Drama Strand (7 workshops – you get them ALL!)

ONE:  Audition Secrets: How to transition from Theatre to Film & TV with Cat Haggquist

Strategies and best practices for making the most of the Film & Television audition process along with some clear suggestions on what NOT to do. 
 
An actor with over 155 Film and TV credits on IMDb, Catherine (Cat) Lough Haggquist has recently guest starred on Tracker (CBS) and Fire Country (CBS) and can also currently be seen in the role of Petra Bellweather on the series Motherland: Fort Salem which now streams on Disney+. In addition to her acting and coaching, which she has done for over 25 years, Cat was an associate producer of Reel Women Seen, a short film that has won numerous awards including the 2018 Jury Choice Award at the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase. In 2008 Cat received the Special Jury Award from Women in Film and Television Vancouver. She was named the Union of BC Performers’ 2013 International Women’s Day Honoree and was awarded Life Membership by UBCP in 2017.
 
 

TWO:  Physical Improvisation with Miriam Cummings

In this workshop, we will explore telling stories with the body, the space, and objects. We will engage the imagination, strengthen somatic
(mind/body) connection, and build confidence. This playful, ensemble-based physical improvisation session will draw from the work of Keith Johnstone, Mary Overlie, and Tectonic Theater Project’s Moment Work.

Miriam (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist who makes performance, plays, poetry, and prose on the ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Nation. A graduate of Concordia University’s Acting program and the University of British Columbia’s Master of Fine Arts program, she teaches acting, devising, and voice at Concordia University, Tempest Theatre, with the Embodied Voice Collective, and coaches people one-on-one. Based in Tiohtià:ke / Montréal for more than a decade, Miriam co-founded Hopegrown Productions and has developed four new plays. Her essay, Words I don’t say aloud, was published in 2023 by broke press.

 

THREE:  Musical Theatre with Will Cullin

We’re excited to introduce Will Cullen as a workshop instructor at Powerhouse Theatre. Will brings a wealth of experience from his lifelong involvement in the local theatre and dance community. A Vernon native, Will has had the privilege of learning from some of the most respected mentors in the industry, and now he’s eager to give back to the community that helped shape him.
With a diverse background that spans performance, teaching, and creative direction, Will has worked on everything from classic plays to edgy modern pieces and professional dance performances. His stage credits include everything from *The Glass Menagerie* to *F#ck Shakespeare*, as well as performances with the Egyptian Dance Academy in Toronto and at local festivals like *Arts on the Avenue*. His work in the Vernon Haunted House, portraying characters like the Red Faced Demon and Beetlejuice, has also brought him closer to the community.

 

FOUR:  Preparing Your Theatre Audition with Shaughnessy O’Brien

In this workshop we will discuss some of the key factors of auditioning for stage productions.
With the industry moving back to in-person auditions, it’s important to understand the technical and personal elements of the audition process that will help you to walk out of the room with your head held high. Participants will get to put these skills into practice with a mock cold-read audition.

Shaughnessy O’Brien (she/her) is professional stage and screen actor currently living and
working in Vancouver, BC. She holds a BFA in acting from the University of Alberta. Over the
past couple of years Shaughnessy has been teaching musical theatre, character development, and audition technique with Vancouver Performing Stars and is excited to share her passion and knowledge at the Goodwill Shakespeare Festival. You can follow Shaughnessy on Instagram and Tiktok @shaughnessy_ob

FIVE:  Using your local museum as a resource:  WONDER as you WANDER

Part 1 – Museum Exploration – WONDER while they Wander to get Inspiration
Part 2 – With a facilitator, and a box of paper, pens, and art supplies, CREATE a Monologue, a work of Art, Music, Play, Dance, etc.!  Some may even get shared at the Matinee Gala!!!

 

 

SIX:  Costume Design with Linda Beaven

Linda taught theatre for 37 years at Summerland Secondary School and many of her students have gone on to careers in theatre, TV, and film.  She has adjudicated for Theatre BC Speech Arts and for several Music Festival. She was the music theatre/speech arts chair for the Penticton Kiwanis Music festival and she was the theatre consultant for the Ozone Okanagan.  She has a Master of Arts degree with a major in costuming.  In thirty-seven years of teaching, she directed over a hundred plays and served on the Provincial Youthwrite play committee.  She co-founded the Goodwill Shakespeare

She has many awards for teaching and promoting the Arts:
The Distinguished Service Award, Association of BC Drama Educators
Prime Ministers Award for Teaching Excellence
Arts Appreciation Award: Summerland Arts Council
Paul Harris Fellow: Rotary International
2015 Life time distinguished service award A.B.C.D.E.

She is now retired and finds her joy as an audience member at live theatre and making costumes..

SEVEN:  En Garde! with John McLean

In fair Vernon, where we lay our scene, there dwelleth a lute tutor of friendly mien, whose heart is as drawn to the sword as to the ‘axe’. For seventeen winters, he hath studied the noble art of Historical European Martial Arms, with a keen eye set upon the longsword’s mastery.

Once a youth of W.L. Seaton, where under the wise tutelage of Master Dave Brotsky he first took a taste of the theatrical arts, he journeyed thence to Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta. There, upon the stage, he didst perform in Shakespeare’s own realm beneath the open heavens, at Calgary’s Shakespeare in the Park.

