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Many of the Juniors had never seen
professional live theater before this evening. The energy and excitement
that this spectacular production brought to this audience will long be
treasured as a very valuable experience.
Duane Boutee Workshop - 08/17/02
I met with Junior Company members (past and present) for another workshop on August 17, 2002 during the final week of a musical world-premiere at the Second Space Theatre. I composed the music for that premiering musical, LYIN' UP A BREEZE, with book by another Fresnan, Terry Miller. Our premiere of LYIN' UP A BREEZE and my memories of performing in new musicals composed by others gave me my theme for the day's workshop. LYIN' UP A BREEZE was a runaway hit for the Second Space. The talented cast and the sold out houses were certainly enough to make a composer happy. But those involved with the show will not forget how uncertain we were about the first performance. You see, not only did we have an untried musical but we also had a tight rehearsal schedule and music that was difficult to learn. Our cast did a wonderful job with the material. But I began thinking about musical performers in New York and something that a surprising number of Broadway singers lack. As a performer in New York, I have participated in many readings and workshops of new musicals and performed in three world-premiere productions: PARADE (Broadway), THE BUBBLY BLACK GIRL SHEDS HER CHAMELEON SKIN (Off-Broadway), and RIVERVIEW (Chicago's Goodman Theatre). I was surprised to learn that some of New York's greatest talents do not read music well enough to allow a rehearsal process to move as quickly as it could. Shouldn't professional musical performers (especially on Broadway) learn, at some point, how to read music? In comparison to other contemporary musicals, LYIN' UP A BREEZE is only moderately difficult to learn. Ask Audra McDonald (former Junior) about "Marie Christine" or just listen to her first CD featuring several not-so-easy-to-learn songs by Broadway's newest composers. Those who read music well enough to sing what a composer like Michael-John LaChiusa, Ricky Ian Gordon, or Kirsten Childs intended are the first performers sought for new material. Audra is one of those well-prepared artists. When learning a newly composed musical, a singer doesn't have the benefit of listening to a cast recording - it doesn't exist. A person who reads music well will be better equipped to give the composer exactly what he imagined; exactly what he wrote. When creating a new musical, composers benefit from artists who read and learn music quickly and accurately. The most difficult music I encountered as a performer was that of THE BUBBLY BLACK GIRL. In this musical by Kirsten Childs, meters and modes seemed to change every 5th or 6th bar. We rehearsed the entire 2 hour show (with very little dialogue) in 6 days and were ready for a formal reading before an audience by the seventh day. It could not have been done without a cast of singers who knew how to keep track of changing meters, unusual melodies, and seemingly abstract accompaniment. But what a gift we gave to the composer by learning her music quickly enough to help sell it into production at Playwright's Horizons from our briskly rehearsed reading. For my session with the Junior Company, I decided to encourage them to learn how to read music. I wanted to give them some new skills that would help even a novice find pitch relationships when looking at a piece of sheet-music for the first time.
I had a very attentive group of about 25
Juniors. We discussed the difficulties of being in a new musical and
then set out on some ear training. I helped them become aware that we
are all familiar with a major scale from it's use in most music and that
we can use that basic ear-skill to quickly find relationships between
notes. If we call the root-note of any major scale "one", and refer to
the notes that follow as "two, three, four, five, six, and seven", we
then have a system by which we can change the starting note (the "one")
and know how to find the new "two" or "three" (etc.) as it relates to
the new root-note. It's a simple system based on our memory of the
sounds in a major scale. We closed our workshop with a "question and answer" session and, of course, the pizza social at Me & Ed's across the street. I'm hoping the current Junior Company members were able to impress their musical director with their new skills at the rehearsal that followed.
