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

Cabarets can be approached as a mini one-act play, working within either a literal or emotional arc that includes dynamics and personal style. The simplest way to gather the narrative elements and get started is through a personal cabaret, using a segment of an experience or an aspect of a personal discovery. You already have the narrative resources and point of view at your fingertips. Each participant can move forward in the EAG Cabaret Workshop with success whatever their exposure to cabaret may be. 

Theatre professional and educator, JoAnn Yeoman, will help you begin to shape your own cabaret so that you can tell the story you want to tell. JoAnn is a member of AEA, SDC, and Dramatists Guild, and was director of the MAC-award-winning cabaret Screen Gems. She was a performing arts professor at ASU and PACE University, and is a member of the EAG Council. JoAnn has performed in and directed cabarets at Birdland and the Laurie Beechman.

Joining her for the second of two sessions will be musician, composer, and performer, Carl Danielsen. His studies include The Webber Douglas Academy of Drama in the UK and a BA in music from UC Berkley. Danielsen is the recipient of the Dramalogue, Bay Area Critics Circle, and Jeff Awards. In NYC he has music-directed Picon Pie (DR2) and Trolls (Actors Playhouse). 

Participants are required to register for and attend both 90-minute sessions.

Session #1 on July 12, 2:00 PM-3:30 PM: The first class will begin with a short history and 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 for the next session. For session #2 you’ll be asked to bring a succinct scenario for your potential 10 to 12-minute personal cabaret to share with the class, along with a selection of tunes that might support that narrative. JoAnn will make these goals clear and offer comments to help you start building and editing that will keep you on track for the next session. JoAnn’s notes from  Session One will be sent to each participant by e-mail the next day. 

Session #2 on July 19, 2:00 PM-3:30 PM: During the second session you will learn about working with an accompanist for cabaret, making more nuanced choices with lyrics, and using patter for focus and transition. Volunteers will have the opportunity to work with JoAnn and Carl on examples that will also inform the rest of the participants. This two-part workshop will wrap up with ideas on how to continue working and questions from the participants. 

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EAG's Covid Safety Rules: Masks are strongly recommended but no longer required in Guild Hall. For this class, instructor JoAnn Yeoman wants students to know that while masks are now optional, you should feel completely comfortable choosing to remain masked whenever you are not on-stage working. We ask that you please stay home if you are sick or if you have tested positive for covid. For more details, please visit www.actorsguild.org/covid-safety-protocols.

EAG's Code of Conduct: EAG strives for a safe and welcoming environment for all people entering Guild Hall or engaging with EAG’s programs. To view our Code of Conduct in full, please visit www.actorsguild.og/coc.