Acting Classes! Bill Coelius returns!

Commercial Acting 101 (101 Things You Need To Know Before Your Audition) taught by commercial veteran Bill Coelius, is the product of his experience acting in over 35 national commercials, and auditioning on a weekly basis in today’s market. From slate to set, Bill shares a carefully crafted game plan that will help you book and shoot that national commercial.
 From a reminder as basic as remembering to bring black socks to the shoot, to psychological exercises designed to help you recognize how your habitual patterns of fear-based thinking may prevent you from booking, Bill presents a myriad of skills, strategies and trade secrets that will turn your beliefs about yourself and the industry inside-out. Commercial Acting 101 covers everything from a review of basic skills such as slating, sign-in, and making copy your own, to the hidden rules of auditioning and the secrets of on-set behavior.

Commercial Acting 101 tackles everything from the mundane to the mystical. Does how you sign in affect your chances of booking the job? Are there things you can do while walking off set to ensure a future job? Are there absolute rules about acting that will help you book a national commercial? Can you work fearlessly, and truly enjoy every audition? Commercial Acting 101 will explain why all of those questions are answered with a definite YES!
 
Student Quotes:
     “This is the most effective audition class I've ever taken - and I've taken many of them. I BOOKED a commercial 2 days after the class ended. The specific skill set bill taught me in class, hands down, was the sole reason I booked that commercial. Bill's class helped me extinguish the nervousness and my fear that plagued so many of my auditions, thereby helping me to realize my true creative potential. As an actor, I feel transformed into the type of artist I've always wanted to be. I can't recommend this class enough. and I feel confident that I can book so many more commercials. THANK YOU, BILL!!”- Shuo Z.   
      “It was awesome. Bill was full of information, and he was positive and inspiring. I really enjoyed everything about it. I want to be taught by an actor who is a WORKING actor and knows what they are talking about!” –Hollie
     “ Bill was so kind and generous, and pointed out in a great way a deeper meaning on how to be successful. It was fascinating for me because I realized I am often only too happy to help people in my everyday life but had not thought about taking this into the audition room. Extremely helpful. Thank you.” -Liz F.
      "Bill is an enlightened teacher: it was hard for everyone to leave the room once class was over! Aside from the rich toolbox of practical, repeatable commercial audition skills that Bill imparts, the warmth, respect, enthusiasm, and high spirit of play that he brings to the room quickly brings out the best work in all actors. I left the class not only with the confidence to succeed, but with real excitement for my next commercial audition." –Jacquelyn L.
     “Bill is the Yoda of commercial acting technique.”- Chris B.

Class will meet April 13 & 14 (Sat-Sun) 10-5pm each day, location to be announced.
The cost for the class is $125.

You can contact Bill at  billcoelius@gmail.com or at 917 568 4391, or Aren Chaisson is acting as his 'local contact,' at arenchaisson@gmail.com

The Crandles at Cites des Arts!

An original comedy play called The Crandles by Keisha Orphey will be presented at Cité des Arts April 19-21.  Showtimes are 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday, and 2:00pm on Sundays.  Tickets may be purchased at the door, or with paypal from www.citedesarts.org

The Crandles centers on a blue-collared, African-American family.  In the first episode (scheduled for production at Cites des Arts April 19-21, 2013) Charles Crandle has won the lottery!  Three hundred and sixty eight million dollars!  What does a construction worker of twenty-plus years do with that kind of money?  

A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Keisha Orphey is known in the industry for Pacific Northwest Screenwriting Competition's Best Dramatic screenplay, Ella, a tribute to legendary jazz vocalist Ella Jane Fitzgerald. In 2008, she completed a second biopic,Trouble Man.  August 2008, Keisha adapted Vanish by New York Times Best-Selling author Tess Gerritsen, who personally read several drafts and made suggestions to the final script. Keisha also worked on Blues Boy with Director’s Guild member Peter Claridge of Peter Claridge Pictures (Germany).

Cite Des Arts Fundraiser! WHO'S TRUST THE IRS?

Cite Des Arts announces it's Spring Fundraiser:  

"WHO’S TRUSTS THE IRS? MYSTERY DINNER THEATRE"

7:00pm April 4th at Bailey's Restaurent 5520 Johnston St, Lafayette

 Join us the evening of April 4th for a wonderful meal at Bailey’s. Not only will you have a delicious dinner, you may even learn a few new things about how to protect yourself from the machinations of the Internal Revenue Service. Keep your eyes and ears open throughout the evening. There will be opportunities to take home prizes and memorabilia. That is not to say there may not be an extra taste of murder and mayhem during the night. 

