mantra,” says Rachel Charney of her training. “We care about creating truth on stage, not about showing off how beautiful our costumes are or how pretty we look posing on a particular set piece, but about being vulnerable, emotionally truthful and creating people from words in a script.”

Rachel plays Hippolyta/Titania in the upcoming Teen Players production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has performed in ten Players shows and A Christmas Carol. “I’ve spent more than half my life so far at SCR. It’s a second home for me.”

“In many theatres, they put a huge emphasis on the show—or the final product,” says Christopher Huntley. “SCR is unique because above all else comes the process, or how you got to the final product. I’ve been able to take this outlook and apply it to every facet in my life.”

Christopher plays Theseus/Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has performed in countless Players shows and appeared twice in A Christmas Carol, first as Boy Ebenezer and later as Peter Cratchit.

Rachel and Chris first met in the Summer Acting Workshop and became friends when they were cast in the Junior Players production of The Velveteen Rabbit. They were in the fourth grade. In June, they’ll graduate from high school. Chris is off to to Stanford in the fall, and Rachel will move to London to further her actor training. Before that, they’ll appear opposite each other in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. That will be their last Teen Players production.

They look back today on those years—and on the teacher who inspired them.

Rachel: I grew up here, learning things not just about acting but about people—about life. SCR provided a sort of whimsical escape from reality while making sure that we were always learning and growing. The hours I have spent memorizing lines, talking to myself, rehearsing, or laughing until I cried in the nooks and crannies of this theatre will stay with me forever.

Chris: After a fantastic time in the Summer Acting Workshop exploring acting games and having a blast, I decided to jump into the year-round program. Class never seemed like a class. It was more like a sandbox for the actor—and the person—in everyone. That feeling compelled me to come back year after year.

Rachel: We always say in Players that we want to grow up to be Hisa because there is no one in the world like her. She has been a guiding light for me through all my years at SCR, but especially now that I have become serious about wanting to be an actor. Most importantly, she has taught me to connect, to really listen to people and try to understand them and be an observer of the world around me.

Chris: Hisa is unique because she approaches everything from her background in acting. She helps us create authentic characters onstage, not only through their physical actions but through their emotions, motivations and drives. With Hisa, acting is a mirror of life, grounded in truth. Overall, she has taught me always to be honest with myself and to keep an eye out for the details. I believe these two skills to be crucial on and off stage.

Learn more about the Theatre Conservatory or buy tickets to A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Summer Players to Present A Tale as Old as Time

Director Hisa Takakuwa and Musical Director Erin McNally prepare for Beauty and the Beast auditions.

Auditions are now underway for SCR’s next Summer Players show (August 6-14), and it’s a doozy. After much consideration, Director Hisa Takakuwa and Musical Director Erin McNally have chosen the two-time Broadway hit based on an ancient fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast.


According to Hisa, “We’re doing this show because Erin loves it!”


And that’s certainly true. “I always have identified with this show because the female protagonist is strong and smart,” Erin said, “and because it reminds us that being unique or ‘different’ isn’t a bad thing.”


Hisa is a big fan, too. “Beauty and the Beast has great characters and music to explore,” she said, “which makes it perfect for our Players. Because of the fantasy realm, we have a lot of flexibility with casting choices in terms of age and gender.”


Both agree that it’s a show that’s fun for the Players to perform and for the audience to watch. “ It’s very important that the story resonates with our young cast members and can be told from their point of view,” Hisa added. “One thing that helped convince me was that Beauty and the Beast deals with the power everyone has to change and grow and learn from every situation, good or—at least on first view—bad.”


The New York Times said of the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast (which is the one Hisa and Erin have chosen) that it “belongs right up there with the Empire State Building.”



“And we agree!” the directors declared.

"A Midsummer Night’s Dream" Next Up for Teen Players

The Bard’s Most Popular Comedy is a First for the Ensemble

L to R- Amanda Fassett, Mikey Costa, Alex Theologides Rodriguez, Saul Richardson, Joshua Myran and Kat Lewis in SCR's Teen Players production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Within SCR’s Theatre Conservatory are three groups of young actors chosen by audition—the Junior, Teen and Summer Players. Every year these ensembles of talented young actors astound audiences with their performances in shows that challenge them to take what they have learned in class and apply it to their roles.

They’ve performed in classics (Teen Players, Charles Dickens’ Hard Times), Broadway musicals (Summer Players, Sondheim’s Into the Woods) and be loved children’s stories (Junior Players, The Velveteen Rabbit).

But never Shakespeare.

Until now. William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Nicholas Studio, May 14-15 and 20-22) will be the Teen Players first-ever production of a work by the Bard.

“There’s no real reason for that,” says Theatre Conservatory Director Hisa Takakuwa. “Clearly, I’ve chosen challenging plays for them in the past, and it’s not like I’ve avoided Shakespeare…”

And why would she? Takakuwa is a classically trained actor and longtime member of the classic theatre company A Noise Within, where she appeared in numerous Shakespearian roles such as Maria in Twelfth Night. Her other roles include Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet at Indiana Repertory Theatre and Hero in Much Ado About Nothing at Grove Shakespeare Festival.

“I think, looking back, with each new season and each new group of ensemble Players, there has been a play that suits them well,” she says. This year, it’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream."

“Because our Players are vibrant young people, we’ll see the play from their point of view,” she explains, “which is naturally fresh and youthful. This will be an honest, straight-forward production.”

But it is Shakespeare, after all, and that calls for extensive preparation. “These Players are very committed to their work—or they wouldn’t be here,” Takakuwa says, noting that the cast is made up of the most enthusiastic and talented Conservatory students, but they don’t audition for the Players ensembles unless they are prepared to devote themselves to long hours of rehearsal—and that’s in addition to twice-weekly classes during the school year.

