Fall Conference 2012 Workshops

The Nature of the Business- Jill Patchin
This workshop will touch on many of the
fundamentals of running a community theater, from
staffing to volunteers, fundraising to profit
management. We will discuss strategies for creating
and maintaining fruitful relationships among board
members, administrators, donors and the community

The Nature of the Fight - Brett A. Eckhart
***Two-part class - Participants must plan to attend
both sessions.***
This hands-on interactive class will cover several
aspects of the dynamic field known as "staged
combat." Attendants will learn multi-cultural
techniques and details that are both safe for beginners,
as well as challenging for experienced practitioners.

Greening Your Tech - Paul R. Bourne
In this workshop, participants will
explore both the new, and the tried and
true techniques for lessening our theater
technology‟s impact on the environment.
Reduce, reuse, recycle and beyond.

Greening your Costumes - Joy Butler
In today‟s world, it is not only environmentally
conscious but also economically prudent to
„reduce, reuse, recycle‟, as they say. This
workshop will discuss ways to create
inventive, stage worthy, eco-friendly costumes
using all kinds of recycled materials.

The Nature of the Character - Kellie Stonebrook
Workshop participants will explore
different ways to create believable and
interesting characters through a variety of
exercises and games. We'll discuss
observation, imitation, working from
reality, and avoiding cliches.

The Nature of the Dance - Judi Swartz
Dance is an enriching and compelling component
of theatrical performance. Participants will have
the opportunity to explore the very basics of stage
dance and how to use the steps and moves to the
telling of the story and help the characters express
their thoughts and emotions.

Workshop Leader Bios

Paul R. Bourne - Greening your Tech
Paul graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelors of Theatre. He is the Theatre Manager at the Residential College of Arts and Humanity at MSU, the Technical Director at East Lansing High School and the Technical Supervisor at All-of-us Express Children’s Theatre, where he also serves as a director and drama camp instructor. Paul has written two short plays, performed at the Renegade Theatre Festival in Lansing, MI.

Joy Butler - Greening your Costumes
Joy studied costume design and theatre history, theory & criticism at U. of Dubuque, Western Illinois U., U. of Nebraska and Illinois State U. She has taught at a number of colleges & universities, designed stock & regional theater costumes, worked as an arts administrator and as marketing director for a regional conference center. Most recently, she has been happy to work on several productions at Bay City Players.

Jill Patchin - The Nature of the Business
Since 1988, Jill has been involved in Community Theatre in one capacity or another. For 13 years, she served as the Business Manager of the grand Rapids Civic Theatre. She is now a Corporate Sales Director for Extremetix Ticketing. Jill served on the CTAM Board of Directors and received the Robert A. McKenna Award in 2003. She has served on the AACT Board in many roles and currently serves on several AACT committees.

Kellie Stonebrook - The Nature of the Character
Kellie is very active in professional and community theater. She has been seen on the stages of Riverwalk Theatre, Lansing Civic Players, Lansing Community College, the BoarsHead Theatre and Stormfield Theatre in Lansing .As a child, she performed at All-of-us Express Children’s Theatre. An accomplished vocal mimic and ventriloquist, Kellie has her own storytelling business for kids called Fairy Dust Theatre. (Kellie will be performing at Saturday evening’s banquet.)

Brett Allen Eckhart - The Nature of the Fight
Brett Allen Eckhart has been teaching & directing staged combat since 1999, combining his wide range of experience in the different areas of performing arts with his deep study of fighting tactics. Brett is a certified "guru" & teacher in mixed martial arts, utilizing knowledge from styles & cultures all across the world.

Judi Swartz - The Nature of the Dance
Judi Swartz holds BS and MA degrees in Education. She has been a dance instructor at Vision Performing Arts in Mt. Pleasant for 13 years, Academy of Performing Arts in Alma for 10 and Off Broadway Studio for 2. She has choreographed eight shows for Gratiot County Players and is also a multi-certified aerobics instructor with ten yeans of experience.