CHARACTER RESEARCH

Why is Fontine so "miserable"? Why is Galinda "popular"? Why do women swoon over Buble or feel soulful when listening to Blige? This workshop digs into the characters then helps interpreters to develop a foundation for an effective performance interpretation. In addition to our own research, we will also be inviting artists to come and share some of their process in writing songs, and the motivation behind their music.

 

PERFORMANCE PREPARATION

How would you dress for Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Mercy Me, Kelly Clarkson, or Beyonce? How would you do your make-up for Faith Hill differently than for Cats? Here we will bring in experts to show us how to dress, how to do our make-up, and how to become as close in presentation as possible to the artists and characters for whom we interpret.

 

TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF PERFORMANCE INTERPRETING

We need to understand venues and equipment, so our class will [tentatively] travel to the Grand Ole Opry for a backstage tour, followed by a possible tour of the Bridgestone Area [17,000 + seat auditorium]. These 2 tours will give us a basic understanding of how interpreters get to and from a stage, and will expose them to backstage areas, to needed equipment, give them a feel for standing on a professional stage and in the end will build a comfort zone for the interpreters to manage a variety of interpreting environments.

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ACTIVE SHOOTER / EMERGENCY TRAINING

It's sad we have to face this in today's age, but as you know one of our own here in Nashville, Jason Aldean, was caught in the largest attack on a concert in history while performing in Las Vegas. We learned from that scenario, that interpreters need to be prepared for active shooters and emergency scenarios. We want to make sure you are ready and know what to do if a crisis ever arises. 

 

GLOSSING

Interpreters always want to develop a quality gloss. We will talk about glossing in ASL, in PSE (Contact) using the 4 primary descriptive theories of glossing. We will begin by picking apart song sections and discuss creative ways to present the material. Then attendees will work with a personal song, will discuss their glosses in different groups and eventually present some of their glosses before the group as a whole for feedback and further development.

 

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

Every artist has a unique song style. One voice is gruff, another is smooth, one is powerful and another is airy. How do you recognize these unique styles and then how do you turn around and present them? This class will tackle the specifics of analyzing the vocal and physical presentation of the artists and characters for whom we interpret. Once we understand what artists are doing we are more empowered to recreate it in a balanced format while on stage.

 

ACTING 101

In the FPT (Full Presentation Theory) developing acting skills is critical. Under this theory, signing for a man will be different than signing for a woman, signing for a child will be different than signing for an adult. We will have an acting coach on site to help develop the attendees' skills in presenting characters. We will tackle improvement in facial expression, body language, and overall presentation. We will use acting exercises to develop diverse skills. Keep your fingers crossed. If we get lucky we might see some well known faces who are based right here in Nashville.

 

MOVEMENT

Are you rhythmically challenged? We can help. This portion of the workshop will solicit the help of a dance instructor to improve your ability to manage the movement required of stage interpreters. In addition, we will be working on extreme character movement. How can you present extreme characters like Phantom or Spiderman? We will learn how small movement changes make a big difference in your presentation.

 

PERFORMANCE PRACTICE

Practice makes perfect right? At this point we have learned all we need to know about HOW to build a quality performance interpretation, now we need to PRACTICE... over and over and over again! Attendees will come prepared with songs prepared for evaluation. Additional songs will be required to learn on site. Attendees will be evaluated daily in some capacity.

 

EVALUATION

Attendees will go off site 2 - 3 times during the week to interpret at local venues. Each time interpreters will be evaluated on site. These live practices will be an incredible opportunity for interpreters to use the skills learned in house to make their off site interpretations great. Examples of possible off site locations are: The Grand Ole Opry, The Wildhorse Saloon, Exit/In, etc.