Takakuwa started rehearsals for A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the actors seated at a long table, reading the script—for three weeks. She says, “I wanted them to understand the poetry within the text before setting foot onstage. At the end of the table read, they needed to be comfortable with their characters.”

She concentrated on the three major themes in the comedy: love, transformation and dream/reality. “It’s all about how people change,” she relates. “The Teen Players are going through their own changes. They’re all in high school now, and two of them are off to college in the fall. In a sense, they’re on the way into their own forests.”

But first, they have a stop in the forest of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where four young lovers flee into the woods on a summer evening—and where strange and wonderful things are about to happen.

Learn more and buy tickets.

Performance Ensemble: Summer Fun for Busy Kids

Donald Amerson with his students.

Kristian Leach with her students.

Summer Performance Ensemble is a three-week class for returning students who rehearse—and then perform—a show for friends and families. Students who sign up for Performance Ensemble have three things in common—they’re enthusiastic, talented and busy.

As much as they love acting, they don’t necessarily have time in their schedules for the SCR Players (students chosen by audition who attend year-round classes twice a week, plus extra hours during rehearsal and the run of their shows).

So a three-week summer program is the perfect solution—especially when classes are held mornings only (from 9am to 12pm) on week days, with the performance on Saturday of the final week.

This summer, students in grades 4-6 will go on a journey from Connecticut to Camelot—with instructor Donald Amerson, who is looking forward to the trip.

“What’s more fun than rehearsing a light-hearted comedy like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court?” Donald asks. “The play is based on the story by Mark Twain, and we’ll approach the material by using the text (which is filled with humor) to help our young actors understand how to develop characters and follow direction. And while the production will be ambitious, the process will be just as important as the performance. I think they’ll have a great time during the three-week rehearsal period and develop a real love for the craft of acting.”

Instructor Kristina Leach offers her students in grades 7-12 a unique experience rehearsing and performing an ensemble piece that they write themselves, with her guidance.

“It’s so much fun putting together something of our own that we rehearse as we go along,” Kristina says. “I don’t even choose a theme until the first day of class when I meet and get to know the students. In the past we’ve tackled subjects like ‘global warming’ and ‘what scares you?’ Last summer, we wrote original monologues that included a teenaged super hero, a love-starved dragon and a witch with a YouTube channel. This class is for actors who like to write, writers who like to act—and students who don’t even realize they can do it all!”


Learn more about SCR's Theatre Conservatory.

How a Phantom (Tollbooth) and Spirits Led to Acting Success

Alex Knox in Euyrdice.

Molly Gutman and Knox in the 1995 Theatre Conservatory Players production of Mother Goose on Trial.

For Alex Knox, a stopover at a tollbooth started his path to an acting career, and it began at South Coast Repertory. He was nine years old when bounded onto the stage as Tock the Watchdog in SCR’s Young Conservatory Players’* production of The Phantom Tollbooth. He took his acting lessons to heart and now enjoys a lively career in theatre, film and television.

Knox initially sought out theatre as an opportunity to be part of an ensemble, something he readily found through acting classes in SCR’s Theatre Conservatory.

“We were a team, but without having to compete against other students,” he recalls. “We focused on listening to each other. That was very useful as I started my career and, I have to admit, I loved the group warm up games. That’s where we could jump around, make noise and not get into trouble!”

In 1995, he auditioned for SCR and was cast as Peter Cratchit in A Christmas Carol, a seminal experience for him because he workedworking with founding company members like Hal Landon Jr. as Scrooge, Richard Doyle as the Spirit of Christmas Past and others.

“I remember watching the ‘grownup’ performers waiting backstage quietly for their cues and seeing how sacred each performance was for them,” he remembers. “That taught me what a privilege it was to perform onstage. I still feel that way.”

In 2013, he played Orpheus in SCR’s production of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice—a performance that earned raves from StageSceneLA, which called him and co-star Carmela Corbett, “two talented, charismatic young actors we are sure to be hearing much more from.”

The 1995 production of A Christmas Carol with Knox, third from left, Hal Landon Jr., John Ellington and Laurie Woolery.

Knox is a member of Antaeus Theatre Company, where he has performed in shows from Macbeth to the hit radio play, “The Thin Man.” He received kudos on both coasts for his one-man show, No Static at All, and he played Freddy in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion at the Pasadena Playhouse. He earned a BFA in acting from the University of California Santa Barbara and his graduate degree from the Yale School of Drama. 

In 2013, he returned to A Christmas Carol as a ‘grownup’—Ebenezer as a Young Man—a role he has again in 2015.

“It’s amazing now to be an example for the young actors. I try to set the tone with a reverence for the theatre, the play and my fellow performers. I also love bonding with the kids. When there’s a sense of fun and trust backstage, that shows up in the play onstage. Being with them all is a great reminder that working in the theatre is fun. There’s a reason it’s called a ‘play.’”

Check out current acting classes at SCR.

*Now called Summer Players

A Snowy Night at SCR: Auditioning For "A Christmas Carol"

The kids of A Christmas Carol from left to right, Lauren Lyons, Rachel Bailey, Catherine Mitchell, Aoife McEvoy, Jamie Ostmann, Kennedy Haynes, Carissa Diller, J.T. Casey, Colin Root, Jack Matthews, Sean Kato, Hudson Mattingly Stefanello and Louis Alvarez Tonkovich (missing: Rachel Charny, Kiana Kamm and Nick Trafton.)

“It’s Christmas Eve. Imagine what’s around you—a snowy night, crowded streets, festive decorations. It’s just you and your imagination. Have fun!”

That’s Theatre Conservatory Director Hisa Takakuwa, inspiring young actors as they take part in an improvisational pantomime (a street scene in 19th-century London), the first step in auditions for A Christmas Carol.

As many as 75 students in the Kids and Teen Acting Programs try out, and 16 are chosen (double-cast in eight roles). Auditions are open to all students in the third year of training and above and second-year students recommended by their instructors. (First year students may audition for the role of Tiny Tim, which is cast separately.)

