Join Theatre Santa Fe for a Free Weekend Theatre Workshop!

Are you ready to get creative, have fun, and explore your inner actor, comedian, or storyteller?
This is your chance to learn from Santa Fe theatre professionals in an exciting weekend of Master Classes and performance.

WHEN

Saturday and Sunday, November 15 - 16, 2025

WHO

High school students (grades 9–12) from all Santa Fe schools

WHERE

Santa Fe High School Drama Department

Weekend Schedule

Saturday, November 15, 2025

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Rotate through five different Master Classes led by local theatre professionals
Lunch provided

5:30 – 8:00 PM

Pizza dinner and a DJ Dance Party—open to all participants!

Sunday, November 16, 2025

10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Small-group workshops with one teacher (groups of 10 students)
Refine your skills and prepare for a Showcase performance

4:00 – 5:00 PM

Showcase performance for friends and family at Santa Fe High

The Master Classes

All of our teachers have a wealth of experience on stage!

The focus of the classes will be Creating Character, and include:

Physical Theatre and Movement
Standup Comedy
Scene Analysis and Auditioning
Short Form Improvisation
Theater Tech

PHYSICAL THEATRE AND MOVEMENT

This master class focuses on creating character through physical exploration, rather than psychological analysis. This approach allows the actor to discover physical posture and gesture choices that are unique, and often surprising. The workshop will be very physical. Students must wear comfortable clothing (properly fitting sweat pants and t-shirts are suggested), and be ready to work barefoot. We will begin with a short warm up, and move quickly into physical work involving physical "lead points" in the body. These lead points will naturally bring out a psychological state that the actor will then expand upon to find gesture, and rhythm.

Teacher: Elizabeth Wiseman
My first experience with true inspiration was when I was recruited to take part in a collectively devised play at the age of eight, working with professional theater artists. Later, Cornish Institute introduced me to the Lecoq school of theater, which felt like home. After two years at Cornish, I transferred to Jacques Lecoq’s theater school in Paris France. Total immersion in a foreign country with artists from around the globe flexed my observation skills and broadened my understanding of humanity. It was there that Theater Grottesco was born. I was co-artistic director for nearly 20 years, creating and touring original works in Europe and the U.S. Teaching was a regular part of our international touring package. Most recently I was on the theater faculty at New Mexico School for the Arts teaching and helping develop the curriculum. I have taught residencies and workshops at universities and colleges across the country and currently offer guest artist workshops and residencies in Santa Fe and surrounding areas.

STANDUP COMEDY CLASS

This class will use improvisation, writing exercises and the concept of “Persona” to create material for a 2-5 minute Stand-Up Comedy piece.

Teacher: Marguerite Louise Scott is an actor, writer and comic solo performer who established the Young Creators Project, leading workshops that guides youth to discover, explore, write and perform their own artistic voices.

SHORT FORM IMPROVISATION

What do Leslie Knope, Michael Scott, Adrian Pimento, and Jean-Ralphio Saperstein, have in common? They’re all brought to life by an improviser. Join Santa Fe's two best improvisers and learn the secrets behind creating characters so good, they could be on a sitcom. You’ll learn how to be spontaneous, build a world, and find your genuine comedic voice.

Teacher: David Jondreau is an actor, improviser, writer, producer, and founder of Thin Air Improv. His hobbies include driving to the gym and eating carrot cake.

Teacher: Adrian Wallen has performed and taught Improv in New Mexico for over 20 years. He has served as the Artistic Director of Santa Fe Improv and currently coaches the longest running Improv group in Santa Fe, “Sibling Rivalry”. His high score in bowling is 220 and his spirit animal is Garfield.

SCENE ANALYSIS AND AUDTIONING

“Scene analysis and auditioning,” will give students the tools to bring their authentic self to any audition situation. We will also begin to explore the techniques of scene analysis through determining the moment to moment objective of the character and through text analysis finding the dramatic bones of a scene.

Teacher: Kent Kirkpatrick has been involved in pretty much every aspect of storytelling through theater, TV and film. He has acted, directed, produced, written, taught and watched. He has worked with local companies such as Teatro Paraguas, New Mexico Actors Lab, Ironweed, Theater Grottesco, Shakespeare in Santa Fe, the Santa Fe Opera, and the Santa Fe Playhouse. He has taught at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts—West, University of California at Irvine and San Diego, University of Delaware, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and Oxford University.

THEATRE TECH

Teacher: Reed Meschefske is a Wisconsin native that has been doing theater since 1983. He received his BA in Acting from Columbia College/Chicago and his MFA in Classical from The National Theater Conservatory in Denver, CO. He has acted in, directed for, and performed on stages all over the world. He currently runs the Santa Fe High School Theater and Film program.