Theatre Three Announces New Performing Arts Educational Opportunities for Adult Actors

Theatre Three, uptown Dallas's 56 year-old theatre-in-the-round will offer a number of new workshops and master classes for adult actors. In addition to another session of the previously announced National Michael Chekhov Association (NMCA) workshops, favorite local actors Wendy Welch and James McQuillen will present two sessions of one-day only Musical Audition Master Classes. All classes will take place at Theatre Three, located in the Quadrangle (2800 Routh Street, Suite 168, Dallas, TX 75201).

MUSICAL AUDITION MASTER CLASS

Wendy Welch and James McQuillen will lead an intentional, empowering approach to musical theatre auditioning for singers, actors and everyone in between in two sessions (Monday, September 11 from 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. and Monday, October 23 from 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.). Students are welcome to attend one session or both. This class for novice or experienced students age 16 or older will cover the practicalities of auditions, the technique and technicalities of musical theatre auditioning, acting the song, "how do I walk in the door and where do I look?", song selections and more, as well as offer individual instruction time. Tuition for each master class is $150 and is due in full five days prior to class.

Wendy Welch graduated from the Acting Program at SMU and studied at HB Studio in NYC. She was on the theater faculty at SMU, Northlake College, and taught at Richland College for 13 years, where she created the Musical Theater program, and directed a number of musicals. She has taught musical theater for the Dallas Ballet Center Summer Intensive for 12 years, and has taught and directed for the Lyric Stage Super Stars and the Teen Musical Theater Camp at Dallas Theater Center. She has had a private voice and coaching studio since 2000. Welch has been active in the DFW theater community for over 3 decades, playing leading roles at WaterTower Theater, Dallas Children's Theater, Theater Three, Stage West, Circle Theater, Casa Mañana, Lyric Stage, Uptown Players, as well as CityRep OKC and USI/New Harmony, Ind. She has been the recipient of the Leon Rabin Award, and three Critics Forum awards. Welch is a 37-year member of Actor's Equity Association. She is represented by the Mary Collins Agency and is active in the commercial/film/voice over industry.

James McQuillen is a teacher, music director and pianist, and is equally adept working with actors, musical theatre performers and opera singers. He has taught classes on acting through song, auditioning and creativity for Southern Methodist University, Binghamton University (SUNY), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of North Texas, Rocky Mountain College, University of Central Missouri and many theater companies across the country.

His work as music director includes "The 3 Redneck Tenors" (national tour), "Whodunit: The Musical" (York Theatre Company - NYC), "The Girl of 10,000 Smiles" (Edinburgh Fringe), and "The Golden Age of Broadway" and "Bernstein On Broadway" (Crested Butte Music Festival). He has been music director of many productions in the past 17 years, among them "Evita," "Grey Gardens," "A New Brain," "Little Shop of Horrors," "Violet," "The Pajama Game," "Closer Than Ever," "Into the Woods," "Side by Side by Sondheim," "[title of show]" and "Master Class." As of August 2017, James is the new Director of Music at Casa Mañana, in addition to being Artistic Director of Casa Mañana's new cabaret series.

NATIONAL Michael Chekhov ASSOCIATION WORKSHOPS

Theatre Three, in collaboration with the National Michael Chekhov Association (NMCA) will present another 6-week session of performance training classes for adult actors, both professional and novice, who are seeking to learn more about the art and science of acting. The workshop will take place every Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to noon, from November 4 to December 16 with no class on November 25. Enrollment for this course is $180.00.

These classes will explore the acting technique developed and taught by master acting teacher and actor Michael Chekhov, and will be taught by highly respected actor and NMCA certified teacher, Gail Cronauer. The class is an exploration of a series of tools that can be learned and used to create transformative, inspired performances.

"Michael Chekhov's work and technique is a gift to the performing artist - or anyone interested in peak performance," says Cronauer. "It gives the actor real tools, fosters a healthy aesthetic, unlocks the imagination, enlivens the body and voice and fosters ease, confidence and courage."

Gail Cronauer is one of the most respected actresses and acting teachers in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. She is currently on the faculty of Collin College in Plano, Texas, having taught previously on the faculties of Southern Methodist University, Webster College, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Illinois State University.

Michael Chekhov began developing the assets of his technique as a pupil of the renowned theatre director and teacher Constantin Stanislavski. As a student, Chekhov was asked to enact a true dramatic situation as an exercise in Affective Memory. He recreated - extremely effectively - his father's funeral. Stanislavski only later discovered that Chekhov's father was still alive and consequently commented on his pupil's "overheated imagination." This Faculty of Imagination was to become the key to his whole approach to acting in the course of his professional career. Movement, Atmosphere, Concentration and intense Ensemble work became additional tools for the building of a role and the birth of a production. The vitality of Chekhov's approach can enthuse and inspire in a dynamic way, enabling actors to open new doors to the creative individuality within. ?

For more information about educational opportunities at Theatre Three, visit www.theatre3dallas.com.

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