As Guitar Instructor at Calgary Arts Academy, from the year of our Lord two thousand and thirteen to two thousand and eighteen, he wove his craft of theatre and swordplay into the Academy’s tapestry. There, he did choreograph duels most grand for annual Shakespeare Star Wars plays and did guide a weekly band of aspiring swordmasters known as The Knights of Calguard, a satellite order affiliated with the noble Academie Duello of Vancouver.

Returning anon to his native Vernon, he hath lent his art to Cirque Theatre Company’s telling of Mulan and, more recently, to Powerhouse Theatre’s grim tale of Macbeth, where he didst craft battles both fierce and fine. His passion burneth bright to teach the safe wielding of the blade to actors, both young and old, especially where the bard’s own tongue is spoken.

Thus doth John, a traveler ‘twixt strings and steel, live a legend wherein dirge and drama  duel in constant clamour.

 

 

Intensive Strands 

(Choose ONE of these and work on project that will be presented at the Gala Showcase on the last day of the festival)

OPTION ONE:  CHORAL INTENSIVE with Brian Tate

Our beloved Brian is back for another year of making music magic!! 

An award-winning composer, as well as an accomplished and versatile musician, choir director, and educator, Brian attributes the success of his multifaceted career to a love of working with people and a passion for the arts.

Brian received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of British Columbia, and went on to further music studies in London, England; Toronto; Ghana; Cuba; Oakland and New Orleans. His love for music of many kinds has led to a diverse career that includes orchestral and choral conducting and performing, musical theatre, and composing music for film, television, stage, and the concert hall. Brian has twice received Vancouver’s Jessie Richardson Award for original theatre music, and his choral music is performed worldwide.

As a vocalist, Brian performs with his jazz quartet at festivals, clubs, and in concert. He also performs with Dawn Pemberton and Karla Mundy in the vocal a cappella trio, TriVo.

In 2010, Brian founded Vancouver’s vibrant, 100-voice City Soul Choir. After 10 joy-filled years with the CSC, in 2019 he handed the music director reins over to his collaborator in TriVo, the wonderful Karla Mundy.

Brian is known internationally for his lively choir workshops, conducting skills, gift for bringing out the best in choirs, and his exhilarating and inspiring choral compositions / arrangements.

As an organizational speaker, educator, and facilitator, Brian takes the elements of creativity, intuition, and improvisation from the performing arts and transforms these elements into powerful, interactive group experiences that develop leadership, innovation, and team-building. His programs include groundbreaking work such as using musical improvisation to enhance leadership and teams, and using the voice as a tool for personal development. Brian brings spontaneity, humour, and originality into all of his presentations. Participants experience growth not only in their work, but in all areas of their lives.

OPTION TWO:   AFFAIR of HONOUR BATTLE INTENSIVE with Jackie and Nathania

Affair of Honor is a fight and movement based theatre company from Vancouver and is thrilled to be invited back to the Goodwill Shakespeare Festival.  Come fight, move, and play with Affair of Honor. Three days of training in physical theatre and stage combat with a showcase on the final class. This workshop is all about moving and having fun while doing it. With stage combat, we will focus on the safeties and building trust with a partner to execute a dynamic and hard hitting fight sequence.  Through physical theatre, you will be following simple to complex movements and explore how your body can move while delving into the Bards text.  This Company class is an inside look into how Affair of Honor creates and prepares actors for big fight shows.  This will all culminate in a big group number full of movement and fight choreography that will be presented at the Gala Showcase!

OPTION THREE:  IMPROVISED SHAKESPEARIAN MUSICAL INTENSIVE with Peter and Zach

“To B♯ or to B♭, that is the question”. Push your skills to the limit with some of Vancouver’s top improvisers. Learn how to improvise Shakespeare and musicals and then put both skills together to create something incredible! Join Zach Wolfman and Peter Abando in the creation of an Improvised Shakespearean Musical.”
When he’s not teaching K-7 music in West Van, you can find PETER ABANDO composing, improvising, directing, or performing music somewhere around Metro Vancouver. Select music direction credits includes Spring Awakening (Phantom Moon Collective, 2017), Dogfight (Semper Fi Collective, 2016), the Jessie nominated production of Edges (Two Monkeys Production, 2015), the Ovation nominated Connected: The Musical (Whirlwind Theatre, 2013), an adorable workshop of [title of show], and Mary Poppins (RCMT, 2024). Some favourites include a special charity concert of Dear Evan Hansen with Laughing Matters Theatre, 9 to 5: The Musical at Capilano University, and the Ovation nominated 2019 Vancouver Fringe hit, Amélie, with West Moon Theatre. You can find him regularly conspiring with Jennifer Pielak, Chris Lam, and Nicole Roberge. Upcoming: Monster with Direct Theatre Collective!

 
 
 
ZACH WOLFMAN is an actor, improviser, and teacher in Vancouver on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Zach performs with the Spontaneous Shakespeare Company and Sin Peaks the Improvised Soap Opera. Zach is also an alumni of Off Key musical improv. Zach has a BFA in Acting and BEd from UBC. He has completed Canada’s National Voice Intensive and was a finalist at the Canadian Improv Games.