Add drama to your Halloween costume with our make-up workshop

Want to add some ghoulish effects to your Halloween costume this year? Join us for a fiendishly fun theater workshop at the Patel Conservatory:

Stab Wounds, Scars and Scares! Oh, My!

Sat., Oct. 24
10:30 a.m. to noon
Cost: $20

In this hands-on workshop, students are introduced to the basic materials and skills needed to create a horror make-up look using household items.

This fun workshop includes a basic introduction to make-up and design, an application demonstration of wounds, scars and painting, and, students will have the opportunity to apply learned skills to create a simple wound.

Students will be provided with all materials to create in-class applications as well as how-to and material guides to take home for reference.

This workshop is designed for anyone in grade five through adult. The cost is $20.

For more information, or to register, call 813.222.1002.

Who keeps track of all those props in Shrek?

From a spraying skunk to a buck with horns that are torn off by Fiona, the prop masters for the Patel Conservatory’s production of Shrek the Musical have certainly had their work cut out for them. The many little details that went into this show have helped make it such a huge success.

Avery Coonts, a summer theater intern, shares his experience working on the show…

"As I pass the half-way mark in my internship here at the Patel Conservatory, I am amazed at the amount of work that has been done in such a short amount of time. It has been an awesome experience with all the challenges one might expect from the theater.

During this summer’s production of Shrek the Musical, fellow intern Collin and I took on the challenge of prop mastering the show. Although some of the props were rented from a local theater, most had to be built.

Some people may think the job of the prop master is generally easy, but it can become difficult when you have to match the design styles of the props that were rented. Every prop should have some cohesive sense. They must all look and feel as if they come from the same place and time.

Many hours were spent in the workshop creating rats, a stuffed goose, a fire, a big head and much more. Collin and I were also tasked with prepping dragon and creating the special effects for the puppet. A healthy amount of dry ice and CO2 were used to bring the big girl to life.

The big joke that has circulated around theater has been that prop masters put hours of work into a prop that is seen for maybe five seconds on stage. However, we do all this work for the audience and the performers involved in the production.

Overall this experience as one of the prop masters for Shrek has been amazing. I would really like to thank Suzanne Livesay, Brian Frey, Scott Daniel and Josh Young for their constant support of our work.”

Shrek the Musical continues through this weekend. For tickets, click here.

Welcome to our summer theater interns

From left: Virginia, Avery, Collin and Chelsea

Welcome to our summer theater interns, who have come from far and wide to work with us on our theater camps and productions!

Patel Conservatory theater faculty recently attended the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Chattanooga , Tenn. and interviewed more than 40 candidates for our summer internship program. Candidates had extensive experience in their schools and community theaters in various aspects of theater, from technical theater to costuming.

Four were chosen to work with us on our summer camps and productions including Aladdin Jr., Shrek the Musical and Showstoppers.

Check out their perspectives of their first week at the Patel Conservatory...

Avery Coonts, Arkansas Tech University

Teaching and Directing Intern

“Making the jump into an organization the size of Patel Conservatory was a bit daunting for me as I come from a much smaller program. But when I approached the beautiful campus, my mind was immediately put at ease knowing that I would be working in paradise.

The true beauty, though, lies with the staff of the Conservatory. They welcomed us immediately with warm greetings and gracious accommodations. It has made me really look forward to this summer.

Orientation has been amazing thus far and I have already learned so much. Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure to work with a variety of talented young artists and I cannot wait to continue that here at the Conservatory.

I strive to make every production I have worked on special for all involved. I’m excited to be here and get to work and share my creativity with the students!”

Collin Cagle, Louisiana Tech University

Stage Management and Arts Administration Intern

“The first thing I noticed when I got here was the beauty of the Patel Conservatory campus and the state-of-the-art facilities.

The week started with preparation for this summer’s fun activities. This included our participation in the new Apprentice Boot Camp. It was a weekend program that introduced the apprentices to the basics of all of aspects of theater. It was a great experience, even for someone who is in college.

I’ve worked with the American Shakespeare Center and The Russian National Ballet, and I already know that the knowledge gained from this summer will be equal or greater. I hope to offer students new insight into character development and stage management.

Fun fact about me: I am a huge fan of Superheroes and Science Fiction.”

