Spotlight on Christian Meany as Shrek

For Christian Meany, the best part about being an actor is the opportunity to become someone new and different with every show.

“I get to completely change who I am every time, to be someone else and do something new,” said Christian.

That’s more true than ever with the current character he’s playing.

Christian takes on the larger than life and ever so green role of Shrek in Patel Conservatory Theater’s production of Shrek the Musical.

“When I was a kid, I saw Shrek, and now I’m getting to be Shrek,” he said. “It’s one of my favorite shows that I’ve ever done. It’s really high energy. You can do whatever you want with  your character.”

Christian, 15, of Valrico, played Donkey in Shrek the Musical with Music Showcase in Brandon. A student at Tampa Catholic High School, he’s performed with Music Showcase since he was eight years old, including as Horton in Seussical the Musical Jr., Aladdin in Aladdin Jr., Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Jr. and as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof Jr. He also sings with his church choir.

Christian in Fiddler on the Roof

This will be his first show with the Patel Conservatory. He had seen a couple of shows here in the past and enjoyed them. So when looking for new opportunities this summer, he decided to audition for Shrek. He was surprised when he found out he’d been cast as the lead.

“There’s a lot of talented kids here."

Certainly a script like Shrek helps cast members bond pretty quickly. From have a burping contest with Fiona to sharing jokes with Donkey, "I've really gotten to know everyone," he said.

In addition to the light-hearted humor, Christian said director Suzanne Livesay has helped the cast delve deeper into their characters for the more tender moments.

"I definitely think it’s going to be a really good show. It has a lot of emotion, unlike the movie, but it’s still really funny.”

Don’t miss Christian as everyone’s favorite ogre in Shrek The Musical, July 16-26, 2015 at the Patel Conservatory’s TECO Theater.

Mamma Mia cast visits Shrek students

The cast of Mamma Mia!, front row, with students in PCT's Shrek the Musical

Special thanks to the cast of Mamma Mia! for visiting our students this week.

The cast of our Patel Conservatory Theater production of Shrek the Musical got to participate in a Q & A with members of the cast of Mamma Mia!, running this week at the Straz Center in Carol Morsani Hall.

Cast members chatted about everything from the business of acting (getting an agent vs. not getting an agent) to bloopers from the show (sneezing at inappropriate moments, and a high heel breaking on stage).

While their stories and backgrounds varied, they all agreed that training is important to becoming a successful performer.

“Focus on your weaknesses,” said Danny Lopez. “If you’re a singer, take some acting classes. If you’re a dancer, take some voice lessons. You have to try to balance them equally.”

In addition to musical theater training, many in the cast have had classical theater training.

“Classics like Ibsen, Shaw or Shakespeare are more challenging and will help you build a different set of skills,” said Beth Ann Wipprecht.

Regardless of your training or background, hard work is the key to success, they said.

Going on lots of auditions, making connections and being nice to others helps lead to jobs, which lead to more jobs.

Eric Presnall shared his story of how, for three years, he flew to New York again and again and kept auditioning for his favorite musical American Idiot. He finally got cast in the tour in the ensemble and as the understudy for his favorite character Tunny.

A fond memory for him, he said, was when he finally got the chance to go on as Tunny. There was a moment in the show when he saw his own reflection in his sunglasses with the audience behind him, and he thought, “Dreams do come true.”

Featured Camps of the Month: Showstoppers and Showstoppers, Jr.

This month, we highlight our Patel Conservatory Theater intensive, Showstoppers and, new this year, Showstoppers, Jr.

Showstoppers is a musical revue of popular Broadway favorites performed by advanced level theater students in our summer theater intensive of the same name. It’s been so well received the past couple of years that we’ve added even more fun to this summer’s line-up.

Due to the popularity of Showstoppers, we added Showstoppers, Jr. This two week camp for students in grades five through eight allows younger students to work on their vocal and musical theater skills. There is no audition required for this level.

Directed by Matt Belopavlovich, Showstoppers Jr. gives students the opportunity to hone their solo and ensemble skills through rehearsal and performance of songs from popular musicals including 42nd Street, High School Musical and Fame.

In addition, this year’s Showstoppers revue promises to be just as exciting as ever!

“We’re going even bigger this year with the show, including an eight-piece orchestra,” said Showstoppers director Scott Daniel.

