Artist Afternoon: The Personal Cabaret with JoAnn Yeoman (a two-part workshop)

Cabarets are like mini one-act plays. The easiest way to structure one is as a personal narrative with just a segment of an experience or an aspect of a discovery. In this two-part workshop, theatre professional and educator JoAnn Yeoman (AEA, SDC, Dramatists, director of MAC-award cabaret Screen Gems, professor at ASU and PACE Universities, EAG Council) will help you begin to shape your own cabaret so you can tell the story that you want to tell.

Session #1 on April 13: The first class will begin with some history and a brief description of the characteristics of cabaret. JoAnn will include some hints, discuss common pitfalls, and offer a more specific clarification of your mini-cabaret structure and your goals. After the first session, participants will be asked to bring their idea for a personal journey and some musical material that might support that narrative to share with the class. JoAnn will offer feedback and support to help you start the editing process and keep you on track as you prepare for the next session.

Session #2 on April 27: In the second class, you will learn about ways you can use your accompanist, how to make more nuanced choices with song lyrics, and using patter to connect to the through-line. Lucky volunteers will have the opportunity to work with JoAnn on connecting to the lyrics of one of their songs. This two-part workshop will wrap up with ideas on how everyone can continue working on their own.

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EAG Council Member JoAnn Yeoman is a longtime member of AEA and Dramatists Guild and a recipient of the George C. Wolfe Fellowship from the SDC Foundation. She is a BMI workshop lyricist, director of MAC-award cabaret Screen Gems, resident choreographer for Lyric Opera Theatre, professor at ASU and PACE Universities (performing arts), author of Dream Dealer(StarCloud Press) and of national magazine articles including in NYC's Playbill, an Arizona Public Radio Host, and a Council Member of ASU's Emeritus College. JoAnn has worked with Michael Bennett, Larry Fuller, Ray Walston, Jon Cypher, Judy Kaye, Jamie Hammerstein, John O’Hurley among others. Her favorite roles include ANITA  West Side), ALDONZA (La Mancha), AGNES (I Do), AMANDA ( Laramie Project), VERA (Oldest Profession), and BEATRICE (Marigolds)