Subcommittees Keep On Trucking As Full Gala Committee Meets For Final Time…

Calling the Gala meeting to order, Chair Sophie Cripe (right) with Underwriting Co-Chair Olivia Johnson

On Wednesday, June 30, SCR’s 2010 Gala Committee meeting was called to order in the theatre’s lobby by Chair Sophie Cripe, who got everyone’s attention by tapping two water bottles together, creativity being the watchword of the upcoming Gala Ball.

The purpose of the luncheon get-together was to bring members up-to-speed with underwriting, entertainment, décor, graphics, cuisine and hospitality— subcommittees which will continue to meet as needed until the day of the big event, “The Play’s the Thing” on Saturday, September 11. And Sophie (who already has attended 30 subcommittee meetings) will no doubt be present at most of them!

Check out “Party Play” for intriguing Gala details, reported by subcommittee chairs.

Choosing between fun & becoming an actor is easy when you choose both.

Last year, Kami Kurisu felt a little nervous about her first day in South Coast Repertory's Summer Acting Workshop.

Kami, a junior at Newport Harbor High, had acted in plays at school, but she'd never taken an acting class before: "I didn't know what to expect."

It turned out to be a lot of fun.

"There were people of all different types of talents. Some people flew in from out of state for this workshop, while others just took it to have fun. Ilearned so many new things about acting, and I made tons of new friends."

More than 300 students go through SCR's two-week acting workshop every summer, but classes are kept small. Kami's class of 20 was small enough that everyone got individual attention on their voice work, movement exercises and character development.

One of the most helpful techniques Kami took away from the workshop is called CROW: "CROW is something you should always be thinking about when you're acting in a scene. C – who is your Character? R – what is your Relationship to other characters in the scene? O – what is your character's Objective in the scene? W – Where is your character, both physically but also in relation to the plot?"

After the workshop, Kami realized that some of the things she'd learned had benefits beyond the stage and have been especially helpful when it comes to class presentations.

"It helped me develop my social skills and also my presentational skills. I learned to project, enunciate and improvise."

"Overall, I would recommend the Summer Acting Workshop to anyone who wants to have a fun time or is thinking of becoming an actor one day. It confirmed my choice of wanting to become a professional actor."

Now she can start her senior year with a confident career choice.

More information about Summer Acting Workshop

Survey Participant Winner Named

Congratulations to Charlene Clark of Orange, a longtime Segerstrom Stage subscriber and the winner of dinner for four at Newport Rib Company. Charlene’s name was chosen at random from among the 1,708 patrons who participated in our end-of-the-year survey. We’d like to say a big “thank-you” to everyone who took the time to complete the survey—we very much value your opinions and plan to incorporate your feedback into our work next season. We look forward to seeing you at South Coast Repertory this fall!

Kids Find Fun and Friends in Summer Acting Workshop

Sydney Campbell (11), Angeliki Harris (8) and Blaze Whiting (9) all faced a few first-day jitters at last year's Summer Acting Workshop at South Coast Repertory.

They didn't really know what they were getting into—after all, it was their parents who had signed them up. But those nerves disappeared once they got into their classes.

Class activities focused on movement, voice and character development but also made time for theatre games that helped stretch kids' imaginations—games with names like Poison Dart Frog and Busy Bee.

Sydney's favorite was Taxi: "There are four chairs. Three people would be in the 'car,' and they'd pick up one hitchhiker who was really weird and out of the ordinary. The other three would have to pick up his awkward traits."

Angeliki's favorite part of the day came early: "Almost every morning all the classes got together. One day we did parts of a play, Hansel and Gretel."

For one hour each day guest lecturers taught the students about theatre crafts beyond acting, including stage combat, playwriting, improvisation, and design.

"That's right," Blaze remembered. "In the play we got to choose lights and costumes. We got to choose different jobs."

By the end of the two-week program, which included a special demonstration for parents, all three kids took away one important lesson.

For Angeliki, it was: "How to work with each other."
For Blaze: "How to plan out things before doing them."
For Sydney: "How to grasp a character and the importance of totally transforming into the person you want to be."

Best of all were the friendships they made. Friendships that even a year later, they still have.

Find more information on the Summer Acting Workshop!

Choosing a Summer Acting Program

The 2009 Summer Players production of The Secret Garden.

Young students who have been bitten by the acting bug and want to put their training to use during the summer have two great choices.

Summer Performance Ensemble (July 6-24) allows students to blossom with their friends and peers in small, intimate classes (grades 4-6, 7-8 and 9-12). According to Theatre Conservatory Director Hisa Takakuwa, “Performance Ensemble is acting-driven and is the perfect choice for students who want to put to use the tools they’ve learned during the school year, but without a long commitment.”

Students learn the rehearsal process and have the joy and reward of bringing a final performance piece to life—but without the pressure of a full production. There is often singing incorporated in their performances, which the young students enjoy, but great pipes are not required!

The classes are held in mid-July for three weeks, mornings only, so there’s plenty of time to have fun acting with friends and still get to the beach.

Summer Players (July 12-August 15) is a five-week program open to dedicated acting students and is open only by audition. While the Players use the same classroom tools as the Performance Ensemble students, their goal is to present a full musical production over the final two weekends, with additional rehearsal time required.

This summer’s play, which Takakuwa will direct, is Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, their only musical written for television (with a young Julie Andrews playing the lead many years ago) and now adapted for the stage.

“These are our most serious acting students,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean they don’t have fun. Even though Players are students of all ages, there is great camaraderie among them. Some students have been in the group for several seasons, and it’s great to see them on the first day of class, checking out the others who were chosen through audition, and offering congratulations.”

Of course, the best part, according to all the Players, is finally getting onstage and performing for a critical audience—not just friends, but members of the paying public! It’s a little scary, they admit, but ultimately rewarding.