Drama Strand (8 workshops – you get them ALL!)

#1 Affair of Honor  – Nathania Bernabe and Jackie T. Hanlin

Nathania is a Filipino-Canadian actor, choreographer, director, writer and producer and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Education from Concordia University of Alberta. She is grateful for the incredible opportunities to intensively train as an actor in different mediums abroad. Training with such Schools and Companies like the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art(London), SITI Company(New York), Zen Zen Zo (Melbourne), Diavolo Dance (Los Angeles), Rapier Wit (Toronto) and Second City (Chicago). Nathania has a profound love for physical theatre. She is President on the Board of Directors and an apprentice working towards her teacher mentorship with The Academy of Fight Directors Canada. Nathania is the Artistic Director of Affair of Honor(AOH), a company she created with Jackie T. Hanlin. She continues to expand her movement vocabulary and trained with DynamO Théâtre in May 2023. Nathania is looking forward to creating more fight based work with co-founder Jackie that features women leading the charge. 

Jackie T. Hanlin is an actor, fight choreographer and producer hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia. She received her BA in Drama fromBishops University in 2015, and moved to Vancouver where she began her stage combat studies and work with her fight/producing partner Nathania Bernabe, founding Affair of Honor. Jackie is currently an apprentice with The Academy of Fight Directors Canada.  Since 2015 she had the pleasure of being an actor, choreographer, writer and producer within Affair of Honor, producing Qui Nguyen’s Soul Samurai (Vancouver Fringe festival 2017/18) in which the fight and movement design received a Jessie Nomination in 2018, Karen Basset’s Heroine (Edmonton Fringe Festival 2018), House of Arms: an improvised fight episodic (2018), Playthings (Edmonton Fringe Festival 2019/Presentation House Theatre 2021), Fairlith Harvey’s Kill The Ripper (Presentation House Theatre/Rio Theatre 2022) Jovanni Sy’s The Five Vengeances (Shadbolt Centre for the arts 2022). Most recently, Jackie co-wrote and performed with Nathania their second original work, Multi – Vs at the 2023 Edmonton International Fringe Festival.

Affair of Honor Workshop Description – Stage Combat Essentials

Come and learn the essentials for every actor’s toolkit! From punches to slaps, falls and pushing, you will learn everything you need to know to keep yourself and your fellow cast members safe when performing hard hitting choreography.  We will cover the umbrella of safeties we use as a stage combat company that helps actors feel confident to create the illusion of fighting onstage. This class provides the fundamental skills that staged violence demands, while also using tools in communication, consent and most importantly, empowerment in moving your body!    

#2 Vancouver Film School – Marc-Anthony Massiah

Awarded a scholarship and graduated from School Creative’s 3 year acting program in 2003. Trained and mentored by some of the most respected names in the theatre, film, and voice community in Vancouver, LA, and New York. These teachings in tandem with 18 years experience as a working actor, and acting coach are implemented in classes and private coachings.

Marc-Anthony Massiah Workshop Description
Oftentimes young or new actors will focus heavily on “the words.”  Asking “How am I going to say this?” or “When am I going to say that?”  This can lead to ‘stiff’ or ‘flat’ performances that feel somewhat inorganic, repetitive, and over rehearsed.  This Text Analysis Workshop will focus on freeing actors of their preconceived and ‘rehearsed’ concepts and delivery of text. By way of fun and inclusive exercises and teaching the importance of TACTICS (or motivation), attendees will be guided through scenes and dialogue to explore WHY a character is saying what they are saying. By having this information handy and then engaging each other in short scenes attendees will learn to be present and listen to their scene partners, and in real time respond based on the ‘why’ they are saying what they are saying, thus ultimately influencing the ‘HOW.’ 

#3 Vancouver Film School – Amber Lewis

Amber is a Barbadian-Canadian Actor, Director and Teaching Artist. With over 15 years of teaching experience, Amber is honored to guide and inspire artists to connect to their fullest creative expression. Amber currently teaches at the Vancouver Film School, as well as Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival ~ where she’s been an ensemble member and Teaching Artist since 2009. As an Actor, Amber performed at The Citadel, Arts Club, Pi Theatre, Theatre Network, The Mayfield, Chemainus Theatre, Skirts-A-Fire, Punctuate! Theatre, Hart House and six seasons at Bard on the Beach. Recent Film and TV appearances include Wild Cards, The Good Doctor, Resident Alien, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, The Secrets of Bella Vista and Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas. Amber is currently preparing to direct her short film, Submission, with several other projects in development.

