KRISTIE L. FARR is an award-winning Theatre teacher at Indian River High School. Several of her productions have received Awards of Excellence in Directing from the Theatre Association of New York State. Some of her favorite directing credits include: 26 Pebbles, Who Will Carry the Word, The Yellow Boat, Bocón, And a Child Shall Lead, The Women of Lockerbie, Almost, Maine and The Laramie Project.
Her Theatre program was recognized as the Educational Theatre Association’s Outstanding School in 2007. In 2012 she received the national Reba R. Robertson Award for Outstanding Theatre Teacher, and in 2017 she received the New York State Theatre Education Association (NYSTEA) Rod Marriott Lifetime Achievement Award. She was thrilled to have been a part of the American High School Theatre Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2013.
For more than 25 years, Kristie has served as NYSTEA’s Curriculum Chair, leading Theatre standards revision, curriculum development, assessment and certification. She has been part of EdTA’s SEL Lesson Plan and Model Curriculum projects and currently serves as a Theatre Teacher Leader for the Connected Arts Network PLC. She recently published her first book, Drama Mama: Lessons Learned in the Imaginary Elsewhere!
CREATING SAFETY AS ACTORS ENGAGE IN CHALLENGING MATERIAL (Kristie Farr)
Participants will explore different strategies to use when working with actors on difficult dramatic material. Kristie will share how she has approached working on challenging plays and devised projects (The Yellow Boat by David Saar, The Women of Lockerbie by Deborah Brevoort, Who Will Carry the Word by Charlotte Delbo, The Laramie Project by the Tectonic Theatre Project).
Kristie Farr
Meet the 2023 TANYS Festival Workshop presenters!
PLAYWRITING (Craig Thornton)
Thinking about writing a play? Don’t know where to start? This introductory workshop is a preview of playwriting. We’ll cover topics including: Does this story work for theater? What is theatrical? Formatting, outlining and structure.
CRAIG THORNTON ’s first play, Yoo-Hoo Sheila, was produced in New York City shortly after his college graduation. Subsequent productions or staged readings have occurred in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Kenosha WI, Bangor ME, and upstate New York (Watertown, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse). His docudrama In My Shoes, true stories of teenagers whose parents were actively deployed in conflict in the Middle East, was featured in a national story on CNN and referenced in a congressional study on military communities. Several of his plays have been finalists in nationally recognized playwriting contests – most notably The High Cost of Heating, which was the silver prize winner at the Yale Drama Series Prize in 2015. He currently teaches screenwriting at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
Q&A TALKBACK (Ted Keegan)
Join Broadway performer Ted Keegan for a Q&A and talkback session.
TED KEEGAN is proud to be Broadway's Number 12 Phantom! Ted is a native of Watertown, New York with an undergraduate degree from Ithaca College and a graduate degree from UNC-Greensboro. He was last seen as the Phantom in Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular. He starred in the National Tour of The Phantom of the Opera following a very successful run in the Broadway company. Ted has performed the role in over 24 states across the country. He has had the great pleasure of appearing as The Phantom on television, performing live from Rockefeller Center for the TODAY Show on NBC. And he has the distinction of being the actor who has sung the role in front of the largest audience ever, when he made a spectacular flying entrance from the dome of Madison Square Garden singing “The Phantom of the Opera” during the half-time show of the NBA All-Star Game.
Ted was deeply involved in the George Gershwin Centennial Celebration. He performed unpublished Gershwin at the opening of the George and Ira Gershwin Room at the National Archives in Washington, DC, which The New York Times reviewed as one of the ten best musical events of the year. Ted has also sung Gershwin with Audra McDonald in New York and with Marin Mazzie at the opening of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. He appeared in the Frank Loesser Celebration at Symphony Space in New York City and was a soloist at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, singing Unheard Bernstein. Ted hosted the Yuletide Celebration in Indianapolis, singing with the 90-piece Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Some of the orchestras Ted has performed with as a solo performer include the Detroit, Syracuse, Charleston WV, Portland, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Omaha, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Fort Worth and Edmonton Symphonies and the Dayton Philharmonic, as well as the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center.
