• Business Theatre

Wayne Harrell

Tired of waiting tables? Come explore how to apply your skills in writing, directing, acting, designing and producing to business opportunities.  Discover the basics of business communication.  See real examples.  Learn how to have fun and get paid.

·        Copyright and Royalty Issues

Lauren Yarger   

Any time you use a song, a skit, a play, a piece of music – or any other intellectual property at your church – copyright and royalty issues are involved. What are they? Find out what you need to know to conduct your business with integrity and bust some of the most common myths about what you can and can’t use.

·        Cinema Divina 

Robert K. Johnston

As Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, Dr. Johnston teaches students how Christians can best engage movies, culture, and contemporary fiction. Rob has a B.A. from Stanford, a B.D. from Fuller and his Ph.D. (Religion-Theology and Culture) from Duke University.

• The Total Artist: Creating Your Own Work (Part I of II)

Mark Branner and Donovan Oakleaf

Actors are often frustrated with the lack of available roles and the “meat market” mentality of auditions.  Come challenge the separation of playwright, director and actor, by exploring work created by and for the performer.

• be so DO SO: Meditations on Jesus’   (Part II of II)

How Hard it is to Go to Church and Do the Right Thing Sometimes   (A Performance)

 Mark Branner and Donovan Oakleaf

• Contemporary American Culture, Church and the Arts

Stewart Hawley 

An understanding of our current culture in America is an interregnal part of reaching and ministering to those outside the church.  This workshop will investigate current American culture ideology, morals and beliefs.  A new performance motif within church drama will be suggested, which integrates montage, pastiche’, and a blurring of life and art to reach the postmodern culture of America.  This workshop will look into how to incorporate dramas that speak to a postmodern audience.

·        Playwriting:  Writing Plays That Matter 

Lisa Soland 

What matters to you?  What do you notice about humans and the conditions in which we live?  Attend this workshop and transform your playwriting into something that matters.

• Civic Renewal Through Theatre

Monica Ganas and Erin Gaw 

This session offers specific means by which theatre practitioners can include community members, stories and issues to effect social change, artistic development and spiritual growth-creating theatre to “Love our neighbor.”

• Parable: A Reflection on Waiting and Story (Bible as Drama Performance Piece)

Fresno Pacific Theatre 

After the Ascension, before Pentecost, 6 disciples wait.  Remembering that Jesus told stories, they act them out, trying to make sense of the man and the message.  Q&A follows.

·        INTO THE DARK:  Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st Century 

Craig Detweiler

What films are forming the new canon?   Drawing upon the Internet Movie Database, this session will search for the spiritual significance of mindbending films like Memento, Eternal Sunshine and Pan's Labyrinth. How do we connect the timeless truths of scripture to the most challenging contemporary movies?   Relevant Magazine recently called Craig Detweiler’s next book, INTO THE DARK one of the most anticipated titles of 2008.

• Building a Character’s Body:  Character Physicality

Tony Vezner

This is a practical session for actors to learn to transform themselves into the life of their character by changing seven distinct things about the way they use their body.

• Joe: The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man  (Performance Piece)

Azusa Pacific University Drama Ministry Team 

APU’s traveling theatre troupe presents their full-length original play currently in tour of over 20 cities nationwide.  Joe explores the value of the average guy. 

• Mime & Body Movement

Marcia Berry 

Inspired by the mask work of Jaques Leeoq and the body control and movement of Marcel Marceau, this workshop will focus on how to tell stories with the body alone. 

• Human Video:  Outreach in Dramatic Movement & Music

Kimberlee Mendoza

 From conception to production, learn how to come up with ideas, choose songs, prepare scripts, cast and direct a human video.  (Lessons from Kimberlee Mendoza’s book The Human Video Handbook, published by Meriwether Publishing).

• The Art of Choral Reading

Gordon Williams 

This workshop will show how choral readings can be used in worship services, as well as a brief description of the history of the choral reading, which originated from Greek Theatre.

• Staging Christian Classics

Kurt Priebe

Have you considered producing a stage adaptation of a popular Christian novel or children’s story for an upcoming production? This workshop will look at some examples of various works you might consider including adapted works based upon C.S. Lewis or important figures in Christian history such as Corrie Ten Boom to name a few… Come to share your ideas or experience, or find new ones you might think about for your next production.

·        Producing -- Someone Has to Do It!

Lauren Yarger 

Every church production has a producer, the person who decides direction, gathers the team, sets and watches the budget. Sometimes it’s one person, sometimes the duties are shared  and sometimes, the person acting as producer doesn’t even know it! Find out what’s involved in producing, why the producer and director have different job descriptions (and should be different people) and what the producer should know about legal and other business issues to insure the best production for His glory.

• Incorporating Drama Into Worship

Kurt Priebe

This workshop will examine and discuss the use of Drama in the church and various worship settings and potential types of performance programming you might consider to prepare, produce or stage. Especially geared to those starting a church drama ministry or community outreach.

·        The Board:  Why, Who & How

M. Christopher Boyer 

The Board of Directors/Advisors:  do you really need them?  Who should you recruit?  How can you keep them on track and useful?  This session will discuss the basics of board development led by a 30+ year veteran of professional, academic and church theatre.

·        Show Me the Money 

Chuck Neighbors 

Truth is for most performers it takes the proverbial “more than one iron in the fire” to make a living at our craft.  In this session we will explore 10 proven “irons” that will allow you to earn income as an artist. Especially helpful to touring performers.

• Talk Little Do Much

Dale Savidge

Following the advice of the German playwright/director Bertolt Brecht, this workshop will cover basics of director/actor communication: organic blocking, improvisation, intellectual talk and demonstration.  Both directors and actors can gain insights into communicative techniques which breath life into a script rather than smother it in needless verbiage.

·        Writing the Ten-Minute Play 

Christopher Martin 

This session will be used to teach and explore components of the '10-Minute' play in addition to helping writers find their voice whether in or outside of the church. 

• Improvisation for Writing

Clare Sera   

“Call to Me and I will show you great and wonderful things you do not know.”

–Jeremiah 33:3

 Use the tools of improvisation to open up your write brain. In this class we de-censor our inner editor and stop the second guessing for a while to shake off old habits that may be holding us back creatively. Energize your brain through unique writing exercises that can help you write fresh scripts

• Readers’ Theatre:  Where Less is More 

Pris McDonald 

Bound by limited staging resources?  Need a break from the “slice of life sketch”?  Good scripts hard to find?  Expand your dramatic horizon to include Scripture, poetry, diaries, letters!  Selection, adaptation, imaging, focus and staging will help you tap this powerful, flexible drama form.

• Using Video in your Theatre Productions 

Reg Parks

Using video projection can add depth, movement and quick set changes to your production.  How do you write for video, shot your project and the project it effectively into your production?  Learn effective techniques in using video to enhance your productions.

·        And More offerings coming soon...

Please be aware that offerings are subject to change.