 The evening will begin with a cash bar at 6:30 and guests will be seated for dinner at 7:00. A steak dinner will be offered, with a Tilapia topped with crawfish etoufee alternative for those who prefer. Tickets are $60 per person for dinner and the show. All proceeds benefit Cité des Arts. For further information and reservations, please call Cité at 337 291-1122 or go to our website: www.citedesarts.org 

P.S. If you know of any “suspicious characters” who may attend, we do accept tips to their identity and the nature of their suspicious behavior – should there be any reason to suspect them of any crimes which may occur that evening. Cité may also be “tipped” for assisting in the setup of your unsuspecting “friend”.

Ongoing now! Man of La Mancha: Iberia Performing Arts League

Man of La Mancha,  the legendary Broadway musical, will be presented by the Iberia Performing Arts League in New Iberia March 8-24. Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings (7:30) with Sunday Matinees at 3:00.  Performances will be at the Essanee Theater, IPAL’s Art Deco home. Rating PG. Information can be obtained by calling the theater at 364-6114, e-mailing ipal@cox.net, or by visiting the IPAL website www.iberiaperformingartsleague.com.

The production is directed by Donald Voorhies, and stars Lynn Derouen (Cervantes/Don Quixote), Vincent P. Barras (Manservant/Sancho Panza), and Katelyn Stelly (Aldonza/Dulcinea). Additional cast members include Mitchell Prudhomme (Duke/Dr. Carrasco), Michael Parich (The Padre), Cindy Hebert (The Housekeeper), Lanie Marcantel and Blythe Bull sharing the role of Antonia (The Niece), Dawn Borel (Contora), and Will Grubbs (The Innkeeper). Mule Drivers are  Eli Hallmark, Seth Derouen, Mike Labiche, Phillip Smith, and Kerry Jackson. Other cast members include Michael Durand, Milton Resweber, Wanda Price, Rayna Theriot, Jessica Babineaux, Maggie Landry, Teresa Landry, Bo Belanger, Kerry Jackson, Keri Judice, Sheila Derouen, Rachelle Myers, Kaylon Khamphilavong, Wendy Parich, Renee Judice, and Kim Monroe.

            Man of La Mancha opened on Broadway in 1965, won 5 Tony Awards and ran for 2328 performances. Due to its universal appeal, it is the most performed of all musicals, having been translated into dozens of languages with performances worldwide. The show features Spanish and Flamenco style music and the noteworthy anthem “To Dream the Impossible Dream.”

            IPAL’s Man of La Mancha lavish production will be accompanied by a sixteen piece orchestra.  According to director, Don “Doc” Voorhies “Man of La Mancha is simply a beautiful show. It’s fun, it’s comic, it’s exciting, it’s uplifting and it ultimately delivers an important and moving message, whether for the upheavals and storms of the 1960’s or those of today.”

IPAL is working its usual magic and are expecting to have a great show.  In Voorhies’ production staff are Lynn DeRouen and Helen Hodge, Vocal directors; Bob Morgan, Musical Director; Mitchell Prudhomme; Assistant Director: Kim Degeyter, Choreographer; Teresa Landry, Art Director; Frank Sierra, Prop-Meister, and Mike and Katherine Caffery, technical directors.

This performance is supported, in part, by a grant from the Louisiana State Arts Council, through the Louisiana Divisions of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding has also been provided through the Acadiana Center for the Arts, Regions Bank, Regions Insurance and Iberia Cultural Resources Association.

OPENING TONIGHT! The Glass Mendacity!

Eunice Players' Theatre Opens 44th Season With A Comedy

 

    As the Eunice Players’ Theatre opens its 44th season, Jody L. Powell brings to the stage The Glass  Mendacity, written by Maureen Morley and Tom Willmorth.  The two-act comedy is a spoof of Tennessee Williams’ most famous plays, The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

    Williams’ plays are family dramas, and as such, they are filled with fragile and damaged Southern characters who are driven to madness, alcoholism, deceit, and fantasy. Thus, they are easy targets for lampooning and parody, which is just what the authors of this play have done with them. In addition, the authors have taken family members from each play, mixed them up, and created an entirely new outrageous brood. Audiences with a strong familiarity of Williams’ plays will get the most out of the show, but the humor of "The Glass Mendacity" is broad enough to make it appealing to all.

    In this mingling of characters where families are merged and relationships are shifted, Big Daddy Dubois is played by Kevin Miller of Eunice.  He is well known on the Eunice stage for dramatic and comedic roles from The Subject Was Roses, all of the “abridged” and “Tuna” plays, and more.  In Lafayette, he was most recently seen in The Rehearsal and he is a member of Acadiana Repertory Theatre, having recently been in their production of CAROL: A Broken Chain.