In class, they’ve been taught the importance of process over product and reminded that auditions should be a learning experience. “I encourage them to listen, be flexible, try new things and show a positive attitude,” Takakuwa says. “If they do all that, they’ll feel really good— no matter the outcome.”

During step two of the audition, the young actors read scenes from A Christmas Carol. They’re called in groups that represent the ages of the characters they’ll portray—from the youngest Cratchit daughter, Belinda, to the oldest boys, Peter Cratchit and Ebenezer as a student.

A week later, everything is repeated—in front of a larger crowd. (Takakuwa is joined by Director John-David Keller, Casting Director Joanne DeNaut and Casting Assistant Stephanie Marick for “callbacks”).

Within a few days, Takakuwa sends personal letters to those who didn’t make it. “I remind them to be proud of doing their best and most confident work. They’ve learned how to audition!”

But if the phone rings—you’re in!

Those who made it range from first-timers to more experienced young actors.

Nick Trafton and J.T. Casey

Kennedy Haynes

Colin Root and Hudson Stefanello

Carissa Diller and Kiana Kamm

J.T. Casey and Nick Trafton, who alternate in as Boy Ebenezer, are “old pros,” having been in the Summer Players production of Mary Poppins. In that audition, J.T. learned, “You have to be prepared. I was expecting the unexpected this time, and the first audition felt good. I thought I nailed it in the callback, but there were a lot of kids who were really good.”

Nick had been nervous at the Mary Poppins audition because it was his first play. “I was a little more relaxed this time since I knew what to expect,” he recalls. “After the first audition, I was hopeful. When I walked into the callbacks and saw Mr. Keller I thought to myself, ‘stand up straight and look professional.’”

Kennedy Haynes is a third-year student, who has been waiting for the chance to audition for A Christmas Carol since she was eight years old. “I felt confident about my improv,” she says. “But I walked out of the callback thinking there was no way I would get a role—it was so quick, and I thought quick usually wasn’t good!”

Hudson Stefanello and Colin Root alternate as Turkey Boy. Hudson is in his second year and was recommended by his instructor. “It was an honor to be chosen,” he said. “I was excited about auditioning because I love the play and was dying to meet the man who plays Scrooge.* I wasn’t nervous because I blocked out everyone to focus on the character and the improv.”

This is Colin’s second time auditioning for A Christmas Carol. “Looking back on last year, I realize that I wasn’t ready,” he admits. “But this time I felt I would get a role because I took the director’s advice and applied it to the audition. I made better decisions and was more open.”

Second-year students Carissa Diller and Kiana Kamm were recommended by their instructors. Kiana, who likes sewing, pantomimed making beautiful dresses in a tailor’s shop. “I felt confident doing the pantomime again in callbacks, but I didn’t think I would get a part. This was my first audition, and I was just very happy to have the experience.”

Carissa thought she might have made it to the callback. “SCR has a very good audition process because they treat you well and make you feel comfortable. I learned to be calm and listen to instructions. I felt like I did a good job, but didn’t expect to get a role because so few kids get chosen.”

How did they react when the phone rang?

Carissa: Super happy.
Hudson: Screaming, “I’m Turkey Boy—I get to meet Scrooge!”*
Kennedy: This is completely RAD.
J.T. It was like a dream come true.
Kiana: So excited—I was ready to pass out.
Nick: Excited—and relieved. It’s going to be great working with professional actors.
Colin: Beside myself with joy—excited to meet the cast.*

*And, of course, they’ll all get to meet the cast, led by SCR’s Scrooge—Hal Landon Jr., playing the role for his 36th season.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

A Christmas Carol runs on the Segerstrom Stage Nov. 27-Dec. 27, 2015. 

Children’s roles are double cast. Actors with † appear Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at noon. Others appear in balance of performances.

OLIVER SHELLEY:
RICH BOY:
RICH GIRL:
YOUNG GIRL ABOUT TOWN:
TEEN GIRL ABOUT TOWN:
CHIMNEY SWEEP:
EBENEZER AS A BOY:
FAN, the sister of Ebenezer:
“TINY” TIM CRATCHIT:
BELINDA CRATCHIT:
PETER CRATCHIT:
MARTHA CRATCHIT:
WANT:
IGNORANCE:
TURKEY BOY:

J.T. Casey, Nick Trafton†
Sean Kato, Louis Alvarez Tonkovich†
Carissa Diller, Aoife McEvoy†
Kiana Kamm, Kennedy Haynes†
Jamie Ostmann, Lauren Lyons†
Hudson Mattingly Stefanello, Colin Root†
J.T. Casey, Nick Trafton†
Jamie Ostmann, Lauren Lyons†
Jack Matthews, Catherine Mitchell†
Carissa Diller, Aoife McEvoy†
Sean Kato, Louis Alvarez Tonkovich†
Rachel Bailey, Rachel Charny†
Kiana Kamm, Kennedy Haynes†
J.T. Casey, Nick Trafton†
Hudson Mattingly Stefanello, Colin Root†

Learn more and buy tickets.

Grads Look Back—As They Step Forward

Guy McEleney, center, with members of the boy band in Bliss, left to right Christopher Huntley, Jamie Ostmann, Guy, Kelsey Bray and Lauren Cocroft

It happens every year. High school seniors, who’ve attended acting classes at SCR since they were little kids, prepare to move on. As two of these young people get ready to take the next step in their lives, let’s look back at what they’ve achieved and what’s in store for the future.

Grace O’Brien, right, with Chaney Liberman, in Annie

Grace O’Brien first walked through SCR’s doors when she was in the third grade, and her parents signed her up for the Summer Acting Workshop—her initial step on a nine-year journey. “I grew up at SCR,” she says. “This has been my home, my stability and refuge in the craziness of life.”

