PATAsphere hosts Virtual Workshop Week with classes in voice, dance, acting, and more July 27-31
From a press release:
Much like other creatives across the globe, COVID-19 has crushed nonprofit organization PATAsphere’s big summer plans. However, in the midst of unprecedented and unpredictable circumstances, the show must go on.
PATAsphere, a one-of-a-kind, intensive performing arts training academy based in Dallas, Pennsylvania, has announced a Virtual Workshop Week from Monday, July 27 through Friday, July 31. The PATA team has recruited an impressive lineup of both national and international professionals within the performing arts, visual arts, and entertainment industries. These premier performers and trainers from around the world will conduct masterclasses and workshops in voice, dance, acting, improv, leadership, film, storytelling, makeup, and more.
The tentative schedule of masterclass workshops is as follows:
Monday, July 27
- Kim Steinhauer, Ph.D. (CEO and president of Estill Voice Training, Pittsburgh) – “To Belt, or Not to Belt: Vocal Versatility and Power”
- Reed Lochamy (radio and television personality, Birmingham, AL) – “Storycraft”
Tuesday, July 28
- Simon Ward (actor, psychologist, and trainer, Sydney, Australia) – “All Choked Up, Part 1: Performance Psychology, Anxiety, and My Voice”
- Kim Maverick (singer/songwriter, Pittsburgh) – Live stream and Q&A
- Tara Snyder (actor, educator, and vocal director, Orlando, FL) – “Character and Cartoon Voices”
Wednesday, July 29
- Anne-Marie Speed (voice teacher, accent and dialect tutor, voice consultant and coach for major record labels and “Britain’s Got Talent,” London, UK) – “Introduction to Learning an Accent”
- Leon Trayman (voice and performance coach, London, UK) – “Comedic Performance”
- Nick Johnson (film editor and screenwriter, Los Angeles, CA) – “Move Fast and Break Things: Making Movies in Hollywood”
- Jenn Stafford (professional dancer, Los Angeles, CA) – Q&A
Thursday, July 30
- Hayley Bochner (professional hip-hop dancer, Los Angeles, CA) – “Hip-Hop”
- Will Lochamy (radio and television personality, Birmingham, AL) – “From the Basement to National Television and Radio”
- Lonnie Barone (executive leadership coach and trainer, Philadelphia) – “Difficult Conversations”
Friday, July 31
- Simon Ward (actor, psychologist, and trainer, Sydney, Australia) – “All Choked Up, Part 2: Performance Masterclass”
- Lauren Timek (professional dancer, dance teacher, and executive lead director with LimeLife by Alcone, West Pittston) – “Stage and Character Makeup”
- Jenn Stafford (professional dancer, Los Angeles, CA) – “Contemporary/Jazz & Improv”
Learn from professionals all around the world from the comfort of home. Held July 27-July 31, Virtual Workshop Week will be filled with masterclass workshops, training, and activities from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. via Zoom. Students can register for the entire week to attend any and all workshops or for individual workshop days. The cost is $225 per week or $55 per day. For more information or to register for Virtual Workshop Week, visit gopata.org or contact PATA Assistant Director Tia Spagnuolo at pata.tspags@gmail.com.
Virtual Workshop Week will culminate in the opportunity to participate in a hybrid live and live stream performance on Saturday, Aug. 1. A few months ago, PATAsphere was able to bring many of the singers from their original musical “Just a Penny” together virtually for an online performance of one of the songs from that show, “I Love This Moment,” while in quarantine from the coronavirus pandemic:
The resumes of the Virtual Workshop Week pros are full of notable achievements, accomplishments, and accolades:
Kimberly Steinhauer, Ph.D., has devoted her entire career to voice. As a singer, she has performed in venues ranging from pop through opera and sacred music. As an educator, she has taught in the public school and university setting and served as head of voice at Point Park University. She also tailors voice exercises and repertoire specifically for clients who have experienced vocal injury in her role as a singing voice specialist. As a scientist, she was awarded a federal grant to study voice motor learning in aging singers and speakers. Dr. Steinhauer’s work has been published in the “Journal of Voice” and in “Professional Voice: The Science and Art of Clinical Care,” third edition. She is editor of The Voice Foundation Newsletter and a founding partner of Estill Voice International, LLC, a voice training and software company for “your speaking, your singing, and your health,” with headquarters in Pittsburgh.
Simon Ward is an actor, psychologist, and educator. He trained in the MA Musical Theatre program and LRAM program in teaching voice at the Royal Academy of Music in London, holds a licentiate in musical theatre from Trinity College London, trained with the Actors Centre Australia, and completed psychology degrees at Macquarie University Sydney. He has performed in London’s West End, New York City, and throughout Australia in musicals, plays, opera, and extensively in cabaret. Ward is a fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts; a member of the Australian Psychological Society; a chartered psychologist and associate fellow of the British Psychological Society; a member of the British Voice Association, the Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Manhattan Association of Cabarets, and the Music Theatre Educators Alliance; and a proud Equity UK and MEAA Equity Australia member. He is also a member of the MEAA Equity Wellness Committee. He has also worked in the NSW Health Department as a consultant psychologist for the Australian Ballet and works in private practice.
