How to Audition for a Musical
with René Pulliam and Justin Wadkins
February 23rd, 4-6 pm
Ages 16+
Lafayette County Arena
$30 for YAC and TO members
$35 for non-members
Join us for an exciting “How to Audition for a Musical” workshop, specially designed to prepare you for Theatre Oxford’s upcoming spring musical production, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. This workshop is perfect for anyone looking to fine-tune their skills before stepping into the audition room. In this session, you’ll receive expert vocal instruction, focusing on vocal technique and how to select and present your audition song with confidence. We’ll provide sheet music for recommended audition pieces from the show, helping you understand what casting directors are looking for musically. You’ll also get acting tips on how to bring your audition to life. Learn how to interpret scenes, engage with your character, and present yourself in a way that stands out during the audition process. Whether you’re a seasoned performer or new to musical theatre, this workshop will equip you with the tools and confidence you need to audition successfully.
About the Instructors
René Pulliam
René Pulliam was head of the BFA program in Musical Theatre at the University of Mississippi from 1993-2019. She received her BA in Music from Whittier College in 1972 and her MFA in Dance/Choreography from Mills College in 1992. She has directed and/or choreographed hundreds of musicals across the United States, including the West Coast premiers of Smile, Closer than Ever, and Over Here. She has been awarded the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Award for her choreography on No, No Nanette and Good News. Her performance credits include television (The Carol Burnett Show), commercials (Dr. Pepper), and touring companies (The King and I, Godspell). She apprenticed with the late rhythm tap dancer Eddie Brown and has shared the stage with such tap legends as Honi Coles, Jimmy Slyde, Bunny Briggs, and the Nicholas Brothers. She is an advocate for Theatre and Dance in the community, having been on the founding board of Theatre Oxford (1996) and returning in 2019. She continues to work professionally as a theatre and dance artist, directing and coaching for The Cumberland County Playhouse, in Tennessee. Most recently, she directed “Oklahoma”, the Ford Center for the Performing Art’s summer community musical.
Justin Wadkins
Justin Wadkins is an award-winning music director, having music directed many shows across North Mississippi and Tennessee. Some favorites include MAMMA MIA, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, OLIVER, CATS, SWEENEY TODD and Disney’s TARZAN. Favorite performance credits include Jud Fry (OKLAHOMA!), Old Deuteronomy (CATS), and the Baker (INTO THE WOODS). Justin is an active voice coach, specializing in musical theatre and audition preparation. Additionally, Justin facilitates sound baths as a certified sound healer and is passionate about spreading awareness of personal well-being with the community.
Theatre Oxford provides an array of workshops to develop skills on and off stage: storytelling, adult acting, children’s theatre, set painting, and playwriting.
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If you have a theatre-relevant skill and want to teach, submit a workshop proposal. We’ll help you organize, secure a space, and advertise.
Festival Workshops
at the Powerhouse
Expanding the 10-Minute Play
with George Kehoe
February 16 | 4:00-5:30 PM
The Art of Directing
with John Davenport
March 2 | 10:00-11:00 AM
Director & Playwright Collaboration
with Kate Leslie
March 2 | 11:00 AM-Noon
1 class $30 | 2 classes $50 | 3 classes $75
About the Workshop Leaders
George Kehoe grew up in New Orleans but has lived in Oxford for over forty years. Now retired, he had a decades-long career working with words: as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and university writing instructor. His love of language is also evident in his expansive theatrical experience, mostly as an actor, but also as a playwright. His acting credits include eight seasons with the Oxford Shakespeare Festival. Among his playwriting achievements was the premier of his play Hungry at the 2009 New York City Fringe Festival. His play “Patients” placed second in Theatre Oxford’s 2023 Ten-Minute Play Contest. He is currently working to expand “Patients” to full length.
John Davenport has been teaching theatre at Oxford High School for nearly twenty-four years. The upcoming performance of Shadow of the Son will mark John’s 125th production directed at OHS. John received his BFA from the University of Mississippi in 1999, then proceeded to earn his MFA. He has directed many productions in the Oxford community as well, including Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe for Theatre Oxford and The Music Man at the Gertude C. Ford Center this past summer.
Kate Leslie is originally from Oxford, Mississippi and currently lives in Los Angeles. Kate spent nine years in Chicago working as a director, playwright, and teaching artist. Kate completed an MFA in Playwriting from Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University in 2022, and also received a concentration in Directing New Plays. Kate’s full length play The Love Code won the National Partners of the American Theatre Playwriting Award in 2020, and “Ashes to Dust, a ten-minute play was a national finalist for the Gary Garrison Award in 2019. A full-length production of her play Shadow of the Son will be performed by Oxford High School February 22, 23, & 24. Kate is a member of the Dramatist Guild of America. You can find her plays on The New Play Exchange.
Youth Theatre Workshop
Jackie Joyner and Jennifer Mizenko
$185 for YAC members / $200 for non-members
Arena, 70 F.D. Buddy East Parkway
July 10-15, 2-5PM | Ages 8+
Theatre Oxford is excited to offer a Youth Acting Workshop for ages 8+. Through a series of acting exercises, students will create their own play devised from a familiar fairytale. The workshop will result in an informal performance on Saturday, July 15th. Each day participants will receive lessons in scene work, character development, and movement from professional actress, Jackie Joyner, and internationally recognized movement expert, Jennifer Mizenko. As a part of creating an original play, participants will learn to create their own costumes and props using fabric and simple craft techniques. By the end of the workshop, students will have become the authors, designers, and performers of their own play!
Actor Physicality: What is it and how do I do it?
with Jennifer Mizenko
April 22 | $35 member, $40 non-members
Arena, 70 F.D. Buddy East Parkway
1-2:30 PM, Ages 10-15 | 3-4:30 PM, Ages 15+
Internationally renowned theater movement expert, Jennifer Mizenko, will take you through the basics of how to apply physicality to the characters you play. You will examine the relationship between physicality and personality, as well as the significance of posture & gesture. Through this workshop you will gain a basic tool kit on how to make unique physical choices for every character you play.
How to Audition Workshop
with Rene Pulliam
February 26 | 4-6 PM
Powerhouse | 413 S. 14th St.
$35 members, $40 non-members | Ages 16+
Learn how to have a successful audition. Rene Pulliam has decades of experience casting shows. She was head of the BFA program in Musical Theatre at the University of Mississippi from 1993 to 2019. She has directed and/or choreographed hundreds of musicals across the United States, including the West Coast premiers of Smile, Closer than Ever, and Over Here. Her performance credits include television (The Carol Burnett Show), commercials (Dr. Pepper), and touring companies (The King and I, Godspell, Oklahoma).
2-Day, 10-Minute Playwriting Workshop
by Neil White and Leonard Madrid
Powerhouse | 413 S. 14th St.
February 10 (5-7 PM)
& February 11 (10 AM-Noon)
$50 members, $65 non-members | Ages 16+
Learn what makes a good 10-minute play. How is the format unique? What are the elements that make-or-break successful results? Leonard Madrid has received the Kennedy Center’s Latinx Playwriting award three times. Aurora was part of the Ignition Festival at Victory Gardens and the Festival Internacional de Teatro Universitario in Mexico City. Las Arañas was part of the Ground Floor residency at Berkely Rep. Cebollas will be part of the Colorado Playwright Summit in 2022. He is currently the Artistic Director at Blackout Theatre and teaches playwriting at Eastern New Mexico University. Neil White (Lepers & Cons, In the Sanctuary of Outcasts: A Memoir) runs The Nautilus Publishing Company, is the ghost author of many memoirs, and editor/publisher of 10-Minute Plays from Oxford.