Chelsea Walton, Emory University

Teaching and Directing Intern

“Week one at the Patel Conservatory was a flashback to my childhood summer theater camp days. We've met lots of exciting and talented people, played games and explored the city. The Conservatory staff are fun, generous and caring, and the students are thriving. Watching auditions and callbacks as well as attending the Apprentice Boot Camp was an exciting glimpse into the influence of this conservatory.

The interns have varied theater backgrounds and aspirations, all of which we’re excited to explore here. We instantly loved each other and our new jobs - and our clown boss.”

Virginia Hirsch, Arkansas State University

Arts Administration and Teaching Intern

“The Patel Conservatory summer internship program has already been an eye-opening experience. Though I have only been here for a short time, I feel totally immersed in the program, which stems from the rare balance of excellence and caring. The directors and staff are so knowledgeable that you automatically feel challenged and ready to try new things.

A sort of Jack-of-all-trades, I've had extensive experience in directing, acting, singing, stage management and design. I’m ready to bring and hone these skills during my very first internship.

It's been such a fun transition from fairly rural Arkansas to the hot metropolis of Tampa (aside from the traffic). We are staying in a house in historic Ybor City, which has been delightful to explore. The first full day I was here, we were sent on a scavenger hunt through Ybor City to help us learn the history of the city and become familiar with local treasures. I'm so excited to continue my exploration of Tampa as well as theater during my stay at the Patel Conservatory.”

Happy Halloween from the Straz Center and Patel Conservatory!

From our Halloween make-up workshop last weekend to Spiderman, the Mad Hatter and Mary Poppins, the Patel Conservatory and Straz Center students and staff got into the spirit of the holiday.

Check out these pics of students and staff...

Theater staff Sarah Berland teaches
students how to do ghoulish make-up
effects at last week's Behind the Curtain
workshop.

A theater student gets a new look at
last weekend's make-up workshop.

 Staff and students alike enjoying dressing up for some treats today!

Happy Halloween from our team to yours!

Theater faculty Ami Sallee tackles another Homer classic

On the heels of directing a modern day version of Homer’s The Odyssey at the Patel Conservatory, theater faculty Ami Sallee recently took on another Homer classic, An Iliad.

Sallee directed Gorilla Theatre’s An Iliad, which runs through Feb. 2, 2014.  The show runs one more weekend (January 17-19) at The Firehouse Cultural Center in Ruskin, one of our community partners, and returns to Tampa January 23^rd at the Springs Theater.

Known throughout the Tampa Bay theater community, Sallee teaches several theater classes at the conservatory, including the Beginning Adult Acting and Techniques of Acting.

A three-time Creative Loafing “Best of the Bay” winner, she is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to theater, from acting to directing and everything in between.

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes perspective in this conversation with Sallee...

Ami Sallee, right, with Brendan Ragan, talks about
Gorilla Theatre's An Iliad on WMNF radio.

How did you come to direct both of Homer’s epic poems in one season?

I had chosen May Zimmerman’s The Odyssey for the conservatory’s fall season early last year. In October, the president of the Gorilla Theatre’s board came to see our production and we talked about the potential of directing An Iliad for their first play of the 2014 season. It was purely coincidence but like to call this my “Homeric Year.” Epic things are happening this year.

What are the similarities and differences between the two productions?

The Odyssey and An Iliad both have a close place in my heart. I treated both processes with a great sense of respect for the dramaturgy. An homage to the story teller, each were an opportunity to think outside of the box in terms of movement and staging.

But they were vastly different in terms of casting and rehearsal dynamics. The Odyssey was a full ensemble piece, whereas An Iliad is a one-man show.

The Odyssey went up in only eight weeks, with just 11 rehearsals, but I had an amazing 8-person design team of dedicated artists to pull such a beautiful production together. With An Iliad, we had 11 rehearsals and the design team was just me! Thankfully, I had Nicole Smith (stage manager for The Little Mermaid Jr. at The Conservatory this summer) by my side through it all.  Add Brendan, our 1-man, and we are a mighty trio. 

In addition to directing An Iliad, you were also the lighting, sound costume and scenic designer? What was that like?

Due to a miscommunication of schedules, we lost our lighting and scenic team about halfway through a VERY short process. We reached out to a handful of designers, but so close to the holidays, we didn’t have any luck with that. On the 3rd day of rehearsal, I decided that I could design the lights, too. No problem. I do it all the time at the Straz Center’s Shimberg and TECO Theaters. By the 5th day of rehearsal, I had also assumed the scenic design. The vision was so clear in my head that it just seemed pointless to bring on someone else.

