Acting workshop seeks to boost indigenous actor workforce
February 17, 2014
907-474-2417
02/17/14
The theatre and film department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks will host the Alaska Indigenous Acting Workshop and Casting Call Saturday, Feb. 22, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Noel Wien Library, located at 1215 Cowles Street in Fairbanks.
The free four-hour workshop is open to aspiring actors ages 12 and up. Participants will receive instruction on basic skills to prepare them for roles in theatrical and film productions. While the workshop is open to actors of all ethnic background, Alaska Native and Native American actors are encouraged to attend. The workshop aims to boost the number of Alaska Native and Native American people in the acting workforce. Brian Cook, assistant professor of theatre at UAF, will lead the workshop. He will teach projection, stage directions and other acting skills for beginners.
Following the workshop, a casting call will be held from 3-4:45 p.m. on Feb. 22 and will continue on Sunday, Feb. 23, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Actors are sought to fill roles for a reading of UAF student Kavelina Torres' screenplay "The Trail Home," a story of a widowed mother who decides to return to the old ways on the tundra as she struggles to raise her children. Actors will also be cast in roles for this year's production of "The Winter Bear," a powerful play that seeks to broaden awareness of the causes of teen suicide, help communities implement their own strategies for combating suicide and promote healing through the performing arts. Many male and females roles are available for indigenous and non-indigenous characters, age 12-50. Actors are not required to attend the workshop in order to participate in the casting call.
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Holly Carroll, 907-474-5090 or hccarroll02@alaska.edu.
KP/2-17-14/200-14