Amber Lewis Workshop Description – Embodying Shakespeare’s Text

This empowering and energetic workshop will give actors a guide to connecting with Shakespeare’s text on a personal level. Through playfully exploring Shakespeare’s rich imagery, actors will not only understand what they are saying, but will also discover a deep connection to the language and how to have ownership over their text.

#4 Tanya Laing-Gahr: Putting the Community in Theatre – Building a Play for the People

This workshop takes you behind the scenes of a production of Powerhouse Theatre’s play, Cottagers & Indians (Drew Hayden Taylor). You’ll learn what it takes to bring a production to life—from concept through pre-production, design, casting, rehearsals, and opening night. You’ll get a hands-on opportunity to explore the technical components of the show and see how they add to the themes and character of the show. And you’ll gain an appreciation for community theatre—why it’s a draw for professional and amateur actors, directors, and technicians; how it can help further develop your skills; and why community theatre can be an agent of social change.

#5  Amelia Sirianni – Musical Theatre

Originally from Vernon, BC,  Amelia spent 14 years in Toronto, ON working as a professional actor there.  She received her formal professional training at the Randolph College of Performing Arts and has since had the privilege of performing on stages across North America as well as in film and television.  Favourite roles include Deedee Doodle in “The Doodlebops Live” National Tours, Strawberry Shortcake in “Strawberry Shortcake and Friends” North American Tours, and Kelsi in “High School Musical”.  In 2016, Amelia moved back to Vernon with her husband and young son where she’s had the good fortune to be a part of the thriving arts community here through teaching youth drama at The Caetani Cultural Centre; working as Theatre BC’s MainStage Festival’s youth instructor; Musical Theatre adjudicator at the Kelowna Kiwanis Music Festival; and a workshop instructor for Good Will Shakespeare Festival in 2019.  Amelia also ran an early childhood music program, Itsy Bitsy Music Together, for 4 years. Over the last 7 years, she has sat on the Artistic Committee for Powerhouse Theatre and the Board of Directors for the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre. Her passion for performance has stayed with her since moving back to Vernon and she’s performed in The Vagina Monologues, The Rocky Horror Show and Cabaret in recent years. Amelia is thrilled to be back at the festival facilitating a Musical Theatre Movement workshop!

Musical Theatre Movement Workshop:

This Musical Theatre workshop is designed for performers of all dance levels and abilities (even those who call themselves “non-dancers”) to learn choreography from an iconic musical number. Work your body, your mind and memory, and build your choreo confidence in this 75 minute workshop with Musical Theatre Performer Amelia Sirianni. Bold and Brave ‘Triple Threats’ from each session of this workshop will be invited to share their work on stage in the Festival’s gala on Saturday afternoon. 

#6  Center For Arts and Technology – Roark Critchlow

Department Head, Acting/Actor
Roark gained international notoriety with his first Hollywood job as Days of Our Lives ‘Dr. Mike.”  After 6 years on the show, he moved on to an enduring film and TV career including the feature Mr. Deeds, regular roles on the series,’ ‘V’ and “Pretty Little Liars”, recurring roles on “Battlestar Galactica” and “Alaska Daily” as well as over a hundred more film and tv credits, the most recent being the Disney feature film “Tron: Ares ” which he filmed in January.  He has been teaching and coaching film acting for 5 years now and is truly excited to be involved with the program at Centre for Arts and Technology, to which he brings 30 years of experience on stage and camera.

Workshop – Acting for the Camera 

#7  Cara Nunn – Mask and Movement Workshop

Cara Nunn from Falkland has been involved in theatre and storytelling for most of her life. She has studied the technical aspects of design and has worked professionally as a light designer and setdesigner with companies in the Okanagan. She is the playwright of two full-face mask plays, Flight and Gift From the Sea, which was workshopped at the last Okanagan Zone Festival with Theatre BC. She has directed and acted, as well as designing for, many plays at Powerhouse Theatre over the last twelve years. She has taught several workshops both in creating masks and puppets and in working with masks. She has studied and worked with The Wonderheads, James Fagan-Tait, RunAway Moon Theatre and with Berndt Ogrodnek. When not busy with theatre, Cara works as an Equine-Assisted Therapist and as a tiny house builder. She also writes poetry and reworks folklore to build fresh stories to bring to people.