Grace’s theatre experience included much more than just learning to act. She has taken from the program exactly what Theatre Conservatory Director Hisa Takakuwa hopes for every student. “It has benefitted me in all my studies, giving me new perspectives, introducing me to enlightening texts and teaching me the importance of self-discovery.”

Guy McEleney, who also entered the program through the Summer Theatre Workshop, shares Grace’s views. “SCR isn’t just about acting, singing, dancing, etc.,” he says. “It also teaches you how to be responsible, trustworthy and supportive in many ways.”

SCR audiences don’t see the process—the training that has helped these students through their formative years and made them freer, more confident, responsible and supportive young adults. But theatregoers have been able to witness the product—their work onstage.

“Grace remembers, “When I was ten, I’d look to the older Teen Players, wishing that one day I could be as brave, creative, experienced as they were.” Since then, she has appeared in five Players productions and portrayed both Cratchit daughters in A Christmas Carol, Belinda (2008) and Martha (2013).

Guy also appeared in A Christmas Carol, alternating in the role of Peter Cratchit in 2010, which turned out to be more than just a fun experience. “When I was in the show, I learned the responsibility of working with an adult cast,” he says. That experience also taught Guy to understand the emotion behind the text, which was particularly helpful last season, when, as a Teen Player, he had the opportunity to portray an original character in Bliss, a coming-of-age story by Laurie Woolery.

Performing with the Players allowed Guy and Grace to bring their classroom training onto the stage, maturing and developing as they moved from Junior to Teen Players. This spring, they’ll appear in their final Teen Players production, which Theatre Conservatory Director Hisa Takakuwa will announce in the next few weeks. (Stay tuned!) Meanwhile, they continue training in class twice a week.

 “As I was welcomed back into Players in September, I was overjoyed by the sight of my closest friends,” Guy says. “Under Hisa’s direction, I expect to continue learning how to work as an ensemble and what it means to become a character.”

And for the future?

“SCR has been a second home to me, with the students and teachers as an extended family,” says Guy, “Because of my training here, I’ve decided to major in theatre when I start college next fall.”
Grace also has chosen theatre as her major. “I’m sad to leave my ‘home’ behind as I continue my journey on to college,” she says. “But I know the lessons I’ve learned at SCR will be with me, guiding me to embrace the process, every step of the way.”

Karoline Ribak, another senior who’s moving on, recently talked with the Orange County Register during her run as Ebenezer Scrooge’s sister, Fan, in A Christmas Carol. See what Karolina had to say.

Karoline also just announced her plans for college and the future. She can proudly say she has been accepted into and will be attending Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts in the BFA Creative Producing program.

Learn more about classes on the SCR website.

Meet the Cast of "Bliss"

Bliss

by Laurie Woolery
directed by Hisa Takakuwa
SCR Teen Players
Nicholas Studio
May 16-May 25, 2014

Learn more and buy tickets now

Sidney is discontented with being contented, so, she sets off on an adventure to find what truly gives her bliss and purpose in life. SCR’s Teen Players take on Laurie Woolery’s play Bliss, directed by Hisa Takakuwa, with a cast full of young artists from SCR’s Conservatory Program, which offers classes for kids through adults. We asked the young actors to share a bit about themselves and what gives them their own personal “bliss.” Get to know more about the Teen Players:

Brooke Boukather, age 16, Irvine
Roles: Helen of Troy/Fortinbras
I started studying with SCR in fourth grade when I was 10. My favorite shows include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (as Violet Bauregarde), Sleeping Beauty (as Briar Rose) and A Christmas Carol (as Fan). Art is what gives me bliss. Storytelling and performing is my bliss.

Kelsey Bray, age 15, Trabuco Canyon
Role: Bernie in the Studio
I first started acting in third grade at SCR. I have been attending classes for seven years now. Some of my favorite shows I have been in are the Junior Players Sleeping Beauty and the Summer Players productions of Seussical, Cinderella and Annie. What gives me bliss is to be performing, because when I am performing I feel free and like nothing in else in the world matters but that performance.

Kiera Callahan, age 17, Irvine
Roles: Mrs. Rhodes/Joan of Arc/Rosencrantz
I started acting in elementary school in plays and I've been at SCR for three years. I really enjoyed being in A Christmas Carol and Annie. I love sharing my passions, like acting, with others and making a difference. That truly gives me bliss.

Rachel Charny, age 16, Irvine
Role: Butterfly
I first started acting at SCR eight years ago when I was in third grade. Some of my favorites plays that I’ve been in were the Junior Player's Sleeping Beauty, The Velveteen Rabbit and of course Bliss. Without sounding like a cheesy McGee, I have to say that being at SCR—acting, dancing and singing—truly gives me bliss because they are the perfect balance of work and play.

Lauren Cocroft, age 16, Costa Mesa
Roles: Melvin/Mona Lisa/Gravedigger
I started acting at a community theatre after I saw my friend in a show when I was 7. I started at SCR when I was in seventh grade and have been in the program for five years. My favorite plays were the Summer Players shows Cinderella, Into the Woods and Seussical. Spending time with my friends at a place that I love and working on something truly wonderful is my bliss.

Chris Huntley, age 16, Newport Beach
Roles: Slacker/Alfred of D Boyz/Laertes
I first started acting on the fireplace hearth in my living room, but found my passion for performing here at SCR. I started in the summer program and have been at SCR for seven years. Some of my favorite shows I've been in at SCR are A Christmas Carol, A Secret Garden, Cinderella, Into the Woods, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Snow Angel. Bliss for me can be any number of things: from my toes in the warm sandy beach, to my face in the warm stage lights. Bliss is where I feel at home.

