Festival Workshops

HAWAI'I THESPIANS FESTIVAL 2026

PLEASE NOTE: Teachers / Directors, once your school's registration form has been received, we will send you the Workshop Selection Form via email. We suggest that each student select their top two workshop choices per session.

Questions? Please contact hawaiithespians@gmail.com

WORKSHOP SESSIONS*

*Workshop offerings for the 2026 Hawai'i Thespians Festival are still being confirmed. More workshops will be added when they come in. Descriptions may also be subject to change.

Bruise and Gore!

Practice scary make-up with veteran artist Lisa Ponce DeLeon. Here, a student showcases her gory designs.

2025 Hawai'i Thespians Festival/Photo Credit: Lisa Ponce DeLeon

Workshop Session I, 9:30 am to 10:30 am

Makeup: Bruising and Gore
Presenter: Lisa Ponce DeLeon
Students will receive technical skill training on how to create bruising, wounds and other gory looks using stage craft & makeup.

Unarmed Stage Combat
Presenter: Nicolas Logue
HCPA boasts highly trained stage combat choreographers who travel the world to stage fights for major theatre venues, television and film. Explore techniques used by professionals to safely perform fight scenes on stage and screen. Learn to punch, slap, gouge, kick and choke your fellow actors while making sure no one ever gets hurt and the audience is riveted by the drama of your performance.

Activating Queer Theater Dialogue in an Unprecedented Age
Presenter: Sean-Joseph Choo
We live in queer times, but strangely, for those who identify as queer, 2SLGBTQIA+, or MVPFAFF+, it may feel daunting. This workshop is part-lecture, part-overview of queer theater of Hawai'i/the American canon, and part-affinity space for anyone who is curious. Participants will talk-story, write, and dream & scheme of ways to create a better, weirder, stranger, queer-er future character choices.

Action-Oriented Playwriting
Presenter: Tony Pisculli
Drama requires characters with needs and desires that actively pursue their objectives against opposition. Learn to build short, individual scenes through a series of exercises in creating active characters.

Auditioning for Musical Theatre
Presenter: Joshua “Baba” Tavares
Bring in a song and a track to sing along to and Mr. Tavares will offer some feedback on how to strengthen your audition materials for a musical. 32 bars or about 90 seconds of a song.

ComedySportz!
Presenter: Rob Duval
Learn the basics behind making any short form improv game work. We will explore character, relationship, objective, and where in order to make your partner (and you) look great and have fun.

Props and Props Design
Presenter: John M. Cummings, III
Props are essential in bringing stories to life on stage, serving as tangible extensions of a production’s narrative. They also allow an actor to build character, motivations, or emotional journey, adding depth and authenticity to performances. Learn prop construction and make a simple prop. Materials will be provided.

Sound and Projection design with Q-Lab
Presenter: Phillip Foster
Using the Program Q-Lab learn how to design projection cues, title cues, fades, and sound cues. No computer needed just an inquisitive problem solving mind.

Helping People You Will Never Meet: Why You Should Be a Simulated Patient
Presenter: Alex Munro
At hospitals and universities across the country, actors contribute to healthcare education by performing as patients receiving simulated care from healthcare learners. This workshop introduces the concept of simulated/standardized patients (SPs) and some key skillsets that actors need to be an effective SP. Many simulation centers pay their actors, so this could be an excellent way for aspiring actors to earn some extra money while simultaneously helping healthcare learners provide better care to their patients. No preparation is needed to attend this workshop.

Intro to Puppetry!
Presenter: Jill Jackson
Puppetry is the interaction between a human and a material to create something new. Ms. Jill will bring in several material types with which we can interact and learn basic puppetry animation techniques.

Forge Your First Quest: An Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons
Presenters: Hawai'i Conservatory of Performing Arts Students
Discover the core mechanics, collaborative storytelling, and imaginative world-building that make Dungeons & Dragons the world’s most popular role-playing game. In this beginner-friendly workshop, participants will learn how to create characters, understand gameplay basics, and jump into their first adventure with confidence.

Clowning Around: Circus Skills
Presenter: Mark Branner
Learn to play around, with skill! Students will lear to juggle, stilt walking and balancing objects!

Combat ready!

Students practice stage combat precision.

Workshop Session II, 10:45 am to 11:45 am

Audition Techniques
Presenter: Taurie Kinoshita
Gain a competitive edge by practicing the important skill of auditioning. Learn about different types of auditions in this essential workshop. Although focusing on theatre, the basics of self-taping will also be covered!

Makeup: Bruising and Gore
Presenter: Lisa Ponce DeLeon
Students will receive technical skill training on how to create bruising, wounds and other gory looks using stage craft & makeup.

Before and After the Audition
Presenter: Eden Lee Murray
How an actor enters and exits an audition space is as important as the performance of the prepared audition piece. Ms. Murray will coach students on how to effectively “bracket” an audition piece, teaching students how to enter and exit effectively under audition conditions. Participants should come prepared with the first and last two lines of a memorized piece. Please be sure to come prepared.