    Big Daddy’s wife, Amanda Dubois, who still recounts the number of gentlemen callers she had in her youth, is played by Mary Gail Lamonte DeVillier of Opelousas.  Mary Gail has been seen on the Eunice stage in many roles including that of Amanda Wingfield (from whom her current character is drawn) in The Glass Menagerie, Daisy in Driving Miss Daisy and Louise in Always…Patsy Cline.

    Together, they are the parents of Brick, so rendered catatonic by self-pity and alcohol that he comes across as a real stiff.  He is played by a certain gentleman from Tennessee, whom the audience must see to appreciate.

    Blanche Kowalski, the tragic nut case, is played by Deborah D. Ardoin of Eunice.  Debbi is a long time member of EPT, and a current member of Acadiana Repertory Theatre.  She was most recently seen in The Murder Room and A Nice Family Gathering in Eunice, and Buried Child in Lafayette.

    In this twisted reality, Blanche is now married to the working-class brute Stanley Kowalski, played by John Snyder of Opelousas.  John has studied contemporary theatre at ULL and The American Theatre for Actors in New York City, as well as classical theatre at The British American Drama Academy at Oxford. Eunice audiences may remember him from years past in Lend Me a Tenor and Playing Doctor.

    Maggie the Cat, the scheming seductress, is played by Katryn Schmidt of Lafayette.  No stranger to the stage, Katryn’s work includes roles in Lost in Yonkers, Our Town, and The Vagina Monologues.  Her film work includes Lord Byron, which was screened at the Sundance Festival in 2011.

    Erin Segura of Lafayette plays Laura Dubois, keeper of a glass menagerie and the dreamer whose shyness is underscored by her limp. Erin has an extensive theatrical resume throughout Acadiana including the roles of Shelby in Steel Magnolias at Teche Theatre in Franklin, Rita in Educating Rita at Iberia Performing Arts League in New Iberia, and Lucy Harker in Dracula in Lafayette. 

    Rounding out the cast is Allen Higginbotham of Eunice, playing Mitch, a combination of the gentleman caller and the lawyer acquaintance who properly greases the wheels and can’t keep his eyes off of Blanche.  Allen joined the cast of Rumours on the EPT stage 20 years ago, and made his way back to the boards in last season’s On Golden Pond.

Evening performances will be held March 14, 15, 21, 22, and 23 at 7:00 p.m.  A matinee will be held Sunday, March 17 at 2:00 p.m.  Dinner theatre (with steak and trimmings) is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20 at 6:00 p.m. at Ruby's on Second St., with the performance immediately following.  

    All seats are $10; dinner is an additional $15.  Tickets can be purchased at David Ltd. Salon or by calling David at 546-0163 or Debi at 457-2156 to charge by phone.  The theatre is located at 121 S. Second St. in Eunice.  This play includes very brief use of mature language and smoking of herbal cigarettes.

Season tickets are also available; the season ticket is $20, which allows the bearer entrance to 3 of the season's shows, the ability to make seating reservations, an invitation to the Irving Awards, and a ballot for the awards.  Patron and angel packages are also available. 

More information can be found on EPT’s Facebook page or at www.euniceplayers.blogspot.com.

WORKSHOP: Auditioning for Film vs. The

Auditioning for Film vs. Theater-

An On-Camera Workshop with Ashleigh Prather

Contact: auditionworkshop2013@gmail.com for reservations

When: March 22 & 23 10am-5pm

Where: TBA

Cost: $100

Auditioning for Film vs. Theater-

An On-Camera Workshop taught by Ashleigh Prather will expand your skill set and help you learn how to tweak your training and theater background so that your work stands out in On-Camera auditions.  Theater training is invaluable to actors and provides the foundation for a successful career.  Working in front of the camera is a completely different experience and different rules apply. Learn the tools of the trade in this introductory workshop taught by Ashleigh Prather, a Louisiana native who received her BFA from NYU and has appeared in Theater, Film, Television, and over 50 National commercials.

This workshop will cover what to expect from an on-camera audition vs. a theater audition and how to prepare so you deliver a strong and honest performance. Everyone in the workshop will work on camera.  The film and TV industry is booming in Louisiana, make sure that you’re ready!

AUDITIONS! Deathtrap

Auditions for the play Deathtrap by Ira Levin directed by Cooper Helm and produced by Scott Gremillion.

