[NEohioPAL]PRESS RELEASE: CPT Academy is Back in Session for Fall 2004

[Dan Kilbane]

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Holly Holsinger, CPT Academy Director
216/631-2727 ext. 362
cptacademy at cptonline.org <mailto:dkilbane at cptonline.org>
August 23, 2004
Cleveland Public Theatre Presents CPT Academy’s Fall 2004 Session
Cutting Edge theatre training for children, teens, and adults!

CLEVELAND, OH - Fall marks “back to school” time, and CPT Academy will join
many schools as they open their doors again to students of all ages
interested in cutting edge theatre training.  For years, CPT has blazed the
trails, offering the highest quality, most adventurous theatre in Northeast
Ohio.

Cleveland Public Theatre’s CPT Academy, now in it’s second year, provides
innovative theatre training to artists and aspiring artists of all ages. CPT
’s ground-breaking methods unlock the creative power and inspiration in each
individual, and focus that energy through clear dramatic techniques.

States CPT Academy Director Holly Holsinger, “We have a very exciting
line-up of classes planned for this fall taught by area theatre
professionals.”

CPT Academy’s fall session consists of ten consecutive Saturdays from
September 18 - November 20, 2004.

All classes take place on the CPT campus.

Classes for Adults (ages 18 and up)

Acting 101
Geared for beginners or those looking for a good review of the basics,
Acting 101 explores the four fundamental principles of good acting used by
Robert Cohen (Acting Power, Acting Professionally). Taught by Holly
Holsinger, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. $125

Ten Minute Playwright
This class is a  great introduction into the craft of playwriting by
mastering the technique of the ten-minute play.  Through writing and
analyzing  “mini-plays” students will investigate the elements of what makes
great theatre. The class will culminate in an exciting afternoon in which
each playwright will pick one of his/her plays for a staged reading. Taught
by Greg Vovos, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. $150

Physical Approaches to Character
This Academy class is an intense investigation into character from a
physical perspective, offering actors a set of tools for approaching all
types of theatre. Emphasis will be on the development of a physical
vocabulary; an exploration into image, text, and observation; and the
application of these skills in scenework. Taught by Jyana S. Gregory, 3:15
p.m. - 4:45p.m. $135

Classes for Teens and Kids

Act Out! (ages 12-17)
Focusing on exploring individual creativity, teens will have the opportunity
to delve into their own stories through writing, improvisation, and word and
movement exercises. The final class will be a presentation of original work.
Taught by Jill Levin, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30p.m. $125

The Play Room (ages 6-11)
The class will allow young actors to create a play, through interaction with
children’s literature. This semester will focus on children’s author/artist
Graeme Base. Through group exploration,  improvisation, and theater games,
students will be encouraged to work as an ensemble. Taught by Jill Levin,
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. $100

Fairy Tales (ages 3-5)
A fun approach for little performers just starting out, this class uses
interactive games, art projects, music, dress-up, and new stories to act out
each week. Familiar fairytales and stories from around the world offer
exciting opportunties for young playmakers. Taught by Holly Holsinger, 10:00
a.m. -11:00 am, $100

The Faculty

Holly Holsinger brings over 20 years of acting and teaching experience to
the CPT Academy. In 2001, Holly was voted "Best Actress in Cleveland" by The
Free Times. She has toured the U.S., Canada, Europe and Brazil performing
with Wishhounds performance group, as well as taking on classic roles for
the stage. She holds an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of California,
Irvine where she studied with Robert Cohen (Acting Power) and experimental
theatre guru Jerzy Grotowski. Holly has taught theatre at Ohio State
University, University of Akron, Tri-C, and Lorain Co. Community College,
and she has been teaching and performing for children since 1987.

Jill Levin has been an acting teacher for many years, working with actors at
Cleveland Public Theatre, the Cleveland Play House, Wisdom Bridge Theater in
Chicago, and Pennsylvania Stage Company. She has performed in numerous shows
at CPT as well as theaters in New York, Chicago, and Tokyo. She has
extensive professional actor training, and is a graduate of New York's
Circle in the Square Theater School.

Jyana S. Gregory is currently the Associate Artistic Director at CPT where
she directed Dojoji last spring and will direct Suzan-Lori Park’s Venus in
February.  Prior to moving to Cleveland last summer, Jyana was living in New
York where she ran performance company ACTIVE EYE (www.activeeye.org),
directed plays and operas, and assisted directors such as Shi-Zheng Chen and
David Herskovits.  She is a graduate of Yale University and has studied
traditional and contemporary performing arts in Japan.

Greg Vovos  is a playwright and director whose work has been seen at many
theatres in the Cleveland area.  Most recently he directed Wait! and Charge
at CPT.  His plays have been produced all over the country and as far away
as Belgrade and Australia.  He earned his MFA in Playwriting from the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Vovos taught Playwriting, Theatre History
and Theatre Appreciation at the UNLV.  Since his return to Cleveland, he has
sat on the Board of Directors for Charenton Theater Company and has taught
theatre at Cuyahoga Community College. He is the co-founder and Artistic
Director of TITLEWave theatre, a theatre company that produces exclusively
new plays.

The mission of Cleveland Public Theatre is to foster a more conscious and
compassionate community through the arts.

Cleveland Public Theatre and its artistic and education programs are funded
in part by funding from The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund
Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Nord Family
Foundation, John P. Murphy Foundation, Kulas Foundation, Theatre
Communications Group, Bruening Foundation, Codrington Foundation, Giant
Eagle Foundation, Thomas White Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater
Lorain, Family Foundations of Jewish Community Federation, The Dolphin
Trust, Saint Ann Foundation, William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation,
Stocker Foundation, Key Foundation, Nordson Foundation, Martha Holden
Jennings Foundation, The Heartland Arts Fund, Wolf Family Foundation, The
Doll Family Foundation, Raymond John Wean Foundation, The Ellie Fund, Cyrus
Eaton Foundation, Greater Cleveland Community Shares, Forest City Enterprise
Charitable Foundation, Alcoa Foundation, Hankins Foundation, Wolpert Fund of
the Cleveland Foundation, The Cleveland Browns Foundation, The Cleveland
Plain Dealer, City Architecture, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan, & Arnoff LPA,
Joan Horvitz, Roe Green Foundation, Third Federal Bank, Huntington National
Bank, National City Bank, Marous Brothers Construction, and other corporate
and individual contributors.