I wanted to fully transform the atmosphere of the audience so that stage was just an extension of the pub in which the poet finds himself. I wanted the lighting and scenic elements to stretch beyond the simple into the “full experience”.  I got in my van and hit up every local theater’s scenic storage spaces and have borrowed the entire stock of chairs for the set from Tampa Bay, including from my own house. I have nothing to sit on at the moment. Thankfully I’m hardly ever home this month.

It was an absolutely exhausting experience, but, if I do say so myself, I am proud of my designs – individually and as a collective, serving the story.

What else do you want to share about the show?

Brendan Ragan, recent Asolo Repertory MFA grad is the star of the show, playing The Poet and a handful of Greeks, Trojans and gods. I was blessed to be working with an actor who brings equal, if not double, what I brought into every rehearsal. It’s breathtaking, refreshing. Working with someone so physically aware and emotionally astute, who gives so generously of his abilities to serve the story, it inspires you to do the same. I really hope that all of my students can see Brendan perform so they can give themselves the gift of seeing the outcome of working with a consummate professional.  If you do come, stay after the performance.  Brendan and I would love to answer any questions or hear what you have to say.

You recently transitioned out being the chair of the Patel Conservatory’s theater department. Can you tell us why?

When I assumed the position of theater chair two and a half years ago it was with the knowledge that I would eventually pass on the hat to a new chair who would take us to the next academic level.

This is from the announcement we sent out, “It has been an honor to have been able to lead the department through significant years of growth. The theater department has transformed from a series of unconnected classes to an accredited program with vertical curriculum, and a certification program for students on a pre-professional track.”

This is 100% true.  I was good at the job, at building the structure that the department so desperately needed, but there was also a nagging need to get out from behind the desk. When a full-time faculty position become available, to make a Homeric reference, it seemed the right time to step aside and begin the search for our next leader.

I am ecstatic to be back in the classroom and in the director’s chair, and back on stage this spring in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and working on my own one-woman show. All of these opportunities feed me as an artist, as well as fulfilling The Patel Conservatory’s goal of employing working professional artists on our faculty.

A new role for Marina Alcover

Marina Alcover has gone from a vocal and theater student to theater professional.

Alcover started at the Conservatory as a student. After graduating from Blake High School, she received an associate degree in stage management from Florida School of the Arts.  She returns to the Conservatory as the stage manager for the Patel Conservatory Theater production of The Odyssey.

The 21-year-old discusses her transition and why she is loving the production of The Odyssey! 

When were you first a student at Patel?

I became a Patel student in 2010, I was in the vocal intensive that summer and the following summer. I was unable to be at the Patel during the school year because I attended Blake High School and I was very involved in the theater department there. 

What was it like to transition from a student to a professional in the same environment?

It has been very exciting! I hadn't been to the Conservatory in two years, when I was away at school, so a lot of things had changed. But I knew Ami [Sallee, director of The Odyssey] and I was super excited for the opportunity to work with her! 

What has been the biggest challenge for you and the students during preparations for The Odyssey?

I think the script has definitely been the most challenging for the cast because it is so large. And the text isn't difficult but it is a different way of speaking that they have had to adjust to. Also most cast members are playing up to six different characters, but they have done an excellent job of keeping track of their characters and knowing where they are and when.

What is it like working with such a diversity of ages in the cast?

The diversity in age, and in their theater experience, is really interesting. There are some adults where this is their very first production, and then there are some students who have been doing theater for a while. Yet, everyone respects one another and they all get along wonderfully. It's awesome to see the cast work together and help one another. 

What is your favorite thing about stage managing?

I love everything about stage managing! I love the rehearsal process and watching the actors develop into their characters as well as seeing the design and overall look of the show transform. But if I had to pick, I'd say my favorite is calling the show. It's really great when you call a cue or a difficult sequence of cues just right, and you know the audience is experiencing the show exactly the way the designers and directors intended.

The Odyssey plays this Thursday through Saturday in the TECO Theater.

Tickets start $15. Student prices start at $3.50 for groups of ten or more. For group information, please email pateltheater@strazcenter.org.

For tickets, call 813-229-7827, click here, or stop by the box office in person.

Spotlight on Sara Bollinger

Live on TV

When Sara Bollinger showed up at around 6 a.m. at the Patel Conservatory, she’d never performed a solo in front of an audience before. Yet she was about to perform live on television for the entire Tampa Bay area on the Good Day Tampa Bay morning show.