Mask and Movement Workshop Description – Making a mask come alive requires us to speak with our bodies and movements because we can’t use our voice or facial features. In this workshop Cara will introduce you to some fundamental concepts of the great mask artists of Dell’Arte and techniques of Jaques Lecoq. Participants will engage in group exercises to explore movement in relation to the concepts of mask, emotion and motivation. You will end the workshop by employing the movement exercises combined with full-face emotion masks and embryonic masks.

#8  Ann Dorval – Djembe Drum Circle

Ann Dorval studied music at Douglas College and UBC where she earned her Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education. She was a music specialist in Surrey and Vernon until she retired in 2022.  Recently she has been busy playing trombone, flute, ukulele, and recorder (and doing some Cape Breton step dancing—just for fun!) in a variety of ensembles from horn driven dance bands to Celtic quartets. Ann co-leads a local drum circle, “Unity Drums” here in Vernon.  She delights in sharing music and drumming with all ages, from babies and toddlers right up to teens and adults. Let’s make some music together! 

Workshop:  
Drumming together in a group setting is magical.  No matter the level of player, the sound of the drums played in a group is incredible.  The beats and rhythms course through your body and can’t help but make you feel alive. And playing drums with others can have many other benefits too including reducing stress & anxiousness, relieving low mood, improving coordination and enhancing happiness, just to name a few!  In Ann’s workshop you will learn some basic techniques and some rhythm patterns on West African djembe drums.  Once these drum basics are in place, participants will be encouraged to do some improvising in groups and maybe even do some soloing! 

There is a place for everyone in Ann’s workshop; from the newest beginner to the most accomplished drummer, all levels are invited. No experience is needed and all contributions are welcomed.  Drums and other percussion instruments will be available for this workshop, but if you have your own, bring it along. 

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)

Acting Intensive – Mike Stack

Mike is extremely grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to once again lead the Acting Intensive at the Good Will Shakespeare Festival.  A theatre educator, performer and director, his extensive experience with young people includes leading programs for Bard on the Beach, Mortal Coil Performance, Place des Arts, Carousel Theatre, Templeton Secondary, and throughout the Lower Mainland home-learning community.  Earlier this year he helped to lead Shakespeare productions with Sentinel Secondary and Smithers Secondary.  As a performer he has played with many local theatre companies, and has been fortunate enough to tour throughout North America as well as overseas.  He also serves as an adjudicator of Speech Arts at festivals throughout British Columbia and Alberta.  Mike is a multiple Jessie Award nominee and recipient, and a graduate of the Studio 58 Professional Theatre training program.

Something Wicked This Way Comes!  Using text and imagery from Macbeth, participants in the Acting Intensive will work together to create an engaging ensemble experience of this supernatural tragedy.  When the Weïrd Sisters plant some ideas into the heads of Mr. and Mrs. Macbeth, what could possibly go wrong?  Choral speaking, sound and movement will help us to amplify and explore this spooky and horrific tale.  Text will be provided in advance, and participants will be expected to be familiar with it for the Festival.

Choral Music Intensive – Brian Tate

Make-Up Intensive – Gordon Hamilton

Gordon has been a theatre and art teacher at Brookswood Secondary for the last 26 years. He served on the Association of BC Drama Educators Executive for that whole time as well up until this year where he stepped down. Gordon was the recipient of ” Drama Teacher of the Year” in 2001 and 2015 by the ABCDE. In 2018 he was also recognized by ABCDE with the “Distinguished Service Award”. Gordon has been a Festival organizer since 2006 for the BC Sears Drama Festival and now for the BC NTS DramaFest. Gordon is a self-taught make-up artist and has taken workshops in New York, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. Gordon shares that knowledge with his students and teaching colleagues by teaching classes in different make-up techniques and product knowledge.

In Gordon’s makeup intensive workshop students will be exploring some basic out of kit makeup effects, along with designing a fantasy makeup. We will be using black light makeup to incorporate in our designs and using mostly SUVA Beauty makeup as they are a supply sponsor for this workshop.

Technical Theatre Intensive – Rusty Gahr

The amazing and adorable (not to mention award winning) “tech guy extraordinaire” will lead the tech theatre kids through the many and varied jobs in the tech side of theatre.  From the proper way to roll and sort cables, to designing lighting “looks” for the Gala Showcase Rusty will cover lots of essential skills.