Intensive Workshops  Mike Stack - Theater Intensive - Blood, Lust, and Rhetoric Mike is a Jessie award-winning actor and teaching artist who makes his home in Vancouver. He is delighted to be working with Touchstone again, having previously performed in Farther West and Sled. Other memorable productions include The Overcoat (Vancouver Playhouse), Peter Pan (Carousel Theatre), The Fall of the House of Usher and Alphonse (Pink Ink), and Travesties (Globe Theatre, Regina). Most recently, he has been on various international tours with The Number 14 (Axis Theatre), performing throughout North America, Japan, and Europe. Mike also works extensively with young people, as coordinator of the Young Shakespeareans program at Bard on the Beach, resident guest director at Templeton Secondary in East Van, and throughout the Homelearning community. Mike is a graduate of Studio 58. 20 enthusiastic actors are required to participate in this year’s Theatre Intensive.  Blood, Lust, and Rhetoric is a romp through 4 of Shakespeare’s plays – Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and King Lear – culminating in a simultaneous presentation of all four!  Scripts will be provided beforehand, and the construction of this piece is such that there will be a very reasonable number of lines to be learned – so please don’t be scared away by the thought of memorizing.  As always with the Intensive, it will be a challenge, but I also guarantee an environment of fun and playfulness!  The only requirement for participation is a recommendation by your Drama Teacher – preference will be given to those students in Grades 11 & 12.   Tom Klassen - Voice Intensive Tom earned his Bachelor of Music at UBC in 1986 concentrating on classical guitar, applied voice, composition and general music. He sang with the University Singers under the direction of James Fankhauser, where his love of choral music blossomed. He holds a Masters degree in Choral Conducting from New Mexico State University. Tom spent many years teaching music in the southern states and currently works for School District #53. He is the director of music at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and teaches voice and guitar privately at the Academy of Music in Penticton. In his tenure as a choral conductor, Tom has directed Masterworks concerts. His choirs, both in New Mexico and Texas, were some of the best in the state, earning many awards from various festivals and contests. Aaron Bushkowsky – Writing Intensive Aaron is an award-winning playwright with over a dozen professional productions to his name across Canada. He has been nominated for seven Jessie Richardson awards for Outstanding Original Play, winning two. His last play "My Chernobyl" was produced by Richmond Gateway Theatre and the Belfry in Victoria; it lead all productions in Vancouver with nine Jessie Richardson nominations. Aaron teaches creative writing for theatre and film at various institutions around Vancouver, including Kwantlen University, Langara College, Vancouver Film School and Studio 58. He has 7 books published, with his latest, a novel, due out this year. It's a story about putting up a play at an Okanagan winery called "Curtains for Roy". When he isn't teaching, Aaron, with his new fiancé Diana, can be found walking his dog Frankie, an Australian Shepherd with attitude. Chris Anderson - Film Intensive Chris is a Summerland native who has been acting since his early days at SSS.  After many performances he moved to Vancouver where he went to Douglas College and graduated from the Theatre program.  After his graduation he joined the comedy troupe, Sketch.  Still an active member of the theatre community Chris is now breaking into the world of film and television.  He is more than pleased to come back to his home town and pass along what humble experience he may have to offer students with the same passion.   Drama Workshops Sand Northrop - Circus Skills Sand Northrup loves to teach the skills she uses in her own performances: juggling, unicycling, clowning and equilibristics. Since 1984, she has brought circus arts to literally thousands-- schools across the country, innumerable community centres, festivals, corporate events and special education projects. Sand co-founded the Ailanthus Street Performing program for inner-city youth and taught there three seasons. She coaches at Saskatoon’s Circus Arts Project and the One Wheel Wonders, a unicycle basketball team. She recently coordinated the wildly successful Circo Circuit project for the Vancouver International Children’s Festival and now takes her mobile “Circus School” to schools throughout BC.www.sandnorthrup.com/Education Holly Adams - Commedia Holly has an M.A. in Theatre, Education, and Social Change. She is an experienced writer, actress, clown, director, mask maker, and stage fighter. She has been in over 30 performances, and directed many more. She traveled with Patch Adams in Russia, Clowning for disadvantaged and sick children.  Bobby Bovenzi - Drumming  Bobby has been studying, teaching and performing for 14 years in the US, Canada and Japan. He has been a member of Sankofa Afro- Brazilian Drum and Dance, Kolomashi Ghanian Drum and Dance, Oyaya World Beat Collective, Nan Nkama West African Drum and Dance of Oregon, and is currently the leader of Harambee and Wabaso West African Drum and Dance here in the Okanagan. Bobby has studied with several Master Drum and Dance instructors, and is considered by many to be a Master Rhythm Circle Facilitator.http://www.nankama.com/Site/Bo%27s%20Bio%20.html Noah Drew - The Whole-Body Voice As an actor, Noah brings to his work enthusiasm, professionalism and versatility. His extensive training background includes a broad range of styles, from classical to contemporary. He is a certified teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework® and has experience with many other voice and speech training forms. He is a trained singer and has a strong movement/dance/physical theatre background. A lover of collaboration, Noah has worked on many new plays, original creation projects and interdisciplinary projects. http://www.noahdrew.com/bio.html This workshop will introduce students to Fitzmaurice Voicework®: a whole-body approach to voice and character. We will play with how physicality and breath affect resonance, clarity, expressive freedom and imagination. Roman Blomme - The conscience of the actor Born in Québec City, Roman graduated from Summerland Secondary School in 2008.  