 Saturday, March 16 3:00pm & Monday March 18th 6:30pm at Cité des Arts 109 Vine Street/Downtown Lafayette

 

 

Cast:  

 

Sydney Bruhl (M) 50-65 a famous writer of Broadway plays

Cliff Anderson (M) 25-35 An aspiring young playwright

Myra Bruhl (F) 35-50 Sydney's self-effacing but charming wife

Helga Ten Dorp (F) 45-65 A famous German psychic

Porter Milgram (M) 50-60 A Brahmin Lawyer, friend of Bruhl family

 

 

Production dates are: June 13-30

 

Always wanted to act? Now's your chance! 

The Stage Monkeys are coming back!

UL-Lafayette Opera Theatre presents DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY

The UL Lafayette Opera Theatre is thrilled to be presenting Maury Yeston’s new musical, Death Takes a Holiday this spring in Burke-Hawthorne Hall. 

The musical runs on March 21, 22 and 23 at 7:30PM and March 24 at 3PM.  Tickets are available at the door or in advance at pfar.louisiana.edu .  Tickets are $15 for individuals and $5 for people under 18.  They are also free for UL Lafayette students, faculty and staff.

The musical was written and performed off-Broadway in 2011 and UL Lafayette is the first place to do this wonderful new piece since closing in New York.  Based on an Italian play and a 1934 movie of the same name, it tells the story of the “grim reaper” himself deciding to take a holiday at an Italian villa  for the weekend.  As he discovers life, the inhabitants of the villa also discover their own personal joys and love and romance 

abound all around.  

Surrounded by a beautiful, lyric musical score and script by Thomas Meehan and Peter Stone, Death Takes a Holiday is an adventure not to be missed in this Lafayette premiere!

This production is being directed by Shawn Roy, with musical direction by David Boudreaux.  

For more information about tickets, call the School of Music at 482-6012.    

Acting Unlimited's SHOTGUN opens Saturday, March 9th!

Acting Unlimited is proud to announce its upcoming production of Louisiana Writer of the Year John Biguenet's SHOTGUN.   Set four months after the arrival of Hurricane Katrina and the collapse of levees in New Orleans, a white man and his teenaged son rent half of a shotgun duplex from an African-American woman.  Everyone is trying to cope with their losses from the hurricane (individual, familial and city-wide), including the woman's father, displaced by the devastating flooding, and an old boyfriend.  Even in the close quarters that they find themselves, there are still walls running between them--can those walls, like the city's levees, be breached?

SHOTGUN is directed by veteran director and producer Walter Brown.  Brown's varied past productions include shows ranging from "Our Town" to "Bat Boy:The Musical".   "SHOTGUN attracted me because it's a story about relationships and people in extremely difficult situations.   The heart of the story is both intensely personal and grounded in the New Orleans' experience of Hurricane Katrina and absolutely universal in its application," Brown explained.

The creative team is comprised of some of the best talent available in the area.  Duncan Thistlethwaite  is set designer ("Broken Chain", "William and Judith"and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" ), Brady McKellar from Wanderlust Theatre Co. and the UL-Lafayette Performing Arts Program  is costume designer ("The Rabble", "Picnic" and "Wolves in the Walls" ).  Travis Johnson, also from the UL-Lafayette Performing Arts Program, is the lighting designer ("An Evening of Poe", "The Rabble" and "Kaleidoscope" ).   Elsa Dimitriadis, from Wanderlust Theatre Co., is serving as dramaturg.

Acting Unlimited's cast for this show is comprised of some faces which the audience will recognize immediately and some relatively new to the Lafayette stage.   Rudy Eisenzopf ("Beau Jeste", "Buried Child"), Angela Thomas, Andrew D. Hunter ("We All Do", "Promised Land"), Dr. Daniel Wiltz ("To Kill a Mockingbird", "Lilies of the Field") and Cody Dunstan ("Wolves in the Walls", "Dracula") make up the cast.
SHOTGUN will be presented at Theatre 810, Acting Unlimited's home theatre, located at 810 Jefferson Street in downtown Lafayette, opening on Saturday, March 9th at 8 pm (following ArtWalk Saturday) and running through March 17th.  Tickets are available for purchase online at shotgun.eventbrite.com.  They can also be reserved by calling (337) 484-0172.

Along with the Acting Unlimited production of SHOTGUN, there will  be productions of the other two plays of John Biguenet's Katrina Cycles.  The Swine Palace of Baton Rouge (http://www.swinepalace.org/) will be presenting RISING WATERS from March 6-17, and Southern Rep in New Orleans (http://www.southernrep.com/) will produce the world premiere of the newest play in the trilogy, MOLD, from March 20-April 14.