Instructor: Katja Hill

SUMMER 2009
MANBITES DOG'S DRAMA DOJO
Featuring a scene study, two classes, and two workshops
for beginning and experienced actors
Instructor: Katja Hill
Various Dates: July-August 2009
Space is limited. To enroll, contact the instructor directly:
Katja Hill: manbitesdogoffice@gmail.com
Tuition is due at time of registration
by credit card, or by check to Manbites Dog Theater.

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ENSEMBLE SCENE STUDY:
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
Put the fun back in dysfunction with an ensemble-based approach to scene study, led by Katja Hill. Tracy Letts' heartbreaking and hilarious play artfully vivisects a house on the brink of emotional implosion when Beverly, patriarch of a crumbling home in the Oklahoma plains, suddenly disappears--leaving his wife Violet, her three adult daughters, and the rest of The Weston Family to make sense of the whole woebegone mess. This titanic new play belongs on your shelf among your dog-eared volumes of Long Day's Journey into Night, The Three Sisters, and King Lear, but why leave it there when you can jump right in and play a part in it this summer yourself? Learn to act while actually acting. Beginners and old hands welcome. The cast of characters ranges in ages from 14-69.

Ensemble size limited to 13.
Six Sunday nights 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
July 12 - August 16, 2009
Cost: $150
Registration Deadline: Monday, July 6, 2009

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MONOLOGUE MANIA!
Do you avoid monologue auditions because you fear you're unprepared for them? As nervous actors in the audition room, most of our problems stem from a lack of interesting material, a loss of control under pressure, or simply a slackening of our chops over time.

After observing about 100 actors at a recent open call, workshop leader Katja Hill discovered that about 90% could have greatly improved their work with a few simple adjustments. And many of these folks were good actors, whose audition skills didn't match their talent.

The good news is, there are at least ten simple, controllable things we can do which instantly place us in the top 20% of any audition call. When we dare to go further by choosing smart, compelling material that reveals our talent and brains, backed up with an attitude that says "We want to be here," we're in the top 10%.

In our class, you'll read lots of new stuff, practice wtih your peers, and leave equipped with at least two awesome pieces you'll be proud to take anywhere. But more importantly, you'll learn the skills you need to recognize great material when you find it and direct yourself with confidence and in the future. Don't dread your next audition! Get ready now with help from a pro.

Class size limited to 8 actors. Everyone works in every class.
Six Saturday Mornings, 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
July 11- August 15, 2009
Cost: $125
Registration Deadline: Monday, July 6, 2009

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STYLE, PERIOD.

"Style is simply knowing what play you are in," said the great John Gielgud. But who needs a play when all you really want is style?

Welcome to the ad-hoc ballroom of the olden timey days, whenever they were! Sip chocolate delicately. Bow and curtsy. Sit down. Stand up. Now sit down again. It really can take all day! Learn a terrible ballet. Swoon to the dulcet sounds of a harpsichord. Use a chamber pot. Scream for the maid. Tighten your corset. Faint becomingly. Communicate volumes (or at least chapters) with your fan. Apply a fetching beauty mark. Develop a rash from the arsenic on your face. Swan about. Speak in Transatlantia. But above all: Own the room.

Limited to 12 students.
Saturday, August 1, 2009, 2:00-4:00 PM
Cost: $30
Registration Deadline: Friday, July 24, 2009

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MOLTO RIDICULOSO:
THE FUNNY WALK, FUNNY TALK SKOOL OF ACTING
FOR THE MORBIDLY SERIOUS ACTOR
Embrace your inner idiot! If you're a morbidly serious actor, you need to lighten up or no one will enjoy working with you. Pratfalls, door slamming, bumping into things, knocking stuff over, and tripping over yourself are all top objectives here. Risk buidling a character from the outside and see where it takes you. If you are willing to find the humor in any scene, the drama is that much more compelling.

Limited to 12 students.
Saturday, August 8, 2009, 2:00-4:00 PM
Cost: $30
Registration Deadline: Friday, July 31, 2009

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SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING: IMPROV FOR TEENS AND 'TWEENS
This class has been cancelled.

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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Katja Hill, a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts works throughout the Triangle as an actor, director, teacher, writer, and improviser with many companies including Manbites Dog Theater, Deep Dish, Ghost & Spice, Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern, Peace College Theater, and the all-female improv troupe Ask Daphne. Her critically acclaimed original solo show *Cornucopia of Me* received a 2008 Emerging Artist Grant from the Durham Arts Council. She is the Associate Managing Director at Manbites Dog Theater as well as a faculty member of the Carrboro ArtsCenter's Youth Performing Arts Conservatory.

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