Unbelievable First Day Back at ATC!

Posted March 4, 2012 by Philip Markle

Hello everyone - it's Associate Director Philip Markle, back from 4 months in the Caribbean, performing with The Second City!

And I've just had my mind blown by my first day back at ATC this Saturday. I don't know how to put it in words, but let me try to summarize why I couldn't be prouder to work for any other acting school.

11 AM: This Saturday, March 3rd, began with our talented ATC Repertory students enthralling a packed house of kids to the musical Seussical Jr, while our youngest actors rehearsed an original commercial they had written for their Kid's On-Camera Class upstairs in the studios (in which they "ordered acting classes off a menu at a restaurant"), while our ATC Improv Troupe was rehearsing their original sketch comedy review "Noises of Magntitude" in the other theater (having to create an entirely different running order on the spot as one actor was out sick). So many different creative ventures in one building it's making my head explode!

1 PM: The ATC Improv Troupe (which I had launched last Fall but was obviously unable to direct...kudos to the fantastic Tim Szozko for taking the reigns!) has me in stitches with some brilliant sketches - covering everything from a really, really innappropirate airline passenger to a "silent movie" piece about a first date from hell. These guys are smart, funny, and quick on their feet. Their improv set after the sketch shows just how far they've come in making intelligent, bold choices and immediaetly 'yes-anding' whatever their partner creates. Wow.

5 PM: I get a tour of our new "Annex" space from ATC Education Director Cortney Lowinski - it's HUGE. I can't stop decorating the place in my brain (oh yes, new offices over there...mmmhmm we colud get mirrors behind those curtains for MT classes...when do we get to MOVE IN!). It's going to change the way we can offer classes at ATC.

7 PM: Still working away, eating a quick dinner with Cortney, while I create a major email blast going out soon with some exclusive info (which you'll only be able to access viathis blog, our Facebook, and our Twitter). Yup, part of my new job at ATC is making us more social.

8 PM: And now, my mind gets to be completely blown away by 10 talented musical theater students + 2 adult professional actors putting up a workshop performance of SPRING AWAKENING: The Musical. Open only to invited family and friends, this intimitate group of 30 audience members get to see acting training at its best. In just 6 rehearsals, this cast has put up the entire musical on its feet - staged and choregraphed by the unbelievable Janet Louer and musically directed by the wonderful Aaron Benhem. I have seen this show on Broadway and I tell you it does not compare to ACTUAL teenager playing these characters with heart and feeling. I was sobbing by the end of it and genuinely moved by their work. Janet directed a show with difficult subject manner and kept the room safe enough that these issues could be explored with poingancy and honesty from the cast.

10:30 PM: Finally ready to go home, but can't stop thinking about the day.

What's up next on Sunday...Carole has gotten the entire ATC Conservatory (our highest level of training for teens outside of muscial theater) tickets to see FML at Steppenwolf. I'm glad to chaperone them today.

What a weekend.

-Philip Markle, Associate Director, ATC

Categories: Blog, Performances, ATC Students, ATC Classes

Final Film Screening and Final Performance of STAGE TO SCREEN!

Posted August 3, 2011 by Philip Markle

You are invited to attend the FILM SCREENINGS and FINAL PERFORMANCE of the 3rd-5th and 6th-8th grade original film and play this Friday at noon at the The Wilmette Theatre. Free, and all are invited.

These students have proven themselves as writers, actors, directors, and collaborators. So proud of their work!

Categories: Blog, Performances, ATC Students, ATC Classes

STAGE TO SCREEN photos and videos!

Posted July 29, 2011 by Philip Markle

This year's STAGE TO SCREEN program, where 3rd-5th and 6th-8th grade students (under the directions of Associate Director Philip Markle and teacher Rachel Wilson) create an original film and an original play is well under way. The films are almost completed, and will be screened next Friday, August 5th at noon at the Wilmette Theatre. All are invited!

Check out some photos highlighting the program so far!

SUPERINTENDANT!

Mama Dibo

Philip teaching (with a bad hair day)

Collaborative Creation

And last but not least, some PREVIEWS of the upcoming 6th-8th Grade play! We created some tableaux/performance pieces set to one of my favorite tracks today to explore the relationships of the 3 teams vying for power. Our play will be a choose-your-adventure with 3 separate endings depending on which group the audience votes for.

Click links below - they were taken with my Iphone so they're fairly rough :)

Enjoy and hope to see you at the final screening/performance on Friday, August 5th at noon!

Categories: Blog, ATC Students, ATC Classes

Review of our summer production of LITTLE SHOP

Posted July 29, 2011 by Philip Markle

Awesome article from THE WILMETE BEACON about our recent performance of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS!

Check it out: 'Shop of Horrors' comes alive at 'Mette!