Shane Iverson, age 17, Irvine
Role: Sidney Rhodes  
I started acting in the eighth grade, when my former dance teacher suggested I take some classes at SCR. I am now in my fifth year here. In my time at SCR, I've been in Annie, Seussical and A Christmas Carol. My other theatre credits include Antigone, Oklahoma! and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I find my bliss through discussion and debates. I love hearing people's opinions and learning from them, as well as sharing my own.

Anna Ladokhin, age 17, Irvine
Roles: Ms. Folly/Lady of Shallot/Ghost of Hamlet’s Dead Father
I first started acting at age 11. This is my fifth year studying at SCR, but my first year with the Teen Players. Seeing people being moved by the art I've created truly gives me bliss.

Guy McEleney, age 17, Long Beach
Roles: Saul/Van Gogh/Claudius
I began my studies at SCR in third grade when I was 8. I thoroughly enjoyed performing in A Christmas Carol when I played Peter Cratchet. I find bliss in relaxation and validation: relaxation because it brings me peace and validation because I feel accomplished and happy.

Grace O’Brien, age 17, Rancho Santa Margarita
Role: Fatima
I’ve had the pleasure of studying and working in the SCR Conservatory for seven years. I’ve learned so much from all the shows I’ve participated in, but if I had to pick my favorite, I’d say A Christmas Carol. There is something so special about getting to be part of so many peoples’ holiday traditions. Making other people smile gives me bliss; there’s just something about smiles that are so infectious and energetic.

Jamie Ostmann, age 15, Los Alamitos
Roles: Nun/Guildenstern/Member of D Boyz
I came to SCR the summer after second grade, so I've been here for seven wonderful years! One of my favorite plays was when I was in Peter Pan when I was 9, which was a blast. I also loved being in the Junior Players show Sleeping Beauty as the evil witch. That was an incredibly challenging role. Being with those I love brings me bliss. My actual family is the best, but I also have a fantastic SCR family. Every show I get new brothers and sisters who love and support each other, and that's pretty awesome!

Karoline Ribak, age 17, Garden Grove
Role: Marilyn Monroe
I first began acting when I was 5 years old and have studied at SCR for eight years. Some of my favorite plays I've been in are The Velveteen Rabbit, A Christmas Carol and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Also, I have greatly enjoyed Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and Charlotte's Web at the Long Beach Playhouse. I experience my greatest bliss when walking across the bridge to South Coast Plaza after a class at SCR. There is nothing more rejuvenating than the sensation of clearing my mind and immersing myself in rehearsal, then getting a breath of fresh air and a glimpse of the city lights.

Clarke Schwartz, age 18, Aliso Viejo
Roles: Miley Cyrus/Ophelia
I first started acting when I was 10 and I have been studying acting at SCR for six years. It's the best training I've had. My favorite play I've ever been in was definitely A Christmas Carol. This may be cheesy, but performing gives me bliss. I dedicate most of my time to it and I've had to sacrifice a lot of my social life for rehearsals and shows. But I have no regrets. Nothing gives me more satisfaction then getting up on that stage and telling a story to an audience. It's beautiful and it's my bliss.

Kaylee Wan, age 17, Orange
Role: Degas’ Ballerina
I started acting when I was 9 and have been acting for six years. Some of the favorite shows that I’ve been in are Seussical, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown and The Magic Lake. What gives me bliss is my dog and theatre.

Lindsey Wiercioch, age 18, North Tustin
Roles: Kitty Purty/Gertrude
I first started acting when I was in third grade, but I didn't really get into acting until I began classes at SCR the summer before high school. I would have to say that SCR's production of Into the Woods and A Christmas Carol have been my favorites. Stephen Sondheim can be incredibly hard to sing—especially in the musical's opening number! A Christmas Carol was a wonderful experience that I am very glad to have been a part of. My personal bliss is laying under a tree, with no one around and just listening. When it's quiet and I'm alone with my thoughts and the shade, I can just breathe and be happy.

Learn more and buy tickets.

Summer Acting Workshop’s Special Guests

Sara Guerrero, one of the Summer Acting Workshops daily instructors, leads students in movement exercises.

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Want to give your kids something fun to do this summer? Looking for arts camp options at family-friendly prices?  SCR’s Summer Acting Workshop is a theatre camp for young people, primarily those who are new to SCR’s Conservatory. We work with many experience levels and age groups, from 8-18, grades 3-12. The purpose of the camp is to learn the process of making theatre in a challenging and fun environment. Students work on acting tools—voice, body, imagination—to improve their individual creativity, confidence, and ability to work and communicate effectively with others.

Instructor Diana Burbano works with a student
on musical theatre.

Each day of the 10-day session starts with a quick camp-wide warm up to promote energy and focus.  Then, for two hours, students break into peer groups (grades 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12) of no more than 18 students for interactive instruction in voice, movement, character development and more, led by SCR’s veteran staff of theatre professionals. The final hour is spent with special guests who bring to life various aspects of theatre, like improvisation, combat, singing and playwriting—something different every day.  Finally, at the end of the two weeks, there is an open classroom presentation of what’s been learned.

Back in May, you got to meet some of the Summer Acting Workshop peer group instructors on our blog. Now, we’re profiling special guests who will visit visit the class throughout the week. All these experienced teaching artists have links to SCR, both past and present. Here’s a little bit about them, what they’ll be teaching, and how they’re connected to SCR:

• Playwriting will be taught by award-winning playwright Kristina Leach, who works at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. SCR Connection: Kristina was formerly on SCR’s literary staff.
  
  
• Putting it Together (the process of putting together a show: casting, theatrical design, rehearsal, performance) will be taught by Patrick Williams, Director of Performing Arts for Mater Dei High School. SCR Connection: Patrick was once a Stage Management Intern here at SCR.
  
  
• Mask & Physical Acting will be taught by two teachers: (1) Barbara June Dodge, a long-time faculty member at Cal Arts who has studied and performed all over the world, and (2) Emily Heebner, who received her MFA from the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, serves on the faculty of Idyllwild Arts, and has acted in many national tours and regional theatres.  SCR connections: Barbara helped to found SCR’s Conservatory, and Emily has performed in The Diviners.
  