“A major difference this year is that we’ve gone from a two-week intensive to three weeks to expand the show. That extra week gives us more time to put together a full 90-minute production.”

Daniel, in his second year of directing this production, brings a wealth of musical theater experience to the show. He has performed in national tours of Cirque Dreams and Footloose, and regional credits include The Wiz, Spring Awakening, Bright Lights Big City and many more. He's also performed with Royal Caribbean International and Holland America cruise lines.

In the intensive, advanced level students in grades seven through college will spend three weeks in rehearsals, which culminate in multiple performances which have traditionally sold out.

This year’s performance, Showstoppers: Words and Music, pays tribute to great American composers such as Andrew Lloyd Weber, Stephen Sondheim and Kander and Ebb. With selections from Chicago, Cabaret, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Phantom of the Opera, and many more, it’s sure to be truly showstopping!

Registration is still available to participate in the Showstoppers, Jr. camp. To register, click here or call 813.222.1002.

For tickets to Showstoppers: Words and Music, click here.

Patel Conservatory's fall auditions

The Straz Center’s Patel Conservatory will host auditions for upcoming classes for the 2014/2015 season.

A Year with Frog and Toad 

Grades 5 through 8
This performance-based program allows students to put into practice the skills they learn in the classroom. The program culminates in a ticketed performance of this whimsical musical, written by brothers Robert (music) and Willie Reale (book and lyrics), based on the Frog and Toad children's stories.
Auditions will be Mon., Aug. 25 and Tues., Aug. 26 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Instrumental and Vocal programs
Grades 5 through 12
Orchestra, chamber and jazz musicians, and vocalists, hone their skills and gain vaulable ensemble experience.
Auditions will be Sat., Aug. 23 from 10 a.m. to Noon

Rock School

Students are placed in bands according to age and skill level, and weekly rehearsals culminate in a fully-produced Rock School Blowout concert.
Auditions will be Tues., Sept. 2 and Wed., Sept. 3 from 5 to 8 p.m.

For more information, or to RSVP for an audition, please call 813.222.1002.

Free audition workshop and headshot event

If you're thinking about auditioning for the Patel Conservatory theater production of A Year with Frog and Toad, then you may want to consider our upcoming audition workshop.

Walk into your audition confident and prepared with a free audition workshop with Sean Paris.

Free Audition Workshop with Sean Paris

Sat, Aug. 16, 9 to 11 a.m.

Grades 5 to 8

FREE

Learning to give a great audition doesn’t happen instantly. It takes practice. Being prepared is the first step to seeing your name in lights.

Step by step, students will learn how to build and execute a professional theatrical audition from the ground up.

Participants will work through the audition process, from what to pack in your audition bag (yes, there is such a thing!) to exiting the audition room with your head held high.

Soho Images will also be on hand to take headshots. There will be no cost for the sitting, and headshots can be purchased following the event directly through Soho Images.

Sean Paris has worked as an actor, director, acting coach and casting director in New York and in national tours throughout the United States and Canada. A graduate of The University of Florida, he holds degrees in Theater Performance, English, and a minor in secondary education.

The workshop is recommended for students in grades 5 through 8 is free and open to the public. Students who come with a monologue or song prepared may be given the opportunity to audition their piece and receive a critique.

The workshop is free, but RSVP is required. Please RSVP by calling 813.222.1002.

Auditions for spring musicals

by Paige Strott, Patel Conservatory Marketing Assistant

The Patel Conservatory Theater (PCT) is gearing up for auditions for their spring shows!

The shows are performance-based production classes, in which students can put into practice the skills they gain in the classroom. They’ll build theater, music and dance skills while participating in a nurturing yet demanding rehearsal process that culminate in ticketed performances, which are open to the public.

Joust! A Mighty Medieval Musical

On Nov. 23, PCT will have auditions for students in grades 2-4 for the performance of Joust! A Mighty Medieval Musical.

Directed by Patel Conservatory theater instructor Audrey Siegler, the show is the tale of medieval knights who decide to put down their weapons and pick up instruments instead.

Rehearsals begin in January and performance dates are Feb. 27 through Mar. 8. 

