Header Picture

03 August 2012

Careers with Riley Steiner


Riley Steiner and Hallie Cooper

            On Tuesday, the campers attended a lecture entitled “Careers,” given by ASC Theatre Camp director Riley Steiner and her daughter Hallie Cooper.  Because Session II of ASC Theatre Camp often includes older teenagers who are beginning to think about college, this lecture’s purpose was to help our young aspiring actors select a college program that is a right fit. At the start of the lecture, Steiner, currently a student of Mary Baldwin College’s MLitt program , stressed the need for higher education. She maintained that actors need to diversify not only by attaining an undergrad degree, but also by taking a variety of classes throughout adulthood.  She held that the more education a person has, the more they have to offer to the world, making an actor more employable.
            Steiner divided her lecture into two parts, beginning with college selection. Steiner explained the difference between the different types of degrees that institutions will offer, going over BA, BFA, and conservatory education. Steiner briefly, but pointedly, mentioned that there are certificate programs out there that will not offer a full degree. She held that the campers should always seek programs that offer an undergrad degree. With the exception of that statement, Steiner and Cooper did not favor one program or another, but instead assessed the strengths and weaknesses of each one without bias. Throughout the lecture, Steiner and Cooper both named universities with good programs in each kind of degree, both in the US and abroad. At this time, Sara Glancy and Emily MaCleod, both recent college graduates from theatre programs at NYU and Vassar respectively, briefly explained how their programs worked, what set them apart, and their own personal experiences within the program.
            The second part of Steiner’s lecture dealt with auditioning for admission into universities. Auditions are always a stressful topic, and Steiner and Cooper gave advice on broad matters, such as audition piece selection, as well as specifics such as audition clothes. The lecturers explained that the prepared songs and monologues have to represent who the auditioner is as a person. If the auditioner fails to reveal that heart, then he or she will not properly stand out against the backdrop of hundreds of other nearly-identical applicants. Thus, it is important to select a piece that is age appropriate, that is polished for performance, and that represents and markets the student’s talent.
            Steiner and Cooper then brought up the matter of resumes and headshots. They brought in examples of their own resumes, so that the campers could look at the format and see what information they included. Then the lecture evolved into a panel that judged what was a good or a bad headshot, using the past headshots of our lecturers. During this time, all present learned that the headshots need to be in color, that the headshot can’t be more beautiful than the performer really is, the background needs to help make the subject stand out, and that you have to be comfortable around and trust your photographer.  The most important part of the headshot is the eyes, so Hallie taught the campers a trick. Claiming that the eyes should stand out of the headshot no matter what, she suggested that an auditioner  should turn the headshot upside down. If the eyes still stand out, even when upside down, then it is a good headshot.
            Steiner and Cooper, both experienced performers, were full of great advice, tips, and tricks for our campers. I can honestly say that what they had said really stuck with the campers, since the afternoon after rehearsal I caught some of our female campers taking pictures of one another and commenting on whether or not it would be a good headshot. Steiner and Cooper addressed important issues and thoughtfully answered the questions of the campers. Because each actor has a different experience, our own counselors frequently chimed in with their own background (and occasional tales of woe). While the difficulties of the theatre business were in no way sugarcoated, Steiner and Cooper encouraged the campers to market their strengths and to keep educating themselves. Who knows? Perhaps the next James Keegan or Alli Glenzer is among us!

02 August 2012

Do What You Will: ASC Theatre Camp Talent Show

Karl Dickey and Liam Rowland 
             Once every session, the campers get a chance to showcase their diverse talents to their peers during an ASC Theatre Camp event called “What You Will .” As the name might suggest, the campers can perform whatever they feel personally accomplished at or want to do. What You Will is a break from our standard rehearsal schedule that allows the campers to perform a wide variety of pieces, some quirky, most hilarious, all engaging, to their fellow campers.
            While not every What You Will has MCs, Karl Dickey and Liam Rowland volunteered for the task as part of their talent. Clad in uniform dinner jackets and bowties, sporting sunglasses and fancy hats, this hysterical pair introduced each of the twenty-seven pieces put on during What You Will. Both Karl and Liam are talented musicians, so they frequently introduced their peers in song. For example, before Noël Grisanti and Maggie Doyle performed the famous unpinning scene from Shakespeare’s Othello, Liam and Karl threw out a couple jokes and performed the “Othello Rap” from the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Our MCs flew by the seat of their pants, providing hilarious, often improvised, introductions for their peers.
Hugh Raup "hypnotizes" Counselors into Contortion
            As previously mentioned in this blog, our campers this session are a particularly musical bunch, but it has never been so apparent as at What You Will. Be it performing original songs, covering well known favorites, or mashing up popular songs to create something new, our campers wowed us with their  creative, instrumental, and vocal prowess. In addition to musical abilities, many campers revealed their varied dance abilities. While we saw some magnificent traditional pieces, such as Caroline Cromwell’s ballet, some were refreshingly less conventional. Cyler Winnie did a modern robot dance fluidly, while Elise Ammondson did her own soft shoe/ hard shoe mashup Irish jig take on “Cotton-eye Joe.” Some of our campers decided to doff conventional talents in favor of physical feats. Hugh Raup decided to amaze his fellow campers by doing a series of contortions that culminated in the “hypnotization” of four counselors for a group number.
Carmen Paddock Performs a Monologue
            Some of the scenes that were being performed were original pieces written by our very own campers. Elizabeth Williams, Annalise Kiser, and Rachel Poulter-Martinez each wrote different pieces. Annalise chose to read her own work aloud while Elizabeth and Rachel  had given scenes to their peers and asked them to perform staged readings of them. Both Rachel and Elizabeth acted as directors for their scenes, and took the time before the show to gather props to bring them to life. In performance, the pieces were thoughtful, dramatic, and dark, and they well harnessed the talents of their peers. It was lovely to see this facet of our campers’ talents on display. It was interesting to see the fruits of the directorial positions that some of the campers took.
            The strong group energy that resonates during each camp activity has been remarkable. During many of the different musical pieces, the audience members would often chime in by clapping, snapping, or even stomping to the beat. Always respectful of the onstage performer, they got involved only they were encouraged to, always adding to and not detracting from the piece. This sense of group camaraderie was particularly tangible during Hugh Raup’s performance of “Mariner’s Revenge” by The Decembrists. He sang it with no instrumental accompaniment, so, taking the lead of counselor Dan Stevens, the campers beat out a percussive line to add to the song.
What You Will has consistently been a lovely night where all of the members of camp get together to watch and support each other’s abilities. What You Will is voluntary, so everyone who performed wanted to showcase and share their accomplishments with the camp. It is a beautiful evening of support, humor, creativity, and appreciation, and it demonstrates what a large pool of talent our directors at their disposal to incorporate into our upcoming productions. Though What You Will was a private, camp-only event, our performances of Shakespeare's 1 Henry VI and Much Ado About Nothing as well as Beaumont and Fletcher's A King and No King premier on Sunday, August 5th for a free and open to the public one day event. Please join us to see more of what our talented campers can do!
 --Madeleine M. Oulevey