Ancram Opera House Announces Free Community Workshops

Co-Directors Jeff Mousseau and Paul Ricciardi will once again offer free, interactive community workshops this spring, with the artists behind our 2022 summer season. No previous experience is necessary!

AOH workshops are designed to engage with artistic expression in all its forms. Participants will receive personalized guidance and feedback from the teaching artists. Folks of all levels of experience are encouraged to attend, from seasoned professionals to theatre newcomers.

"Central to our work is the opportunity to connect community members with the many gifted, talented artists creating performances at AOH," Co-director Jeffrey Mousseau explained. "For the artists, the workshops provide an opportunity to explore ideas relevant to their projects; and for the participants, the sessions offer a chance to engage in creative expression in a supportive, welcoming environment."

This year, our workshops will take place LIVE at Ancram Opera House. In order to maintain a safe environment, and provide participants with plenty of individual attention, workshop enrollment will be limited.

Participants ages 18+ can sign up for one, two or all three workshops.. All three workshops are free, but registration is required. Sign up now to secure your spot! Visit https://www.ancramoperahouse.org/workshops for registration links and more information, or call AOH at 518-329-0114

Ricciardi starts off on Saturday, May 21 from 11 am-1 pm with a STORYTELLING WORKSHOP. Everyone has a story to tell. Learn how to organize your story, and how to create that deep performer/audience member connection that can only happen through the intimacy of storytelling. Using techniques developed in Ancram's REAL PEOPLE REAL STORIES series, Ricciardi will guide participants through fun exercises that will lead to a dynamic story.

Then from 10 am- noon on Saturday, May 28, the SUNWATCHER creative team offers a CREATIVE MOVEMENT WORKSHOP. Director Nana Dakin will guide participants through a series of simple exercises to awaken physical awareness. Next learn more about the team's creative process and the inspiration for SUNWATCHER, including scientific information about the Sun and sunspots. Composer Tidtaya Sinutoke and librettist Isabella Dawis will share some of the music they created based on this sun data. Participants will then be guided by Dakin on how to use these scientific facts and musical material as inspiration to create their own one-of-a-kind SUNWATCHER movement.

Participants in the Creative Movement Workshop may want to stay the afternoon of the 27th to explore the Ancram area and then return to AOH for the 8 pm work-in-progress showing of SUNWATCHER. The evening event is not a part of the workshop and tickets must be purchased separately.

Finally, on Saturday, June 18 from 10 am-3 pm Celeste Lecesne, writer/performer of POOF!, leads a STORYMAKING WORKSHOP designed to explore our individual myths, give voice to emotional, political, and personal truths, and create a structure that will carry your story into the world. Whether you are working on a screenplay, a TV pilot, a stage play, a one-person show or a novel, knowing the basic rules of story can help you discover both the story you want to tell and the best way to present it.

Ancram Opera House asks that the following COVID-19 guidelines are observed when visiting our space. All patrons, staff and company members are required to be fully vaccinated and masked for indoor events at AOH. When you arrive for your workshop, we'll ask for proof of vaccination status which you can provide by showing your CDC vaccination card or a photo image of it, NY State's Excelsior Pass or any other status app. A photo ID will also be needed in case the staff person at the door doesn't know you. Visit www.ancramoperahouse.org/covid-guidelines for more information. We thank you for your understanding, and look forward to seeing you soon!

The 2022 AOH summer season kicks off with SUNWATCHER, a part of Ancram's Summer Play Lab series, with work-in-progress showings May 27-29 at the Opera House. For tickets and more information on this and the rest of the season, visit www.ancramoperahouse.org.

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