Auditions will be held on this Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013 from 10 a.m. to noon. Students should prepare 16 bars of a song and a 30- to 60-second monologue, or use the ones provided here: audition sample song audition sample monologue. 

Oklahoma!

Oklahoma! auditions are also coming up and are sure to bring in some fantastic talent.

This Rogers and Hammerstein musical classic will be put on in the spring. Rehearsals begin in January, with performance in May.

Auditions are open to students in grade five through adult, and will take place Wed., Dec. 11 and Tues., Jan. 7, at 5:30 p.m.

Please prepare 16 bars of a song from a traditional musical in your range. 

For both auditions remember to dress ready to dance!

For more information or to schedule an audition or for either show, please contact the theater department at 813.222.6414 or pateltheater@strazcenter.org.

We hope to see you there!

A Little Princess inspires hope

When A Little Princess director Jessica Scruggs asked her cast to describe the play in one word, the most resounding word was hope.

Jessica Scruggs

“This is a timeless classic that is not your average princess story,” said Scruggs.

Scruggs grew up watching the film version starring Shirley Temple with her grandmother. “I have an emotional connection to the show,” she said. 

So when asked to direct, she felt it must be fate that finally brought her to the Patel Conservatory.

This is her first show with the Conservatory. A native of New York City, she moved to Tampa last year when her husband accepted a job here.

A longtime performer, director and choreographer, she had her first acting role when she was seven years old on Sesame Street.

“After that, I decided, I’m going to be an actress. There was no question,” she said.

Scruggs attended the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City, then received a B.A. in theatre arts from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Her television credits include 30 Rock, AMC’s Rubicon and One Life to Live and her theater experience ranges from Off-Broadway to independent theater festivals.

She is currently the director of musical theater at Blake High School.

“I like working at Blake and the Patel Conservatory because the kids take it seriously,” said Scruggs.

A Little Princess is a musical that tells the story of Sara Crewe, a little girl with a big imagination. To Sara, everyone at Miss Minchin's boarding school is a story: cold Miss Minchin; her timid sister, Miss Amelia; pupils such as spiteful Lavinia or plodding Ermengarde. Imagination sustains Sara when she is orphaned and banished to the attic.

“It’s a really challenging play because it was written for adults actors. But the students have risen to the occasion. The kids in the show are all very passionate about the story they are telling. It’s very genuine,” said Scruggs.

Ultimately, the play lets kids know that anyone can be a princess, even if they are going through hard times, as long as they are kind to others.

“That’s what really resonates with me about this story. It is full of hope.”

A Little Princess plays Nov. 14 through Nov. 23, 2013. For tickets, click here.

A new kind of Odyssey

This month Patel Conservatory Theater (PCT) students are taking on Homer’s classic Greek myth, The Odyssey.

Odyssey cast members, including Jessica Jacobs, front row, left.

The epic tale has been adapted into a play by Mary Zimmerman and will incorporate original music written by Heather Blalock, with music student Parker Wilkson accompanying. The material is certainly challenging, but the Patel Conservatory students are taking to it brilliantly. 

For PCT student Jessica Jacobs, these past few weeks have been all Odyssey, all the time. While rehearsing for the play, she is also reading The Odyssey by Homer in her AP Literature class at Blake High School. 

The 17-year-old says she “is doing great on tests” because it is easier to remember the many character names and plot events when you’re also working on the show. She has even been able to help her classmates at Blake with pronouncing the character’s names.

Jessica has been performing at Conservatory since fifth grade. Her favorite past productions at the Patel Conservatory were Pirates of Penzance and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

The Odyssey requires a lot out of the PCT students because most of the students have multiple roles. Director Ami Sallee has been working with the students on acting movement in rehearsals to help them enhance their character development.

Jessica appreciates the movement training because in The Odyssey she plays a much older character, Odysseus’ mother.

“I need to move like an 80-year-old woman when I’m actually 17,” said Jessica.

Sallee’s movement based warm-ups and exercises help Jessica transform into different characters, she said.

Jessica and the entire cast can’t wait for the performances, and are excited to bring new life to this classic tale. 

Tickets are $10 through Sept. 29; and $15 as of Sept. 30. For tickets, call 813-229-7827, click here, or visit our box office in person. 

Little Mermaid Jr. offers family friendly fun

From left, Caleigh Potter, Teresa Tompkins and Mia Cintron

Don’t miss the Patel Conservatory Theater production of The Little Mermaid, Jr. this weekend!

