K.Kopryanski, S. Cabaj, K.Schoger
Conference "Theatre Between Tradition and Contemporaneity"
Theatre - Dance - Music - Visual & Multimedia Art - Arts Administration - Performing Arts Training - Theatre Design & Technology
Explorations of Loss
Performance, coaching, and discussion of excerpts from three theatre pieces by Karen Kopryanski - Head of Voice & Speech and Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, Kelley Schoger - Assistant Professor of Acting & Movement at The University of Alabama, and Stacey Cabaj - Assistant Professor of Acting and Pedagogy at the College of Communication and Fine Arts of Loyola Marymount University.
Stacey Cabaj is an Assistant Professor of Acting and Pedagogy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She is a certified instructor of the Meisner Approach to Acting, Vibrant Voice TechniqueTM, and Vocal Yoga®. Stacey holds an M.F.A. in Theatre Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University and a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She is a member of ACMHE, AEA, VASTA, and is the Chair of Voice and Speech for the Southeastern Theatre Conference.
Karen Kopryanski is the Head of Voice and Speech at Virginia Commonwealth University, and has coached more than 50 professional and collegiate productions on the East Coast of the U.S., including those at The Huntington Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, and Commonwealth Shakespeare. She spent ten years on the faculty of The Boston Conservatory, and has taught in the United States, Russia, Italy, and Singapore. She received her MFA from the ART/MXAT Institute for Advanced Theatre Training, and is a member of Actor’s Equity Association and an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework.
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
Kelley Schoger is Assistant Professor of Acting and Movement at The University of Alabama. She performed professionally in New York City for ten years as an actor and puppeteer (including MCC Theater, La Mama E.T.C., Theatre for the New City, Mabou Mines). As a movement specialist, she has coached and created ensemble movement sequences at Arena Stage in DC, various theatres on the east coast, and with physical theatre company, Complicité, through their artist education program. One of her recent works is an original solo show called "Beauty, Identity, Release". Kelley is a member of AmSAT, SETC, ATME, and holds an MFA in Theatre/Movement Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University, a BA in Theatre from Virginia Tech, and certification through the American Society for the Alexander Technique.
As actors, performance pedagogues, and human beings, we are curious about how the universal experiences of loss and grief manifest in the body, breath, voice, and use of language. In this session, each presenter will share an excerpt of a theatrical piece that explores the subject of loss, including: Cigarettes and Chocolate (Minghella), The Wolves (DeLappe), and Beauty, Identity, Release: A theatrical study of grief and body (Schoger.) Then, we will investigate with participants how tools from our various performance pedagogies and traditions, including Alexander Technique, the Meisner Technique, and the Suzuki Method can be used in coaching or rehearsals to support truthful and effective performance. We will conclude with ten minutes of facilitated conversation about the performances and coaching strategies.
Organized by IUGTE in collaboration with "ArtUniverse" and New International Performing Arts Institute