Award winning Producer and Casting Director Danielle Tarento and 2015 Olivier Award winner for Best Actress in a Musical Katie Brayben will join the Onstage Acts faculty this summer, working alongside the original creative team comprised of Paul Spicer, Julie Atherton and Musical Director Susanna Squires.
Following the success of the course’s inaugural year, Stage Acts Productions will reprise Onstage Acts, a summer course in new and contemporary musical theatre at the new student-friendly price of only £150 for the week’s tuition.
Taking place in London between 27th-31st July, the course will be curated by contempo- rary musical theatre favourites Julie Atherton & Paul Spicer, and will feature masterclasses from theatre professionals working across the length and breadth of the industry.
Danielle Tarento is a freelance producer and casting director. She won Best Producer at the 2012 Off West End Awards and was nominated for Producer of the Year at the Stage Awards 2015. She co-founded the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2004, notably co-produc- ing the multi-award winning production and West End transfer of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday In The Park With George. Other producing credits include Dogfight, Gods And Monsters, Victor/Victoria and Titanic all at the Southwark Playhouse and Taboo at the Brix- ton Club House. This summer Danielle will present Grand Hotel, also at the Southwark Play- house.
Katie Brayben won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Carole King in the West End transfer of the Broadway musical, Beautiful. Her previous theatre credits include Diana Princess of Wales in King Charles III (Almeida and Wyndhams The- atres), Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia! (West End and International Tour), American Psy- cho (Almeida Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Ragtime (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), and Company (Southwark).
Developed as an opportunity to re-focus, and to absorb ideas from those at the top of their game, Onstage Acts is open to musical theatre performers both professional and in education and allows students to work closely with performers, composers, directors, cast- ing directors, agents and producers, inspiring each individual to become the best that they can be at this very specific style of performance, whilst also providing incomparable opportunities to make contacts and expand professional networks.
Last year’s course featured Q&A sessions with National Theatre casting director Charlotte Sutton and top agent Wendy Scozarro of Felix De Wolfe, as well as masterclasses with award-winning composer Michael Bruce, and Interval Productions’ Tori Allen-Martin and Bo Boland. These sessions were in addition to rigorous daily training lead by Julie Atherton and Paul Spicer in such areas as acting through song, interpreting text, and developing a semi-staged showcase for an invited industry audience.
Since co-founding Notes from New York in 2003, multi-award nominated producer and ac- tor Paul Spicer and Julie Atherton (London’s “Reigning Queen of new musical writing”) have worked extensively both performing in the West End and on Broadway as well as tu- toring contemporary musical theatre and collaborating with a network of world class in- dustry professionals. They were also the creative team behind a previous musical theatre summer course, which produced success stories such as guest tutor Tori Allen-Martin (mul- ti-award nominated writer, performer and producer), Jennifer Potts (Narrator in the UK Tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Amelia Adams-Pearce (UK Tours of Jersey Boys and Hairspray) and Phoebe Fildes (original West End cast of Once).
Onstage Acts is about rediscovering a love for performing, and unearthing new, relatable material in a creative environment. Course fees are just £150 for the week’s tuition, making the course economical as well as immensely rewarding. Only 30 places are available. It runs 27-31 July 2015 in London.
To apply visit www.onstageacts.com or email [email protected] to register your interest and for an application form. Experience will be taken into consideration.
