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BNTC Summer Camp 2009. Students rehearsed and performed a short version of Stuart Little in two weeks. It was a whirlwind of fun, learning and creativity!

In 2008 we joined forces with Crayons Improv and produced monthly shows. We were very proud to see Crayons win Best Improv. In Tulsa in the Tulsa People’s Choice Awards. Those shows were a lot of fun and Crayons is still rocking the Tulsa improv scene.

Here is a look back at BNTC students from about 8 years ago. They are probably in college now. Weren’t they cute!

This coming month, keep an eye on BNTC private acting student Jordan Flippo. A fifteen year old student at Cascia Hall, Jordan has been taking private lessons at BNTC for about five months. In that time she has worked with BNTC’s artistic director to prepare for a musical audition, a one-act play audition and subsequent competition as well as two Shakespeare competitions.

Though she had only recently joined her drama department as a freshman in the fall, Jordan successfully landed the role of Mrs. Frank in Cascia’s one-act performance of The Diary of Anne Frank. She and the other members of the play’s ensemble cast took the play all the way to state level One Act Play Competition where they received excellent reviews for taking on this deeply moving and difficult script.

Jordan is currently rehearsing for her role as Ms. Andrew in Cascia Hall’s spring musical, Marry Poppins. The cruel and highly comical Ms. Andrew is a show stopping addition to the Broadway version of the beloved musical. She is the strict and rigid counterpart to the lovable and creative Marry Poppins. This role will give Jordan an opportunity to showcase her classically trained singing voice as well as her comical sensibilities. It will be quite a contrast to the more dramatic roles Jordan has been playing recently and it is sure to be a thrill.

In the midst of all of her rehearsals, Jordan still finds time to enter Shakespeare competitions with her powerful portrayal of Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. Though the play is a comedy, Jordan’s speech is rich with deeply felt anger, sadness and feelings of betrayal. Shortly after beginning work on the speech in preparation for the state Shakespeare competition, Jordan learned that the Tulsa Opera was holding an online Shakespeare monologue competition. Jordan submitted her video and, though it was recorded very early in her preparatory process, Jordan placed a very close second and received a great deal of positive response to her work. Since that time, Jordan has continued to hone her speech and has also been learning and polishing Shakespeare’s sonnet 63. Both are contest ready and showing great promise. Jordan will represent her high school at the state level of the Shakespeare competition in the coming week.

This year, as usual, I’m thankful for the awesome opportunities I have had to teach acting and create new work with talented theatre artists. I’m also thankful for my awesome family which has welcomed two new additions this year: my amazing nephew Benjamin and my wonderful puppy Zeb. It has been a blessed year and I’m looking forward to an exciting start to 2015.

As BNTC’s Artistic Director, I take the Brand New Theatre Co. with me wherever I happen to go. Whether I’m teaching at a dramatic conservatory in London, England or creating new work with actors and screenwriters in Austin, Tx, the creative and educational work that I do is a part of BNTC’s mission.

I am currently excited to be back in my home town to spend some time with my family and to offer world-class training to small groups of adults, high schoolers and middle schoolers at the Fly Loft on 117 N. Boston in the heart of the Brady Arts district. It is so exciting to see the development in the Brady Art’s district and to be a part of the creativity that is taking place there.

So far I’ve got a few private lessons going and I’m consulting with a local group on their monthly original shows at the Comedy Parlor. I can’t wait to hold auditions throughout the month of December for the small group classes I’ll be offering during the spring semester. If you want to audition please check out the Acting Classes page and schedule your audition time by calling (918) 978-BNTC.

Winter 2011

BNTC is moving to Austin this fall. We want to thank you for being among the first of our Austin students by offering a 15% discount on the Jan/Feb adult acting classes and a 25% discount on the first month’s tuition for children’s classes. All you have to do to pre-enroll is fill out the electronic form below before November 15th. For children’s classes, not only will you receive a tuition discount, you will also be invited to attend free open-house classes in November/December so you’ll know what to expect in January!

Winter 2011