Joe Deer is an award-winning director of over two hundred productions in Europe, Off-Broadway, regional, summer stock and university theatres including many with the Human Race Theatre Co. (where he is a resident artist) and the Muse Machine, both in Dayton, OH. Joe performed in Broadway and national touring productions of Anything Goes, The Music Man, Brigadoon, Singin’ In the Rain and The American Dancemachine and was stage manager for the acclaimed Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls, among others. 

Joe is a frequent master teacher at many of the world’s top institutions including: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (London, England), Scuola del Teatro Musicale (Milan, Italy), Danish National School of Performing Arts, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Carnegie Mellon University, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and many others. He is author of the books, “Acting in Musical Theatre: a comprehensive course” (co-author, Rocco Dal Vera) and “Directing in Musical Theatre: an essential guide”, which have been translated into five languages. Joe is Distinguished Professor of Musical Theatre (emeritus) at Wright State University where he was Founding Head of Musical Theatre (20+ years), Department Chair and Artistic Director. He was the 2016 recipient of the Ohio Governor’s Award for Arts Education. Joe’s greatest pleasure comes from seeing young artists find their voices.

Adrienne Gibbons Oehlers is an Assistant Professor at Wittenberg University, where she teaches courses in musical theatre, theatre history, acting, and directing. She has recently directed Angels in America (part one), How I Learned to Drive, and Theory of Relativity at Wittenberg, and will be directing Ride the Cyclone there in the fall. Before moving to Ohio, Adrienne performed in the original Broadway company of The Producers on Broadway, as a Radio City Rockette, and in many national and European productions.

Adrienne holds a B.A. in music from Barnard College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in theatre from The Ohio State University.  She is currently working on her first book, tentatively titled The Radio City Rockettes: A History of 100 Years of American Precision Dancers. This year, she won the ASTR Jessica Berson Dance Research Grant and a Wittenberg Faculty Research Grant for this upcoming project.  www.adrienneoehlers.com

Saturday, July 26, 2025 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

10:00 AM - Welcome, Warm Up, Ice Breakers
10:30 AM - Dance Choreography
11:30 AM - Audition Roadmap (Etiquette, creating an audition cut & music prep)
12:30 PM - Lunch
1:30 PM - Song Sing-Thru
2:00 PM - Mock Auditions  (Will include feedback from facilitators)
3:30 PM - Reflection (Next steps, takeaways)

• Available to ages 16 - 25

• Lunch will be provided

• Wear clothes and shoes you can move in

• Bring printed sheet music for a song that you know well

  • If you would like help selecting a song for the workshop, be sure to sign up for the 'Song Selection Pre-Meet' Zoom session when you register!

• Participants will receive a packet to take home that includes excerpts from Joe Deer's book, sample resumes, etc.