  
• Improvisation will be taught by two familiar SCR faculty members. Chris Sullivan is one of the founding artists of the Modjeska Playhouse, as well as a trained clown, competitive improviser and ship captain (who appeared in the Pirates of the Caribbean, thanks to his skills). Amy-Louise Sebelius received her MFA from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and currently teaches at the OC High School for the Arts, while staying active as a director and performer in Long Beach. SCR Connections: Chris is a graduate of SCR’s Professional Actor Training program, and Amy-Louise regularly teaches in the Conservatory.
  
  
• Musical Theatre will be taught by SCR regulars Tom Shelton and Diana Burbano, who were profiled in our last blog post about Summer Acting Workshop teachers in May (check it out here. SCR Connection: Both Tom and Diana have regularly graced SCR’s stages, Diana in Theatre for Young Audiences productions, and Tom in more than 15 productions.
  
  



Instructor Richard Soto works with a student on stage combat.

• Stage Combat will be taught by Richard Soto, an actor, producer, writer, stunt performer and stage manager.  SCR Connection: Richard spent 11 seasons at SCR as Young Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol!
  
  
• Movement will be taught by Mercy Vasquez, who received her dramatic training at UCLA, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and King’s College in London. For several years, she served as the Program Director for Voices Unheard at Greenway Arts Alliance in LA. SCR Connection: Mercy is the Junior Players director (she recently directed Sleeping Beauty), an actor in previous SCR productions (Our Town), and a graduate of the Professional Actor Training program.
  
  
• Mime will be taught by Deborah Marley, who has experience teaching dance and movement all over the country, including at Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC and at Vanguard University. SCR Connection:  Deborah started in SCR’s Conservatory classes when she was 8 years old and went all the way through until she graduated at 16! 

Sound like fun? Make sure your kids don’t miss out. There are four sessions this summer: July 30 - August 11 and August 13 - August 25, each with a morning and afternoon option. Head to the SCR website or call 714-708-5577 and enroll now!

SCR Summer Players: Creating a Theatre Family

Nick Slimmer (Wolf #2) behind The Three Little Pigs,
l to r: Mitchell Huntley, Blaze Whiting and others in
Into the Woods.  Photo by Henry DiRocco.

There were 28 actors in the Summer Players production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Most of them were returning Players and had previous stage experience. One of them never had been a Player, never had appeared in a stage production and—at age 9—was the youngest cast member.

“As a 9-year-old, you don’t have many responsibilities in life,” Chaney Lieberman said candidly, “but Hisa made me feel like I was meant to be there, like I had as much responsibiliy as everyone else.”

“Hisa” is Theatre Conservatory Director Hisa Takakuwa, and her belief in theatre as an ensemble art form is at the heart of the Kids and Teen Acting Program. By the time students like Chaney have completed their first year, the ability to balance individual creativity with the ideas and work of the group is second nature to them.

When Chaney was selected for the Summer Players, she moved from the classroom—and her peer group—to an ensemble of young actors of every age. “I was a little nervous about working with some of the older students at first,” she admitted, “but they were all great to me, too. They made me feel as if I really belonged in the ensemble.”

Chaney brought to rehearsal what she had learned in class about working together to create and tell a story and applied that to the characters she portrayed. “I also learned how to project,” she added, not that much projection was required. As one of The Three Little Pigs and Cinderella’s Birds, Chaney—along with Blaze Whiting and Mitchell Huntley—had non-speaking roles.

“We did get to project when we sang!” she said, pointing out that the pigs and birds joined in several songs. “I loved the musical numbers because they combined both acting and singing.”

Julia Ostmann, Kelsey Kato, Alyse Russell and Jamie Ostmann in
Into the Woods.  Photo by Henry DiRocco.

But it was the non-verbal exercises she had learned in class that helped Chaney show emotions through her body rather than through words, with help from two “family” members, Assistant Director Julia Ostmann, who played Jack’s mother in the show, and Chase Anderson-Shaw, who was Cinderella’s father. Chase returned to join the cast of Into the Woods during summer break from USC; Julia is now a freshman at Harvard. Between them, they have logged 16 years in the Kids and Teen Acting Program.

“Julia taught us to make our personalities more graceful so we could move as beautifully as birds,” Chaney said. “From Chase we learned to be the complete opposite of the birds. So, when we moved as pigs, we almost stomped our way across the stage, but as birds, we tried to glide.”

Glide and stomp they did, in roles that wowed the audience as they fit seemlessly into the ensemble. According to Hisa, that’s what it’s all about. “The ability to work and create together is rooted in mutual trust and respect. It’s the core of everything we teach; we hope the result is good art and, even more importantly, a worthwhile life lesson to learn at any age.”

The result was good art. Audiences loved the show, and Daily Pilot critic Tom Titus, noticed how well the cast worked together, saying, “The ensemble is uniformly impressive. Few shows could be more enjoyable.”

But it’s the young actors’ raves that really count. Take it from Chaney. “It was a wonderful experience, not just for the acting and singing but for meeting so many great people in the process and sharing great memories with them.”

Moments in the Woods

by Valentina Gehley and Julia Ostmann

About a week before a show opens, the cast and crew begin technical rehearsals. These rehearsals are often the first time the actors have ever stood on the set, worn their costumes or handled their props—the first time they’ve performed with sound or light cues. Two teen members of our Summer Players—Valentina Gehley and Julia Ostmann—kept a log of the first day of tech for Into the Woods, which opened last weekend and continues through Sunday. Check it out and get a peek behind the scenes…

Members of the cast gather
around the vending machine.

Alyse Russell (Giant/The Harp) and
Allison Baayoun (Snow White) get
set up in their new dressing room.

