ACTING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE PRESENTS
A One-week Intensive Advanced Actors Showcase for Ages 11 - 18
JUST SO…
A re-imagining of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories
adapted for the stage
By Lisa Nanni-Messegee
Overview of the Program
Who can rehearse and perform a full-length play in one week? We can! This very unique and highly intensive program was created by Director / Writer Lisa Nanni-Messegee, who directed a different cast of 36 young actors each summer in Mankato, Minnesota for ten years. Lisa brought her program to AFYP Stages in 2008, and we are very proud of our past productions Radio Vega, DOISTER 2000, Carol vs. Christmas, The Adventures of Peter Pan, 25 Ark Lane and The Hamlet Murders.
Here’s what you can expect:
On the first Monday we meet, a group of actors audition for roles in a play that they’ve never read. By the end of the day, they have begun blocking the play. Blocking continues until mid-week. Some plays contain stage combat and dance elements, which are also rehearsed. By Thursday and Friday the actors are running the show off-book and memorizing their blocking, all the while developing their characters. By Saturday and Sunday the ensemble is performing for an audience, on stage, with simple technical elements (lights, basic set, props, costumes and sound.)
To make things even more interesting, the week of rehearsals includes various workshops. Examples of past workshops include: Intro to Stage Combat, Voice and Movement, Dramaturgy, How to Make a Movie in Hollywood, Improv, Finding Your Character’s “ROOT,” Theater History and Costume Design.
Affectionately described as “boot camp theater,” this is a very advanced and exciting challenge for any actor. It is an invigorating combination of theater training and professional stage experience, and a wonderful supplement to the AFYP curriculum. The plays are always ensemble in nature, meaning each actor is given time to shine onstage.
About the Play
JUST SO…
A re-imagining of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories
adapted for the stage
By Lisa Nanni-Messegee
Rudyard Kipling’s beloved short stories come to life in this exciting new adaptation by
Lisa Nanni-Messegee. The play will feature popular stories including “How the Whale Got His Throat” and “The Elephant’s Child” among others.
Taking inspiration from Julie Taymor (The Lion King) and Mary Zimmerman (Metamorphoses), this AFYP production will be a moving visual feast of puppetry, movement and storytelling.
About the Playwright/Director
Lisa Nanni-Messegee is a freelance Theater Director, Writer and Teacher. Directing credits include The Shape of Things and An Ideal Husband for George Mason University, The Dining Room for Highland Summer Theatre, and Violets for Theater of the First Amendment’s 6th Annual First Light Festival. In Los Angeles, Lisa received directing awards for her work on Tainted Blood with The Road Theatre Company. She was also awarded a Fellowship for Directing at the Kennedy Center for her work on Tracers.
As a playwright, Lisa has had numerous plays produced including Street Smart: The Adventures of Polly Pedestrian, Sally Surfer and the Wild Wild Web, Doister 2000, Fall from a Height, Radio Vega and the short play, Campfire Tales: Jorinda and Jorindel. Lisa is the Resident Director and Playwright for AFYP Stages and is an Adjunct Professor in the Theatre Departments of George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College. Along with her husband Todd, Lisa is on contract as a screenwriter for The Hallmark Channel. She’s also a longtime member of the faculty of Acting for Young People.
Program Details
Dates: Rehearsals: Monday, August 6 – Friday, August 10, 2012
Performances: August 11 at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.; August 12 at 2 p.m.
Schedule: Rehearsals: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Performances: Saturday & Sunday call times will be announced
Location: George Mason University
TheaterSpace
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
(comprehensive directions will be sent with final confirmation)
To Enroll: You may register online, or complete the Advanced Actors Showcase PDF application and return with a recent photo and a resume/list of performance experience and classes taken. This program is recommended for students who have studied/performed with AFYP or have equivalent training/experience.
Program is limited to 36 students.
DEADLINE TO REGISTER: JUNE 1, 2012
Cost: $350
Registration includes two tickets for the performance of your choice, regularly $5 per ticket.
We will collect your complimentary ticket information via email prior to the start of the program.
Additional tickets will be available for pre-order through our website starting June 1.
Students will also receive a souvenir t-shirt. Please indicate size on registration form.
Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Registrants will receive an initial confirmation email, followed by a final confirmation email that will include additional information about daily schedule, drop-off & pick-up, and other important logistical details.
Please note that this program is not part of the regular camp season. Please visit www.afyp.org or call Mary at (703) 307-5332 for Summer Arts Camp information.