Ted made his Broadway debut in the highly acclaimed revival of Sweeney Todd, where he was seen as Anthony. Other Broadway and National Tour credits include Cyrano: The Musical, Mordred in Camelot with Robert Goulet, Freddy in My Fair Lady, Herman in The Most Happy Fella, Constantine in A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine and another Phantom too – in the European Tour of the Kopit/Yeston version.
Ted is very excited to be involved in a new venture with three close friends: THE PHAT PACK! Inspired by the spirit of the Rat Pack, three singers from Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular realized that the bulk of their careers was supported by three shows. Ted Keegan spent years playing the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera on the road and on Broadway; Randal Keith spent years playing Jean Valjean in Les Miserables on the road and on Broadway; Bruce Ewing sang 3 of the 4 roles in Forever Plaid on the road and in Las Vegas. And now, they want to sing the songs they want to sing, share their stories, and create wonderful moments filled with music! Together with musical director Philip Fortenberry, THE PHAT PACK sings musical theatre, American standards, Las Vegas hits and some new, fun original music. It’s all about great singing, creating wonderful music, and everyone having fun!
ONE PLAY, TWO DIRECTORS (Tanya Roy & Jim Goodenbery)
Have you ever attended a production and thought, “I really like that director's choice” or “I certainly would have done that differently”? Join this lively discussion between two directors as they discuss a single show, their directorial choices, the motivations behind them, and how those choices are the same or different from each other.
TANYA ROY has been storytelling on the Eastern seaboard for over 20 years. As an educator, business owner, divorcee, actor & director, and mother to daughters, she has never had a shortage of inspiration – finding humor and humanity in the everyday experiences of life. Tanya uses her understanding of a story well told to connect productions to their audiences. Tanya can be found on iTunes, North Country Public Radio, and the Moth Story Hour.
STORYTELLING FOR MONOLOGUES (Tanya Roy)
What makes stories great are the way they connect with their audience. A monologue is an opportunity for an actor to tell a story to their audience. Monologues can be impactful, and they can also be daunting and nerve-racking. Learn how to study a monologue and break it into its storytelling elements, to make monologues in performance and for auditions work for you.
JIM GOODENBERY is an award-winning actor and director, and currently teaches Music and Theatre at Carthage High School. Favorite professional roles include Dick Deadeye (HMS Pinafore), Smudge (Forever Plaid), and Robert (Company). Since moving to the North Country, he has directed more than 60 productions. He is co-owner of The Butler Did It Players professional acting troupe and serves on multiple boards of directors for performance arts organizations. He also continues to serve as guest conductor, clinician and actor throughout the state.
STAGE COMBAT (Jim Goodenbery)
Few things make a production as exciting as the confident and safe use of stage combat. Join this discussion-based workshop for the basics of staying safe on stage, during a chase scene, a stage slap, and so much more.
Craig Thornton
Tanya Roy
Jim Goodenbery
Ted Keegan
Tricia Moore
DANCING FOR ACTORS WITH TWO LEFT FEET (Tricia Moore)
Have you ever been hesitant to audition for a show because of the choreography? Are you an actor with no dance training who’d like to develop theatrical dance skills? Has it been a while since you’ve pulled out your dance shoes? We’ll go over some basic moves and techniques that will help improve your confidence and add new skills to your performing tool kit.
CONTEMPORARY DANCE FOR MUSICAL THEATRE (Tricia Moore)
Modern musicals are incorporating a mix of hip hop, contemporary dance and traditional choreography into dance numbers. This workshop will explore the art form while providing a hands-on opportunity to experience contemporary dance as choreography within a show setting. (Or just come learn a fun dance!)
TRICIA MOORE has been teaching dance in the North Country for over 25 years. She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Potsdam, where she earned B.A. degrees in Dance and Elementary Education and a M.S.Ed in Reading. Tricia is a reading specialist at Indian River Middle School and a dance educator at Indian River High School. At IRHS she teaches dance electives, co-teaches Jazz Rock, and has formed a dance performance group. She has been the Indian River musical choreographer since 2004 and has been recognized for her choreography by TANYS. Tricia is also an instructor at Artistic Designs Dance Company where she works with competitive and recreational dancers.