12:28 p.m. Cast members arrive, squealing as they discover their dressing room assignments.  Next stop?  The vending machine, conveniently located across from the boys’ dressing room.

12:37 We trek through the new, awe-inspiring set (thanks designer Sara Clement!) and sit in the theater.  Director Hisa Takakuwa and Musical Director Erin McNally give us notes – comments and adjustments for our performances.

Rapunzel, meet your tower!
Lindsey Wiercioch reacts to
her imprisonment.

Blaze Whiting, and
Mitchell Huntley (Three Little Pigs)
chill backstage.

12:38 The amazing set is a little distracting.  “Look it’s Rapunzel’s hair!” says Valentina Gehley (Narrator).  “Why is it green?” asks Jamie Ostmann (Hen).  “That’s the beanstalk you guys…” says Erin.

12:49 Rapunzel’s tower makes its first appearance!  “Go climb it bro!  Good luck!” says Cinderella’s Prince (Jordan Bellow) to his brother, Rapunzel’s Prince (Nick Slimmer).

12:52 Released back to the dressing rooms – costumes have arrived!! Entire cast crowds the hallway to check out each other’s costumes. Thanks again, designer Sara!

Jamie Ostmann (Hen that lays golden eggs),
Lindsey Wiercioch (Rapunzel), and
Katie Haas (Little Red Ridinghood)
hold prop babies.

1:15 “Once upon a time…” says The Narrator (Valentina Gehley). And the work-through of the show begins!

Lauren Cocroft (Granny), Lindsey
Wiercioch (Rapunzel), and Alyse
Russell (Harp) model their costumes.

2:05 “Going dark!”  Lighting designer Benjamin Weill shouts before lowering the lights.  He tries out different levels and effects while we rehearse.

2:49 Cast members hang out in the dressing rooms and the hallway, listening for their cues over the monitor.  A lot of tech week is waiting!

Brianna Beach (Witch) and
Kailyn Dunkelman (Cinderella) hang out
in the dressing room.

3:50 Working the blocking of “Hello Little Girl” with the Wolf (Connor Dugard) and Little Red Riding Hood (Katie Haas). “What is motivating the twirls you do in the song, Katie?” asks Erin. “A sugar high,” says Katie.

4:35 In the middle of singing “It Takes Two,” the Baker (Akshay Sharma) drops his props: Rapunzel’s hair, a knife, and a stalk of corn. Fits of laughter ensue!

5:30 Finishing the Act I finale and starting Act II.  It’s always encouraging to reach a big milestone!

6:03 Time to get out of costume!

Get more information and tickets to Into the Woods here.

SCR's Summer Players Begin Rehearsals for Sondheim's "Into the Woods"

Musical Director Erin McNally shares a laugh during rehearsals with Kailyn Dunkelman (Cinderella), Brianna Beach (Witch), Catherine Hass (Little Red Riding Hood), Valentina Gehley (Narrator), Kelsey Kato (Jack) and Rachel Teague (Baker's Wife)

Director Hisa Takakuwa, Musical Director Erin McNally
and Arranger Bobby Nafarrete go over the score

SCR’s Summer Players are students with at least one year’s experience in the Kids or Teen Acting Program, who audition for roles in the annual summer musical.  This summer, 28 of them have been cast in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods.

It’s a show that another director of young acting students might consider daunting.  Not Director Hisa Takakuwa, who has been nurturing a secret desire to work on Into the Woods for a long time.  Now that time has come, and she and Musical Director Erin McNally are thrilled.

“It’s my favorite musical,” McNally said. “And what a gift for young performers to have an opportunity to work on the music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim!”

“It’s challenging,” Takakuwa admitted.  “But while the world of Into the Woods may be complex, it’s also an emotionally rich one in which to explore and create.  It’s filled with interesting characters and contains numerous themes that our young actors can relate to because they’re examining them in their own lives right now.  I think they’ll bring surprising truth and depth to the story.”

Rachel Teague (Baker's Wife) rehearsing with
Musical Director Erin McNally

And it will be a fun challenge, even more so with the inclusion in the cast of five graduates of the Theatre Conservatory, all on summer break from college.  “By widening the cast pool, we were able to comfortably choose a piece like Into the Woods,” Takakuwa said.  “It requires more mature and experienced performers and will benefit from the range of age (9-20 years) in both the rehearsal and learning process, as well as in the final telling of the story for our audience.”

The recent grads, all of whom spent between four and eight years in SCR classes and Players programs, are Chase Anderson-Shaw (USC sophomore/theatre major) as Cinderella’s father, Brianna Beach (UC San Diego sophomore/theatre major) as Witch, Jordan Bellow (Chapman sophomore/ BFA in theatre performance) as Cinderella’s Prince, Akshay Sharma (Harvard freshman), as Baker, and Rachel Teague (Orange Coast College freshman) as Baker’s wife.

Rehearsing on their own, Catherine Hass (Little Red
Riding Hood), Kelsey Kato (Jack), Kailyn Dunkelman
(Cinderella) and Akshay Sharma (Baker)

“They bring with them a knowledge of the program and a great love for it, as well as further training experiences after a year or more away from SCR,” Takakuwa said.  “I believe these grads will raise the level of experience of the younger actors.  Because SCR has helped shape and support all of them, they’re truly excited about being mentors and are eager to give back and share their experience and joy with others.”

All 28 cast members will share their joy with the audience when Into the Woods opens on the Julianne Argyros Stage August 6.

Get more information and tickets here.

L to R:  SCR Theatre Conservatory grads Chase Anderson-Shaw, Akshay Sharma, Brianna Beach, Rachel Teague, Jordan Bellow

SCR's 'Players' Pack 'Em In

Christopher Huntley, Jamie Ostmann and Guy McEleney
in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The young actors in SCR’s Junior, Teen and Summer Players may be kids, but their shows are adult caliber.