- Duane Boutté Mel Cobb Workshop - 5/19/01 ACTING TECHNIQUES AND VOICE ARTICULATION METHODS
Thanks to a generous grant from the Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable Foundation, the Junior Company Foundation presented a workshop on Saturday, May 19, 2001, featuring native Fresno director, Mr. Mel Cobb. Mr. Cobb conducted a series of active exercises with the current twenty members of Junior Company focusing on "getting the message across to the audience." Each youngster had the opportunity to work personally with Mel on being "heard and understood" from the stage. Mel also put them through their paces using one of the current Good Company Players pre-show's musical numbers which required very articulate and rhythmic sounds. The Juniors were amazed at how improved they sounded after the morning workout. They also had lunch with Mel at the close of the morning which offered them the opportunity to ask more questions and get to know him on a more personal level. Mr. Cobb's credentials are very impressive. Although he has directed, produced, and acted in shows in New York and London, he came home to Fresno and Good Company Players from his most recent employment with "The New Globe Theater" in London. Mel spent several years helping build the authentic Shakespearean venue on the site of the original "Globe Theater." He is presently living near Boston where he is a consultant with the building of "The Rose" theater for another Shakespearean company. The Foundation felt very fortunate to have him accept our invitation to teach our Juniors proper diction. This training is extremely valuable for our young people in this age of computers and video games. Mel enjoyed himself and has offered to return to conduct more workshops when his schedule permits. Andrea Chamberlain Workshop - 9/23/00
Taking time from her busy schedule in New York City with her "off Broadway" show, I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE, Andrea came home to teach a Junior workshop about working her way up through the ranks to Broadway and living in NYC. She also shared her memories of Junior Company and how the experience helped her in a very tough and competitive business. She stressed that although she did not go on for formal education after graduating from high school, a college education would have made her road a lot easier. Andrea is a real "working" actress and has had to move her life where and when the jobs were available. She allowed them to sing whatever they wanted for her, and a few chose to show her some dancing. She seemed to work very well with the twenty current Junior participants and she proved to be one of their favorites. Duane Boutee Workshop - 11/27/99
Duane Boutte, one of the first Junior Company members, conducted a workshop by directing the Juniors in a musical number from the Broadway show, "Parade". Teaching them the music and the blocking, he was able to get all of the participants on stage and involved. This was an excellent exercise of how performers take direction when they are not familiar with the material. After a full morning, the Juniors were very proud of themselves when Duane played the music from the show. They found that they matched up very closely with the enthusiasm and sound of the original score. Celebrations continued with pictures and pizza. "FAME" Workshop - 11/16/99 Twenty members of the current Junior Company were treated to an evening of entertainment by the national touring company of "Fame" at the Saroyan Theater. Following the show the cast held an informational question and answer session regarding life "on the road", education, auditions, etc. There was also an essay contest for the Juniors to write in 50 words or less, "What Fame Means to Me". The prize of a "Fame" tee-shirt autographed by the cast members was awarded to Michael. The cast members were very generous with their time. The Juniors brought them raisins and pistachio nuts grown in the Valley. The whole evening was made possible by a grant from The Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable Foundation. Robert Westenberg Workshop - 8/7/99
Robert Westenberg, a GCP alum, returned to the Music Hall to teach approximately fifty past and current Junior Company members what to do from the moment one decides to audition for a show to the final curtain call. It was truly a morning of inspiring information from this Tony Award nominee. With great respect of his audience he led them through many scenarios encountered in the theatrical world. Bob has been a true "working actor" all of his adult life so he had many funny and not-so-funny situations to share. He finished off the morning by allowing several Juniors to do a "mock audition" for him followed by a genuine, but sensitive critique. Of course the workshop ended with pictures and pizza with very generous one-on-one time with Bob. Mr. Westenberg has much theatrical experience. His Broadway credits include: 1776, Company, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, The Secret Garden, Les Miserables, Into the Woods (Drama Desk Award and Tony nomination), Sunday in the Park with George, Zorba (Theatre World Award), and A Christmas Carol (Madison Square Garden). He has done off-Broadway shows, as well as many regional theater productions. Bob has film and TV credits and his voice can be heard on several original cast albums. The Foundation felt very fortunate that Bob shared his valuable time with our Juniors and hope that he will come back again soon.