“It was really nerve-wracking up until I started performing,” said Sara. “Then the nerves went away, and it was amazing,” 

The show, which featured our summer camp programs, aired in June. Since then, Sara’s artistic journey at the Conservatory has continued to blossom and reach new heights.

Where she started

Sara joined the Patel Conservatory’s senior choir in January, 2012. The 17-year-old senior from Apollo Beach was pretty laid back and quiet at first.

Prior to joining the Conservatory, she had participated in a musical theater group for home-school students. She also had taken three years of private piano lessons and five years of guitar lessons. But she was hesitant to try something new.

“I joined [the senior choir] in the middle of year, so people already knew each other,” said Sara. “But everyone really accepted me.”

She enjoyed choir and returned for the summer Vocal Arts Academy, where her talents really got her noticed.

“Sara found her comfort here at the Conservatory during the summer,” said instructor Deborah Lynch. “She soon became a leader as a vocalist and a friend to the other students.”

Since then, she has participated in a variety of classes including musical theater, private voice lessons and Rock Star Retreat, where Lynch discovered Sara's solo and keyboard skills and asked her to perform on Good Day Tampa Bay.

Her first public solo performance was her rendition of Eminem and Rihanna’s Love the Way You Lie.

“I enjoy making songs my own. I loved that song...it’s actually part of a giant mash-up of several songs that I put together,” she explained.

Sara also put on a solo acoustic performance for more than 100 people at the Conservatory’s open house in August.

Where she's going

While she always envisioned becoming a solo artist, Sara recently developed a passion for technical theater during the Conservatory’s summer production of Little Shop of Horrors.

There was a call for volunteers to help put the set together and Sara, who was part of the cast, showed up.

“I just had a blast,” she said.

Now, in addition to taking several classes towards a Theater Certification at the Conservatory, she is doing a technical theater internship with Hatrick Theater. She hopes to pursue technical theater in college.

Her time here has helped her develop her vocal technique, deepen her music theory and music reading skills and learn new skills. But, more than that, she has enjoyed the sense of community here.

“It’s a safe place,” said Sara. “It’s the most professional place I’ve ever studied. I’m so glad I found it.”

Check out Sara in our fall Vocal and Instrumental Music Fall Concert on Oct. 22, 2013. Tickets start at just $10.

Theater Guest Blog: Apprentice Boot Camp!

Guest blog by Stefan Melnyk, New York University student and Patel Conservatory Summer Theater Apprentice

Patel Conservatory's Summer 2013 Theater Apprentices

For the first time this summer, the Patel Conservatory theater department offered an Apprentice Boot Camp.

The theater apprentice program began last fall and offers students from high school through college the opportunity to volunteer at the Conservatory and learn about the various backstage departments of theatrical productions.

I have the privilege of being a student in the program this summer, and enjoyed a sometimes frantic but always engaging week of Apprentice Boot Camp, which introduced us to the Conservatory and its upcoming summer productions.

I was born and raised in Columbia, Mo., a college town in the heart of the state. Although my academic pursuits remained (and still remain) quite sober-minded, outside of school I always maintained a love of the theater by participating in various regional and educational theatrical productions. These productions were crucial to my development, both as an artist and as a human being. So when a family member who had been in several productions at the Patel Conservatory told me about the work being done there, I saw it as a terrific way to help bring that kind of formative experience to a new generation of young theater enthusiasts.

After a couple of days of general instructions and guidelines, we set to work meeting the people in charge and learning the basic outlines of the challenges that might face us in the weeks to come as the Conservatory embarks on its summer productions.

We learned the proper way to pack up a rock drum set, how to hook up amplifiers to a system of microphones, how to command stage lights from the control booth, how to build platforms in the workshop for use in scenery. And finally, we were given a fictional scenario in which we had only one morning to construct a serviceable rock concert setup from the platforms we had helped to assemble the previous day.

While the week consisted sometimes of meticulous instruction and sometimes of bustling activity, I learned a great deal about things that I had rarely even thought about before, particularly in the areas of lighting and set construction.

More than anything else, what the Apprentice Boot Camp did for me was provide me with a basic toolbox of skills that will ensure that - whatever crisis may arise - I’ll be able to lend a helping hand.

