Theatre Day pulls back the curtain

They hadn’t been injured or time traveling, however. Instead they were among the more than 300 attendees learning about the onstage and backstage aspects of theatre during the 21^st annual CSC Theatre Day, specifically the stage makeup workshop.

Eleven high schools in three states attended the session taught by about 20 CSC students and faculty, according to Roger Mays, theatre professor. Topics included technology, writing scenes, games, auditioning and combat.

The stage makeup class was among the most popular presentations.

“If someone is interested in creating theatrical effects, they should just buy some Halloween makeup available this time of year and start experimenting. You don’t need expensive makeup to get started. One student creating amazing illusions of age and bruises using just two or three colors,” said Katie Krebs of Lemmon, South Dakota, the hair and makeup designer for “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” which was performed for the students during a Thursday matinee.

The makeup session was extremely popular. Jacob Hoffman, assistant theatre coach at Kimball County High School, said his students were standing in line for a chance to participate. This was the first year for Kimball students to attend Theatre Day.

 Jenn Dillinger, theatre coach at Kimball, said her students had a great experience and came back with lot of information to share with their cast and crew mates.

“We had some great conversations on the way home about what made “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” such an effective performance. Overall, it was a great experience for us, and we'll definitely be back next year,” she said.

“The makeup class was in high demand. The CSC students and the high school students seem enthusiastic. There’s a variety of session in tech, combat and other techniques. It’s a good set up. They’ve learned a lot,” he said.

In another of the 10 workshops offered at 9 and 10 a.m., Laven Adair of Hot Springs, South Dakota, demonstrated how to adopt a persona through voice and movement. It was his fifth and final year helping with Theatre Day and third as a presenter.

“Stick a cork in your mouth, or use your thumb. Really that is one good way to learn a British accent,” he told a group of 25 students in the Sandoz Center Chicoine Atrium. “You may have to overact for emphasis if it’s a comedy and take a different approach in a serious production.”

Three CSC students led an audition session. Asia Carr of Lusk, Wyoming, who played Logainne SchwartzandGrubinerre in the Spelling Bee encouraged attendees to be bold, aggressive and express vocal contrast in their auditions.

“Show the fire you have inside,” she said.

Ryan Steinhour, another cast member in the play, said two high school students – Mason Jones and Brittney Palmer – who attended the audition workshop he also helped present in 2014 went on to earn assistantships at CSC. Both are freshmen from Wyoming.

The third presenter, Josh Fitch, reminded the students to make their gestures and movements be motivated by purpose and meaning.

Chadron High School theatre instructor, Jill Paopao, said her students seem to gain new insights each year they attend the event.

“Some have been lucky enough to attend all four years of their high school career. They loved the makeup session and stage combat session. The theatre games is always a favorite, too. They learn a lot about objectives and motivations through the games. The most meaningful part is seeing the CSC play, where they can see quality acting,” she said.