Tara Snyder is an actor, educator, and vocal director. Internationally, she is one of 33 certified mentors and course instructors in the Estill Method. In the United States, she’s certified in five weapons as an actor combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. Currently, Snyder serves as an associate professor at the University of Central Florida. Most recently, she produced, directed, and performed in “ReuKnighted: UCF Sings 50 Years of Hits” at the internationally renowned Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York City. With her expertise in vocal health, stage violence, musical theatre, and pedagogy, she is a sought-out collaborator and keynote speaker around the world.
Anne-Marie Speed is one of the United Kingdom’s leading vocal coaches, specializing in speaking, singing, and accent work. She has been the dedicated vocal coach on dozens of West End shows, including “An American in Paris,” “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie,” “Man of La Mancha,” and many movies, including “Beauty and the Beast” as well as the forthcoming new film of “Cinderella.” She is also an Estill mentor and course instructor with service distinction, advanced testing privileges, and received the Estill Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
Leon Trayman is an actor, director, voice coach, and theatre-maker from London. He trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, first as an actor and then as a voice coach. He is also an Estill Master Teacher and teaches singing, voice, accents, acting, directing, voiceover, and presentation skills to students and clients all over the world.
Nick Johnson graduated from University of Southern California in 2013 and has since edited several feature films, including “Searching” (2018), which won the NEXT Audience Award and the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and, most recently, Lionsgate’s upcoming thriller “Run.” His work as the editor on “Searching” was described by IndieWire as “a true storytelling feat, married with sharp editing that makes the entire effort not only seamless, but also wholly intuitive.” He currently works as a screenwriter and is gearing up to make his directorial debut in 2021.
Jenn Stafford is a passionate and charming dancer and performance artist from Calgary, Canada. She has been grateful to achieve a few of her biggest dreams through her work with Cirque du Soleil in “The Beatles’ LOVE” and more recently while filming “Avatar 2” and “Avatar 3” under the direction of James Cameron. From performing for a theater of thousands to embodying movement for a character with hundreds of cameras catching each minuscule action and facial gesture, Stafford continues to discover the range of her performance and depth as an artist. She has also been honored to have had opportunities to work with Katy Perry, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the Life Is Beautiful Music Festival, the Grammy Awards, the Sprint NASCAR Awards, 45 Degrees in “Scalada Vision” directed by Mukhtar O.S. Mukhtar, “Pearl” directed by Daniel Ezralow and with K-pop stars, Tiffany Young, Jessica Jung, and “Winner.” She also recently finished filming a new family musical movie, “A Week Away,” to debut on Netflix.
Hayley Bochner started dancing at a very young age, studying the classical styles – ballet, pointe, lyrical, jazz, and tap. A few years later, she found her love for contemporary, hip-hop, popping, and breaking. She is based out of Los Angeles, California and is represented by Clear Talent Group. She has had the opportunity to work with artists such as Meghan Trainor, Pharrell Williams, Chris Brown, Nikki Minaj, Psy Oppa, Silénto, Spencer Ludwig, and Zara Larsson. She was a featured dancer on “Glee,” “All That,” “America’s Got Talent,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The Today Show,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “Live with Kelly and Michael,” the Nickelodeon HALO Awards, “The Last O.G.,” “Showtime at the Apollo,” and has appeared on Telemundo and The CW. Currently, Bochner is traveling and performing in many different venues around the country as a dance captain with iLuminate Dance. She has also performed for companies such as Target, Google, YouTube, Verizon Wireless, Xbox, Nike, the NFL, and Nokia. Most recently, she just finished filming her first feature film, “A Week Away,” which is set to be in theaters in the summer of 2021.
Orlando R. Barone is an executive leadership coach at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he has also instructed undergraduates in interpersonal effectiveness and leadership. He is a graduate instructor in business communication skills at Temple University’s Fox School, and he presents on credibility, negotiation, and conflict resolution. He conducts the Emerging Leaders Program in Negotiation at the Harvard School of Public Health. Barone co-wrote the bestselling textbook on the effective use of voice and gesture, “Your Voice Is Your Business,” now in its second edition. His college text, “Counseling and Interviewing: A Therapy Resource,” is in wide use since Jones and Bartlett published it in 2016. He received his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Villanova University and has graduate degrees from the University of Delaware.
Lauren Timek is a professional performing artist born and raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She has 25+ years of training in classical ballet, pointe, classical jazz, commercial jazz, contemporary/lyrical, modern, character, hip-hop, pantomime, musical theater, and voice performance. She has held title roles in over 50 local, regional, and off-Broadway musical theatre productions. She made her Broadway debut in 2000 appearing in “The Nutcracker” and again in 2001 for “Cinderella” alongside of Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” She was then selected as an ensemble dancer and character actress in Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Most recently, Timek reprised her favorite role as “Belle” from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” at Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre, a charter member of the American National Theatre and Academy. She is also an executive lead director (top 1 percent of the company) with LimeLife by Alcone, an all-natural, professional grade makeup and skin care company. She has been doing makeup for the stage for many years as a professional performer and knows how to keep skin safe while being “stage ready.”