It’s theater for kids by kids! This entertaining Disney classic features a cast of more than 90 students, performing favorites such as Under the Sea, Part of Your World and Kiss the Girl.

Quentin Darrington, left, works with the cast of
The Little Mermaid, Jr.

The production is a culmination of a three-week theater intensive, in which students worked on theater, dance and vocal skills. Last week, they were able to work with guest instructor Quentin Earl Darrington, of Broadway's Ragtime.

The show is co-directed by Ami Sallee and Audrey Siegler, with music direction by Allison Novak and choreography by Susan Downey.

It’s an event full of music, dancing and fun with your favorite Disney characters!

Little ones can come early dressed as their favorite “under the sea” character and enjoy pre-show activities.

Starting an hour before each show, kids can have their picture taken with a Mermaid, courtesty of YTEevents and SOHO images.

There’ll also be an instrumental petting zoo where kids can touch and experience a variety of instruments and see which ones they like best!

The show will be Fri., Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. and Sat., Aug. 10 at 2 p.m. in Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center. For tickets, click here, or call 813-229-7827.

Bring your friends and spread the word!

Theater Guest Blog: Showstoppers rehearsal offers fun challenges

Guest blog by Stefan Melnyk, Patel Conservatory Summer Theater Apprentice

Students rehearse choreography for Showstoppers: A Musical Revue

Patel Conservatory Theater students are preparing for an upcoming production of Showstoppers: A Musical Revue.

This exciting show will feature a collection of fully choreographed musical numbers from Broadway shows spanning the last several decades.

Rehearsals began on Monday, and the songs rehearsed served as a terrific demonstration of this eclectic approach, including “Seasons of Love” from the groundbreaking Rent, and “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” from Cole Porter’s classic 1934 show Anything Goes.

The first half of the day was devoted to learning the vocals. All the students were unanimous in selecting “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” as the more challenging of the two songs, thanks in large part to its more complex harmonies and considerably faster tempo.

The students and instructors are acutely aware of being on an extremely tight schedule, packing a great deal of material into the intensive two-week production class.

“They put the ‘intense’ in ‘intensive,’” said Gabie Barnes, one of the students performing in the revue.

This pressure, far from defeating the students, clearly galvanized them and fostered a spirit of creative cooperation.

Parker Wilkson, the student accompanist on the production, felt precisely that contrast.

“I’m trying to sight read a lot of [the score],” he said, but added that the pressure would be beneficial in the long run. “I think I’ll get better overall as a musician over the next two weeks.”

The second half of the day was devoted to learning the choreography for the morning’s songs, a task that the students approached with admirable patience and ardor.

While the production is still in its early days, it does seem clear that the performers have more than enough talent and enthusiasm to push the show as far and as high as it can possibly go.

You can come relive some of your favorite show stopping Broadway musical numbers in Showstoppers: A Musical Revue on Jun. 27 and 28, 2013 at 7 p.m. in the Jaeb Theater at the Straz Center. For tickets, click here, or call 813-229-7827.

Auditions for Shakespeare's The Tempest

Patel Conservatory Theater's 2012 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream

The Patel Conservatory is now casting for our summer theater production of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

This Patel Conservatory Theater production offers advanced-level training through nurturing and demanding classes and rehearsals. The summer intensive program is for students ages 14 through 25 who are interested in delving into classical theater techniques and improving their acting skills.

The class culminates in a ticketed production of the play which is open to the public.

The Tempest summer intensive will be taught and directed by Shakespeare veteran Giles Davies.

Davies was a resident company member of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company for nine years, and also directed last summer’s Patel Conservatory Theater production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The Tempest is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place. Using illusion and skillful manipulation, he conjures up a storm, the eponymous tempest, to lure his usurping brother Antonio and the complicit King Alonso of Naples to the island. There, his machinations bring about the revelation of Antonio's lowly nature, the redemption of the King and the marriage of Miranda to Alonso's son, Ferdinand.

Auditions will be June 15. Dormitory options are available.

Particularly need males to fill the roles of Prospero, Antonio and King Alonso.

If interested, please prepare a Shakespearean sonnet and RSVP to Christen at 813-222-6414