Bring your group for a Day at the Straz

Looking for a unique field trip for your class or homeschool group? Registration is now available for the 2012-2013 Day at the Straz.

A Day at the Straz Center is a field trip opportunity that offers a behind-the-scenes experience at the Straz Center and the Patel Conservatory.

Recommended to be held in conjunction with a field trip performance, a Day at the Straz includes a tour and an interactive theater-based workshop.

During the tour, students will explore the five-theater Straz Center for the Performing Arts complex, the largest performing arts venue in the southeast. They’ll learn what it’s like for performers and crew backstage, hear about the Straz Center’s 25-year history and visit the state-of-the-art studios of the Conservatory.

After the tour, students have a brown bag lunch in Maestro’s Café, then continue to the Conservatory to participate in a workshop geared towards their grade level.

Through the workshop, students and teachers get to work with professional artists on staff at the Conservatory. They’ll have fun learning performance tips from the pros and strengthen their overall arts education experience.

Register your group to come enjoy a day in the life of the performing arts!

For more information about A Day at the Straz, call 813.222.1002 or visit www.patelconservatory.org.

Former students return as teachers

Welcome back to some of our very first students who are returning to us as interns and teachers!

They started as students here in our theater department at the Patel Conservatory in Tampa, come before the building was even built, and return to us to share their knowledge and experience.

Davis Brown, front center in our the Patel
Conservatory's first musicals, Godspell

Davis Brown was in many of our early Patel Conservatory Youth Theater (PCYT) productions in his elementary years. He currently attends Interlochen Arts Academy, a performing arts high school in Michigan. This summer he returns to us as a theater apprentice in technical theater and film. He’ll help with camera work and editing for the Making a Short Film camp and scenic and lighting work for our PCYT productions.

Maggie Mularz was an intern at the Conservatory as a high school student. She went on to study at Juliard and returns to us this summer in her first adjunct faculty position. She’ll be a teacher’s assistant for PCYT’s Normal: the Musical and the Making a Short Film camp. She’ll also be teaching the Intro to Performing Arts camp for preschoolers.

Zach Mullen was part of our early PCYT shows as an elementary student. He’ll be studying theater performance and directing at the New School in New York City this fall. This summer he’ll be a theater apprentice at the Conservatory, with a focus on directing and technical theater. He’ll also be coordinating our student theater bloggers/vloggers. (Look for our summer theater blogs soon!)

Former student Ian Burns has been a theater apprentice for the past year. He continues with us this summer as a teacher’s assistant for Aesop’s Fables as he helps students bring written stories to the stage.

Congratulations to these students for pursuing their passions and are now working their field!

We are now accepting resumes for our fall theater internships and apprentice positions. For more information, please click here.

Life at the Straz Center

On Tuesday, drama students from Wilson Middle School got a behind-the-scenes glimpse at life at the Straz Center and the Patel Conservatory in downtown Tampa. Through sample classes and a tour of the largest performing arts center in the southeast, the students got a real taste of what goes on here, from Broadway shows to classes that teach budding young artists, and everything in between.

They began their Day at the Center with a Field Trip Series show in Ferguson Hall, where they enjoyed a performance with a message about cyber bullying. Afterwards, they met the cast and then enjoyed a brown bag lunch in Maestro’s cafe.

The students proceeded to TECO Theater where they learned how to be “in the moment” when on stage. Theater instructors Gigi Jennewein and Audrey Siegler led the kids through exercises that got them out of their shells and thinking on their feet.

The exercises gave the young actors practice in focusing only on what’s happening on stage.

“When you’re on that stage, you’re not trying to please the audience, or your parents or your teachers, your only focus should be your character’s goal,” said Jennewein.

Following their theater workshops, the group received a tour of the Straz Center, where they were lucky to catch the load in for Billy Elliot in Carol Morsani Hall. The crew of Billy Elliot were building a stage on top of a stage. They’d only begun their construction that morning...one of the students remarked, “they’re going to be done and ready for a show tomorrow night?”

Seeing the sheer mass of lights, equipment and workers, gave the students an appreciation for technical theater and what happens behind the scenes. They got a real look at all the work that the audience doesn’t see or notice when they’re caught up in the magic of a live performance.

From the enormous 2,600 seat Morsani Hall to the intimate 130-seat Shimberg Playhouse, where the set for the Odd Couple was being built, the kids got a feel for the various types of shows that go on simultaneously at the Straz Center.

It’s all in a day at the Straz Center.