Audra McDonald and Sarah Uriarte Berry Workshop - 09/97
It was a magical Saturday in September when former Junior Company members, Audra McDonald (two-time Tony Award winner) and Sarah Uriarte Berry (Broadway star), came home to the Music Hall by invitation from the Junior Company Foundation. Both ladies were kind enough to leave their current Broadway commitments and readily accept the Foundation's invitation to conduct a performance training workshop for approximately forty 1997 Junior Company members. Audra is currently preparing for the Broadway debut of Ragtime, which is scheduled to open in January. She won her Tony Awards for her performances in Carousel and Master Class. Sarah is presently starring as Eponine in the Broadway run of Les Miserables, and has notable fame for her role in Broadway's Beauty and the Beast (Belle), and Carousel (Julie). The Junior Company Foundation, an organization dedicated to continuing education and performance training in the arts for current and past Junior Company members, was the proud recipient this year of a generous grant from the Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable Foundation. This enabled the Foundation to sponsor the September workshop, a five-hour session which included a variety of exercises designed to help the participants relax, focus, and ultimately learn tips on how to audition more effectively. There was time for questions and answers, as Juniors learned that Audra and Sarah, like themselves, had come through Fresno schools, had embarrassing moments, had stumbled through auditions, and had not always been cast. The stars also admitted what a strong and positive influence performing in Junior Company has been on their careers. The discipline, focus, drive, and consistency which is taught at Good Company Players has paid off for both of them time after time. Through this face-to-face interaction, the success and star qualities of these young women were within the reach of every one of the workshop participants. The morning concluded with vocal performances by Sarah and Audra, just for the Juniors. Finally the Junior Company assembled for the traditional lunch at Me 'n Ed's with their new-found friends and mentors, continuing more questions about Broadway, memories and fun. No words can quite describe the camaraderie that was felt in this "fraternity" of Junior Company performers. It was a magical homecoming one never to be forgotten. Heidi Blickenstaff and Shandon Youngclaus Workshop - 08/97
It was wonderful to have two Junior Company alums come back to teach some fancy footwork to the 1997 Summer Junior Company. They also gave them some real tips on how to make it in the professional arena called "show business". Heidi Blickenstaff had just finished a world tour of Tommy, and was on her way to start rehearsals for the national tour of Dream Girls. Shandon had just hit land after a year on the high seas performing and choreographing for the Holland America Cruise Line. Both former Juniors graciously came home to "give back." The Junior Company Foundation provided the tuition for twenty current Juniors to attend the Good Company Players dance workshop, taught by Heidi and Shandon utilizing the generous grant from the Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable Foundation. It was fun for the Juniors to compare notes with professionals who had experienced much of the same discipline that GCP demands. Even though years have passed since Heidi and Shandon wore their names on Junior Company tee-shirts, much of the same philosophy about being professional is still taught and expected. Both performers agreed that this training has sustained them through many a tough audition and performing schedule. Heidi had just finished auditioning for several of the big shows on Broadway, so she taught some of the choreography direct from the rehearsal halls of the Big Apple! After Shandon taught the routine timesteps used for a tap audition, he and Heidi conducted a "chorus line" interview and mock tap presentation of the newly learned material. It was fun and the Juniors felt like professionals. At the same time they seemed to relate in a very down-to-earth, friendly way to these two people who could sit on the rehearsal hall floor and be one of them! A few of the stronger Junior tappers were allowed to participate in the advanced tap class in the afternoon. Shandon teaches tap without music because he feels it is necessary to hear every tap sound and be aware of the counts. It was remarkable to see what he was able to teach these students to do in the short two hours. At the end of the session when they ran the long, very complex and intricate routine, every tap sound was exact and the whole class ended "on the dime" together! It was very impressive to all involved. Heidi and Shandon are truly wonderful teachers, as well as performers; however the best thing is that they are truly wonderful people-Fresno people, because they haven't outgrown us. They have both offered to come back again, and we 'd love to have them anytime. In the meantime, keep an eye open for their names in lights!
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