BRANTFORD CABARET Workshops
The Brantford Cabaret is the brainchild of the wacky imagination of Joan Minnery, its founding director. Since 2004, Joan has welcomed hundreds of performers into her very non-traditional acting workshops.
The premise of the Brantford Cabaret has always been about our actors having a laid-back, silly theatrical experience. Theatre can be very strict and very by-the-book and Joan wanted to create an atmosphere of play and merriment. Where anything goes and the only rule is to have fun, while still learning about acting and being on stage. Our workshops are often fused with several storylines from multiple musicals and while there is a plot, there's never really a cohesive storyline, just a whole lotta semi-recognizable story fragments and a good-humoured frivolity. Many of the cast write their lines or contribute to their moment on stage. We encourage originality and we often change things according to a funny line or something that has happened unexpectedly. We laugh a lot, and you will find yourself laughing throughout.
Our Mission Statement ... Brantford Cabaret — Community Music … We Strive To Put The Emphasis On FUN TEAM WORK.
Every Person Is Important. Every Person Is A Star!!!
What will they learn? Gain skills and confidence in Public Speaking & Communication Learn ... Flexibility & Teamwork Experience ... Friendship & Follow Through Outcomes Working on the 4 main areas of Acting: VOICE: pitch, pace, pause, projection, tone, and volume BODY: posture, gesture, facial expressions, and eye-contact MOVEMENT: pace, weight, energy, direction, and pathways SPACE: use of space, stage direction. The performance and audience area. Space involves the way the performance area is used to communicate meaning, define settings, represent status and create actor and audience relationships.
Musical Theatre encompasses the triple threat; Acting, Singing & Dance; as all three culminate in the theatrical production on stage. Our aim is to allow students to learn the essential elements of the performing arts through the context of Musical Theatre. We believe that students who study musical theatre, are fortunate to have the feeling of self worth that comes with perseverance and a job well done. We are committed to fostering the musical growth in each student and helping them reach their individual goals, enjoying the journey along the way and performing in a live group environment. Our students will learn to deliver their performances with far more power, passion and emotion that will enable them to connect with an audience. They will come away with the concept of learning to sing and dance at the same time while learning the art of interpretation and above all making friends & having FUN!!!
Our classes are 90 minutes long. We will spend time on each of the 3 elements; Acting, Singing & Dance. Students will learn about drama, costuming, characterization, role playing, facial expression, props, and stage projection — how to correctly use their singing voice for the stage, while also building skills in intonation, breathing, pitch, harmonization and tone. Students will learn how to move on stage, with emphasis on dancing as a group, with energy & commitment to the choreography. All of this will be done through team work while enjoying theatrical games and exercises. There will be a small production for family and friends at the end of the course, which will be chosen by the students and the teacher. We welcome students of various levels of experience, and all backgrounds and abilities. Our goal is to teach in a fun laid back way that benefits each student as an individual and attain their own personal next best level of achievement in the performing arts.
Your instructor is Joan Minnery; an award winning vocal and drama coach and a well known entertainment persona in Brantford and Brant County. Joan teaches musical theatre privately at the Starr Sensations School of Vocal Music. Joan’s students have won over 300 Performing Arts awards.
“My idea is to teach as an orchestra leader. Teach...Rehearse...Produce. I teach, we practice, then I stand back and THEY produce, as I go around to correct and offer feedback and guidance, as a group and individually. This is done within a hands on environment with a then and there approach; which is very important for performing arts and chorus line work. Through practice, they will learn.”