Enthralled by theatre, because of his experiences at the Goodwill Shakespeare Festival, school productions and acting classes, Roman moved to Paris, France to continue his actor-training where he took acting classes.  Having worked at the International Film Festival de Cannes, and immersing himself into the professional world through a commercial for Les Galettes St Michel, he is now headed to London, UK to complete a three year BA (Hons) Contemporary Theatre Program at the East 15 Acting School.   “If Brad Pitt started off his career with a Levis ad, I can begin mine with some French cookie that unfortunately doesn’t even taste very good!” He is thrilled to return to Summerland and enjoy his 5th Shakesfest as an instructor.  Roman believes that on stage, in front of the camera or behind the microphone, the actor must always be present within the character. No one ever gets lost in a role, because that so called role, is you, and acting is a re-enactment of events that have already taken place. Hence, no matter the situation, as an actor you must always be conscious of your environment, the people around you, and of yourself.  This workshop is based on inciting you to understand the importance of being aware of what it is around you. Thus, rousing you to integrate the whole of your body, the presence of others and the space you inhabit while acting. Kevin Mcnulty – Good Will Fanfare  Kevin grew up in Rossland B.C. and studied acting and music at Washington State University and at Studio 58 in Vancouver, where he composed the music for a rock and roll version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He led the choir intensive at the 2008 Good Will Shakespeare Festival and had the pleasure of working with Mike Stack in last years presentation of The Tempest.  Kevin recently starred in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Blackbird Theatre) at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre and will be on stage with Bard on the Beach this summer. His film credits include The Uninvited, Snakes on a Plane, The Invisible, and John Tucker Must Die. On television - Battlestar Galactica, Kyle XY and Supernatural. This is a singing workshop. The idea for this workshop will be to create a musical experience that will be presented in a massive chorus at the final gala. It will be a song perhaps in the form of a round or perhaps in the form of a square. We will touch on harmony, rhythm, expression and many other musical terms too numerous to list here. We will do all this in one hour and twenty minutes. There are no pre-requisites for this workshop. You don't have to be able to sing. Just come for the experience. Don Keith B.A. M.A. M.A. (Directing) Wicked fun with Shakespeare Don Keith has taught Theatre for over 35 years. He has directed countless plays and musicals in the school and in the community, and developed a reputation for producing challenging and thought provoking productions. Don Keith was the first Education Coordinator at The Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna B.C. Currently he resides on Salt Spring Island where he is enjoying further creative inspirations and working on theatrical projects. He is currently the Artistic Director of Stage Coach Theatre School. "So wise so young, they say do never live long. King Richard III (III, i, 79) From Mercutio to Lady MacBeth to Iago, Shakespeare has given us some of the most fun, diabolical and sometimes just plain rotten characters to play. In this workshop, we will play with the villains and manipulators in Shakespeare through both scenes and monologues. Students will develop skills in basic acting, character creation and Shakespearean text. Prior wickedness not required. VJ Delos-Reyes – Improvisation Skills  VJ is originally from Toronto, Ont. but has been mostly calling Vancouver his real home. He’s also an accomplished high school improv coach, having his team compete on the National Stage in Ottawa Ont. for the Canadian Improv Games. He recently organized and performed during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He’s an actor/writer for the Vancouver comedy group SKETCH and a current mainstage performer with the Vancouver Theatresports League. He has had the pleasure of working with other improv companies around the lower mainland; “C” is for Comedy Events, Urban Improv, Table 23 and Seattle’s Unexpected Productions. TV/Film Credits include, The “L” Word, Intelligence, Hiccups, BCLC Commercial and Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief.  Amiel Gladstone – Writing conflict Amiel is a writer and director. As a playwright, his plays have been produced by Alberta Theatre Projects, the Belfry Theatre, Touchstone Theatre, Caravan Farm Theatre, the National Arts Centre, Western Edge Theatre, and Theatre SKAM. His work has toured internationally to the United States and France and he has a play that's been running in Bucharest, Romania for over a year. As a director, his productions have been both site specific in unusual venues, and in traditional theatres, including many world premieres at companies such as the Belfry,  Caravan Farm Theatre, Firehall, the Guild in Whitehorse, Vancouver Opera, University of Victoria, and Studio 58 at Langara College. He is currently working on commissions for Green Thumb, Solo Collective and Theatre SKAM. He has been a member of the Banff Playwrights Colony as both a playwright and a dramaturge. He is currently a Playwriting Mentor for the Vancouver East Cultural Centre and he runs and dramaturges the Vancouver Playhouse E-stage Program.  A collection, Hippies and Bolsheviks and other plays was published by Coach House Books in 2007. He has won Jessie Awards for Best Original Script and Body of Work.  This workshop will explore how to make your playwriting get to the heart of the matter. Using a series of simple and dynamic exercises we will explore how important a good strong conflict is to making your playwriting really sing and provide juicy scenes for actors to play. Raising the stakes is of the utmost importance in creating characters which are well balanced and ready to fight for what they believe in.