Last August, a cast of 26 Summer Players wowed audiences with their acting, singing and dancing in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The Tom Briggs adaptation was the same script used in the New York City Opera’s 2004 production. The Junior Players recently sold out performances of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory over two weekends in April. The script Theatre Conservatory Director Hisa Takakuwa chose, adapted by Richard R. George from the fantasy by Roald Dahl, was sanctioned by Dahl himself.



And just look at what’s coming up: The Teen Players in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. The play has 18 characters, period costumes, dancing and singing, 14 scenes in seven locations and lots of lines to learn! In other words, it's a big show, but with these enthusiastic and dedicated young actors, Takakuwa doesn’t go the easy route.

After all, they’ve had at least two years of training and won their places in the Teen Players ensemble through audition. Takakuwa knows they’re up to task. When we asked her to elaborate, she did so happily. And young actors-in-training should pay heed to her words because Takakuwa is a trained actor herself and brings that experience, along with her immense talent as a director, to the Players’ productions.

SCR's Teen Players

“My goal in choosing the Players scripts is always to select something that will both challenge the actors and entertain the audience. For the teens, I look for a text that is challenging on intellectual as well as emotional levels.



“Mansfield Park has wonderfully specific characters who require physical and verbal boldness and emotional bravery from the actors. It’s a story that has true human emotion and complexity as well as moments of light comedy. I was drawn to the script because it required the actors to explore a completely different world from their own—of physical stillness, verbal complexity, and a strict sense of propriety and manner. At the same time, it’s very familiar to them with its themes of young romance and the pressure of family expectation.



"As an artist and as a teacher I tend to be drawn to scripts that require the actors to ‘fire on multiple cylinders,' having to create specific characters with honest emotions and desires while having to sing or dance or wear unfamiliar period clothes, use complex language clearly and actively and work as an ensemble to drive and share a story with an audience—all in the course of two hours!”

Of course, the Players are eager to start “firing.”

And speaking of challenging plays, Hisa has chosen Into the Woods for the Summer Players production. This sophisticated and very theatrical show—with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine—ran on Broadway for almost two years, winning three Tony Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, a Grammy and a Theatre World Award.

With auditions coming up soon, almost 90 kids will be vying for 20 roles. “The Summer Players are a wonderful mix of students,” Hisa said. “They’re chosen from Teen and Junior Players as well as current and recent year-round students with at least one year of SCR training—and even graduates of the program, home for the summer and looking for a challenge.”

Into the Woods will be presented on the Julianne Argyros Stage at 1 and 5 p.m. on August 6, 7, 13 and 14.

Mansfield Park
a dramatization by Willis Hall from the novel by Jane Austen
May 28 at 4 and 7:30pm, May 29 at 1:30 and 5pm
June 3 and 4 at 7:30pm, June 5 at 1:30 and 5pm
Nicholas Studio

Is true love a matter of the heart or pocketbook? Of following personal feelings or the family expectations? Shy and poor, ten-year-old Fanny Price is taken to live at Mansfield Park with her rich cousins, who are aghast that she has no toys, only two dresses—and not a word of French! The servants narrate the story, with wit and wisdom, as Fanny grows up before our eyes. Romance is in the air, engagements abound, an elopement takes place—no, two!—and, at long last, Fanny finds her heart’s desire in this lively adaptation, performed by SCR’s Teen Players in adult roles—complete with a formal ball!

Cast:  Alison Wexler (Gipton), Sophia Falmagne (Harkness), Kailyn Dunkelman (Lady Bertram), Lauren Gardner (Mrs. Norris), Jasmine O’Hea (Julia Bertram), Julia Jech (Maria Bertram), Julia Ostmann (Fanny Price), Rachel Teague (Mrs. Grant), Valentina Gehley (Mary Crawford), Pranav Mutatkar (Sir Thomas Bertram), Nick Slimmer (Mr. Norris/Henry Crawford), Maxwell Weinberg (Tom Bertram/William Price), Zachary Yeates (Edmund Bertram), Luke Tagle (Dr. Grant/Mr. Yates), Connor Dugard (Mr Rushworth).

‘Charlie,’ with a Twist

Like all talented directors, Mercy Vasquez sees the play onstage before it’s actually there.  And when she saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, she saw Charlie as a girl.

Jamie Ostmann

“I wasn’t thinking of a way to make the play different; I was just thinking of a way to make it work well.”  Vasquez said.  And she had the girl in mind: Jamie Ostmann.

“When I was casting the show, I saw in Jamie just the quality I had imagined, and I said to myself, ‘That’s Charlie.’”

Right before the first group reading of the play, Vasquez announced the cast (every member of the Players has a role, some multiple roles), and she did so in no particular order.

“When she said I was Charlie, I wasn’t the only one who was surprised,” Jamie said.  “I think we all were.  But after about ten seconds of surprise, I got so excited—I wanted to jump up and scream.”

Like all the Players—who received copies of the script at the beginning of their winter session in the Theatre Conservatory—Jamie had read the play several times; in fact, as a huge Roald Dahl fan, she had read most of his books.  But her take on Charlie will be her own.  “Mercy wants us to figure out how our characters look and act, so I won’t watch the movie during the rehearsal process,” she said.

The cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in rehearsal.

Jamie’s take on being Charlie:  “I’ve been trying to stay open and vulnerable, which has definitely been a challenge,” she said, “especially the sadder monologues.  Charles isn’t really a sad person.  She tries to make the best of her circumstances.  When she finds the ticket and goes to the factory, she’s the only one who is grateful to Willy Wonka—she admires him so much.”

Her take on being a member of SCR’s Junior Players ensemble group:  “It’s a fun challenge.  You have to be really focused and open to new ideas.  But it’s definitely worth it.  You have so much fun, you learn a ton, and you get to be with your friends.  How much better could it get?”