Melissa Hart Will Conduct Voice Workshop at BTAC, 2/16

Bloomington Theatre and Art Center (BTAC) will welcome Tony-nominated Broadway actress Melissa Hart for a special 1-day acting workshop for musical theater performers called Voice: The Actor's Instrument. She will visit BTAC for this educational opportunity on Saturday, February 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The focus of this workshop will be on using proper singing technique while acting, with the goal in mind of promoting healthy singing and developing stamina and vocal sustainability in the musical theater performer. Ms. Hart will guide students through specific warm-ups and exercises designed to help singer focus on posture, breath-support, relaxation, and resonance. Students will then perform a piece of music to put these techniques into practice.

"We all get one set of vocal folds to use in our lives, and a career in musical theater is dependent upon the health of the voice," says Hart. "Actors must learn how to protect and respect their vocal instrument, whether singing or speaking."

Melissa Hart made her Broadway debut in 1966 as an ensemble member in Jerry Bock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Bock" target="_blank">Jerry Bock's The Apple Tree. As Barbara Harris" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Harris" target="_blank">Barbara Harris's understudy, she replaced the actress as the various heroines in that musical for several performances. In 1969 she took over the role of Sally Bowles in the original production of John Kander" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kander" target="_blank">John Kander's Cabaret; a role she had previously performed in the musical's first National Tour. In 1970 she created the role of Meredith in the original Broadway cast of Tom Mankiewicz" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Mankiewicz" target="_blank">Tom Mankiewicz's Georgy, a performance for which she garnered a Tony Award nomination. She soon after performed the role of Fran Kubelik in the National Tour of Burt Bacharach" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Bacharach" target="_blank">Burt Bacharach's Promises, Promises. In the 1980s, she won a Joseph Jefferson Award" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Jefferson_Award" target="_blank">Joseph Jefferson Award for her portrayal of Amy in Stephen Sondheim" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Sondheim" target="_blank">Stephen Sondheim's Company at the Forum Theatre in Chicago. After a 27 year absence from Broadway, she returned to portRay Baroness Von Thunder and serve as the Understudy for the Old Lady in the 1997 revival of Leonard Bernstein" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Bernstein" target="_blank">Leonard Bernstein's Candide. Later that year she performed the role of Helene in the original cast of Frank Wildhorn" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Wildhorn" target="_blank">Frank Wildhorn's The Scarlet Pimpernel. In the Twin Cities, she has performed with Guthrie Theatre, Frank Theatre, and Illusion Theatre, among others, and is an avid teacher and vocal coach. For more information, visitwww.melissahart.net.

Voice: The Actor's Instrument will take place Saturday, February 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and advanced registration is required. Piano accompaniment is provided and all participants are asked to prepare one musical theater piece to perform. Bring a bag lunch and comfortable clothing. The cost to attend is $75 for BTAC members and students, and $83 for non-members. Partial scholarships are available. BTAC offers a 10% discount when students register for two-or-more courses at the same time. This discount is available when enrolling in multiple adult and youth offerings. Bloomington Theatre and Art Center is located at 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd. in Bloomington, MN. To register for this workshop or any of the performing and visual arts courses for youth or adults, call 952-563-8575 or visit www.btacmn.org.