Step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch. Again!

For the next two weeks, Alexandra, one of our talented Overtures students, is taking over our blog. Check back for daily updates!

Choreographer Karma Camp works with students on their tap technique.

Thursday, June 20

Someone once told me that a dance call for a non-dancer is just a good workout. While I have six years competitive ballroom on my resume and am certainly more than just a mover, I have often felt apprehensive when called in for choreography. Not unlike fellow Overtures company members, I was wary of stepping up to a ballet bar for the first time in two years and doubly unsure of the racket I would make when I laced up my hardly-worn tap shoes. But then again, working on my dance and choreography skills was one of my reasons for applying to Overtures in the first place.

Enter Karma Camp, Signature choreographer-extraordinaire. This past Sunday, I joked about our first warm-up being enough to potentially scare away the faint of heart and Karma herself warned that we would be screaming her name when we woke up in the morning sore. But after a week together, our groans brought on by aching muscles and moments of frustration are nearly gone, replaced by points of clarity, confidence, and can-do attitudes. And that warm-up (even the ab workout that goes along with it) is fun; especially when stretching to a Norm Lewis original while Karma records an iPhone video to send to her friend, Norm Lewis!

The choreography is certainly nothing to scoff at either. Our big showcase number, “King of New York” from Newsies (including an 8x8-count dance break) is definitely testing everything we are learning. And expectations are high. While we may slow something down briefly, we are constantly asked for more. We are learning to attack choreography, rely on our “buddy system” with our fellow company members to run phrases in our downtime, and trust in what we have already learned in just a week while also pushing ourselves to be better. We are discovering the mechanics of a double pirouette, working out the sounds in a shim sham (or at least most of the sounds for the non-hoofers), and breaking down the story of the dance. We are realizing that we are perhaps dancers after all.

Martha Graham once said, “No artist is ever pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction; a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.” With midterms tomorrow, followed by a well-deserved day off, I have a feeling the 2013 Overtures company will “keep marching” - running lyrics while folding the laundry, checking tap sequences in the aisles of the supermarket, and we will be ready and eager to jump right back into the work on Sunday morning.

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We've Got Rhythm, We've Got Music

For the next two weeks, Alexandra, one of our talented Overtures students, is taking over our blog. Check back for daily updates!

Tuesday, June 18

Anyone passing by The ARK today was treated to quite the cacophony. There were, of course, the familiar sounds of songs being rehearsed, the shuffle-ball-changes of tap sequences, the occasional groan of frustration or sore muscles, the “Who are you talking to?” and “Where’s your focus?” of our first acting sessions with Andrew Long. But it was the sounds outside of dedicated class time that might have pleasantly surprised a few passersby.

After only three days together, the 2013 Overtures Company feels like a true ensemble. When we make discoveries and breakthroughs in group work there is applause and even resounding calls of “Werk girl!”. When we lose our balance in relevé or our flaps don’t sound quite right, our fellow company members are there to buddy up and go over the step one…okay, three more times.

So perhaps it was not all too strange that during much of today’s “down-time” we were found playing old-school theater games or jamming. Put 17 musical theater artists together in a circle and we will make music; improvising drum beats with hands, binders, water bottles and feet, riffing and rapping “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. On a dreary day packed with demanding (and exhausting) classes and sessions, our scheduled breaks were much-appreciated moments of collective clarity.

As we ended our busy Tuesday by running through our first two company showcase songs, there was a palpable joy bouncing around the rehearsal room. Though it’s certainly easy to smile with lyrics like “My personal puss on a wooden nickel,” a dozen and a half artists finding a rhythm and groove will more than brighten any rainy day. There is some truly beautiful theater-making happening at Overtures, and we still have another ten days together!

Don't miss the Overtures Showcase! Saturday, June 29 at 11 AM in the MAX Theatre. Admission is free and seating is on a first come, first serve basis.

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Different Every Time: Spontaneity in Acting

"The supreme skill of the actor is to appear spontaneous while being very deliberate in everything he does."

- Dorothy Heathcote

Different Every Time
Saturdays, May 18–June 22
No Class May 26

11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Instructor: David Zobell (Education Director)

Tuition: $200 

REGISTRATION CLOSES MAY 13.

To register click here.

Acting, by nature, can be very repetitive: say the same lines, stand in the same places, find the same emotional notes. So what is it that makes some actors so brilliant? Why do we find their performances so engaging and moving? The secret is spontaneity - the minute improvisations that happen within each line without disturbing the framework of the play that create the "illusion of the first time."

While this seems like a simple concept, putting this theory into practice can be remarkably challenging. Here's where our class comes in.

In "Different Every Time," teen actors will learn to make each time they approach a piece as exciting as the first! Through a variety of techniques involving individual and group exercises, the class will focus on fundamentals: spontaneity, listening, verbal and non-verbal communication, relaxation, and more. This course for the growing actor will help students avoid falling into habits onstage and give them the confidence necessary to communicate honestly and create a live experience in performance every time.

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Inside the Lines: An inside Look

This spring Signature Theatre is offering a class for teens called "Inside the Lines: Text and Performance."

The class will be Mondays, April 29-June 10th (no class on May 27th) from 6:30-8:00 PM. Tuition is $240. Registration closes on Monday, April 22nd! REGISTER HERE.

So what exactly is this class about?

You’re given a part, handed a script, and then what? Learn to use every word for your advantage by breaking the script down to its essentials, including structure, subtext, beats, and objectives. Once you’ve mastered the text, you’ll learn how to take that knowledge to create a detailed and engaging performance.

Who will be teaching the class?

Jack Novak, a professional actor, writer and teaching artist who has worked with several renowned theatres in Chicago, including the Filament Theatre Ensemble and the Mime Company.

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