Categories: Blog, Performances, ATC Students, ATC Classes

Photos from SOLD-OUT Fiddler on the Roof!

Posted July 10, 2011 by Philip Markle

PICTURES from after the SOLD-OUT FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Show on Sat, 7/10 !

The crowd pouring out into the Wilmette street fair, while waiting to greet the cast outside!

It's so crowded you can't even get down the door!

The boss with da kids

What a show!

Categories: Blog, Performances, ATC Students, ATC Classes

Article on ATC in Quintessential New Trier!

Posted July 9, 2011 by Philip Markle

ATC IN THE NEWS!

Check out this fantastic article featuring ATC in Quintessential New Trier!

http://qnewtrier.com/pdf/ja11-theater.pdf

Quote: ""Move over James Lipton. The aim of the Actors Training Center at the Wilmette Theatre isn’t just to hone the skills of local thespians..."

Categories: Blog, ATC Students, ATC Classes

Tickets on-sale for FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS!

Posted July 5, 2011 by Philip Markle

TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

ATC Summer Performance Playhouse Presents

Fiddler on the Roof

Note: Please allow extra time for parking due to Wilmette Street Fair on Sat, July 9th.

Showtime is right at 2 PM.

In the little village of Anatevka, Tevye, a poor dairyman, tries to instill in his five daughters the traditions of his tight-knit Jewish community in the face of changing social mores and the growing anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia. Rich in historical and ethnic detail, "Fiddler On The Roof" has touched audiences around the world with its humor, warmth and honesty. Come see the students of the Actors Training Center, under the direction of Janet Louer, bring this classic musical to life.

Tickets: $10 advance/$12 at door

Buy Tickets - Saturday, July 9 @ 2:00pm

Buy Tickets - Sunday, July 10 @ 7:30pm

Little Shop of Horrors

A down-and out skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon "Audrey II" grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, finally revealing itself to be an alien creature poised for global domination! One of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows of all time, this tuneful and hilarious musical never fails to entertain. Performed by students from the Actors Training Center, under the direction of Janet Louer.

Tickets: $10 advance/$12 at door

Buy Tickets - Saturday, July 16 @ 12 Noon

Buy Tickets - Sunday, July 17 @ 7:30pm

Categories: Blog, Performances, ATC Students

The Wonderful Deb Dion

Posted June 15, 2011 by Rae Lindenberg

Hello ATC folks! Intern Rae Lindenberg here.

Well, it's been a few days now since my weekend assisting LA Casting Director Deborah Dion. What a whirldwind!

You know, you'll be hardpressed to find any other teacher than Deb who knows how to teach you what you need to know without being condescending or too cruel. Deb strikes just the right balance of kindness and critique...ATC sure knows how to pick 'em. Now, this was my second time being Deb's reader - that's someone who reads the other character's lines for the actor on camera. It's my job to make sure the actors have something to work off of. I've been Deb's student before, but let me say that it's even cooler coming at it from the other side and seeing how hard she works to get the best performance out of these actors. From working with young children to working with adults, Deb really understands how to bring the best out of each of her students. It's not enough to just read the lines, the actor really needs to feel what it is they are talking about - that's one thing Deborah taught each of her students. I saw her work with each student from their first take to their last, and with her excellent coaching, she was able to bring out an amazing performance from them every time. So much so that maybe "performance" isn't the right word...instead, she was able to channel the actors so instead of a "show", we finally saw a snippet of that character's life through the truth of the actors portraying them. That still remains an awesome thing to see.

Deb also taught her students the wonderful, yet almost lost, art of preparation. Students were asked to prepare their own scenes before each day's class, and with each student we saw how different levels of preparation either helped or hindered the actors with their characters. Deb (as well as Carole Dibo) told of the immense importance of coming prepared to an audition. If you aren't prepared - you aren't getting the job.

But the greatest thing I took away from working again with Deb is dedication. When you have a teacher as dedicated to teaching as Deb, it's hard not to put 110% behind your work. An actor really needs to be in love with what he or she does in order to achieve any sense of accomplishment with their work. Deb clearly loves what she does...and it inspires me to commit myself even more to this wonderful craft. Thanks ATC for bringing her aboard again, and Deb, thanks for just being you.

Rae out!

Categories: Blog, ATC Students, ATC Classes

ATC REP Company - Photos from Performance at Chicago Tribune Printer's Row Fest!

Posted June 11, 2011 by Philip Markle

Major congratulations to members of our Teen Musical Theatre Repertory Company who performed numbers from CHARLIE BROWN...in blistering 95 degree humid heat downtown at the Chicago Tribune Printer's Row Lit Fest! These kids are such pros.

And we've got photos to share with you from the event!