Back & Front of the House: How to Run the Show
Presenter: Marguerite Saxton
Learn the inner-workings of those professionals who are both behind the scenes as well as the "face" of the theater. They will be introduced to procedural information that can only really be learned on the job, and have an opportunity to dive into trained practice then run a mock show from the unique perspective of Back of House (think Stage Manager, Spotlight Operator) and Front of House (think House Manager or Box Office).

Bollywood!
Presenter: Meenakshi Kutty
We've all heard of Hollywood, but have you ever heard of BOLLYWOOD?! Let's take a trip halfway across the world to India and learn some dance moves to the tune of the hit song "Dilliwali Girlfriend"! New to dance? No problem! This will be a beginner-level workshop, so all backgrounds of dance and knowledge of Bollywood are welcome. The only requirement will be to wear clothes/shoes you feel comfortable moving in. Also have water with you so you can take water breaks. Other than that, let's get moving and dance!

Props and Props Design
Presenters: John M. Cummings, III
Props are essential in bringing stories to life on stage, serving as tangible extensions of a production’s narrative. They also allow an actor to build character, motivations, or emotional journey, adding depth and authenticity to performances. Learn prop construction and make a simple prop. Materials will be provided.

Intro to TV/Film Acting
Presenter: Joshua “Baba” Tavares
Learn the basic techniques on self-taping for TV/Film auditions and how to scale your performance for the screen.

Crafting Magic from “Bits & Bobs”
Presenter: Sara Ward

Create theatrical magic by transforming random toys, shapes, and quirky odds and ends into a script-ready prop of your choice. Using glue guns and plenty of imagination, you’ll build and customize your own unique piece, and spray paint.

Practically Perfect - Acting with a British Accent
Presenter: Rob Duval
Learn the concepts of placement, pitch, inflection, and the sound changes from our general American speech to a London "Received Pronunciation" accent.

Introduction to Stage Management
Presenter: Trudi Melohn
Are you wondering what a stage manager does? This workshop will explore what this very important job entails, from planning auditions to closing night. We’ll look at the tools, techniques and traits necessary to be successful. At the end of the session we’ll put together a short scene to give you a chance to try calling cues. Whether you hope to become a stage manager, or you just want to understand more about what your stage manager is doing, you’ll benefit from this workshop.

Intro to Puppetry!
Presenter: Jill Jackson
Puppetry is the interaction between a human and a material to create something new. Ms. Jill will bring in several material types with which we can interact and learn basic puppetry animation techniques.

Workshop Session III, 12:45 pm to 1:45 pm

Jazz for Musical Theatre
Presenter: Jody Bill
Learn Broadway-style choreography commonly found in theatre. The session will consist partially of a jazz class (warm-up with stretching, conditioning, technique, and vocabulary) and a mock dance audition, challenging performers with quick learning and performance of choreography with the practice of storytelling in a supportive environment. This session is open level for all ages and skill levels.

Speak the Speech!
Presenters: Eden Lee Murray
Actors are intimidated by Shakespeare, but little do they know he does it ALL for them. Explore how to exploit theatrical gifts from the Bard of Avon. For those competing in the Shakespeare monologue competition, be sure to bring your monologue.

Bollywood!
Presenter: Meenakshi Kutty
Let's take a trip halfway across the world to India and learn some dance moves to the tune of the hit song "Dilliwali Girlfriend"! This will be a beginner-level workshop, so all are welcome. Wear clothes/shoes you feel comfortable moving in. Also have water with you so you can take water breaks. Let's get moving and dance!

Join the Chorus: Singing, Staging and Movement
Presenter: Phillip Foster
Ready, set, learn the Finale Song from “The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition!” Sing in parts and learn movement to put together a piece in under an hour. Got to move fast and quickly take and memorize direction in a chorus setting.

Superheroes vs Villains! Unarmed Stage Combat Workshop

Presenter: Kat Lee

Wham! Bam! Pow! Be the daring superhero saving the day or the dastardly villain realizing their maniacal vision! In this fun unarmed stage combat workshop, learn how to safely perform a short, choreographed hand-to-hand fight with a partner, exploring the basics of stage punches, blocks, and falls.

Direct Yourself
Presenter: Tony Pisculli

Improve your acting by making yourself more directable with this crash-course in directing for actors. Where do I stand? When do I cross? What’s my business? The more decisions you make on your own, the more you free your director up to work on higher-level concerns.

Crafting Magic from “Bits & Bobs”
Presenter: Sara Ward
Create theatrical magic by transforming random toys, shapes, and quirky odds and ends into a script-ready prop of your choice. Using glue guns and plenty of imagination, you’ll build and customize your own unique piece, and spray paint.

K-Pop Dance Explosion
Presenter: Samuel Tafolo
Annyeonghaseyo! This workshop is where we’ll dive into the precision and power of the latest K-pop songs!

Hadestown: the Myth and the Musical
Presenter: Julia Whitehead
Dive into a dramaturgical look at the show and it's source material.

*Workshop offerings for the 2026 Hawai'i Thespians Festival are still being confirmed. More workshops will be added when they come in.

Auditions will take place during Workshop Session II.

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