Open Auditions for Spring Workshops

OPEN AUDITIONS:
Ellen Mueller is seeking physical and improvisational performers of all types for two free collaborative workshops exploring the concepts of success and evaluation.


About the Workshops and Ellen Mueller:
These two free workshops will be led by Ellen Mueller at the University of South Florida Marshall Student Center, February 28 & March 1, Noon – 4:00pm, and April 4 & 5, Noon - 4:00pm. The approach for these workshops is based on techniques gleaned from yoga, the Brave New Institute – an improvisation training center in Minneapolis, MN, the Theatre of the Emerging American Moment – a theatre company dedicated to dissecting and celebrating the experience of living in America today, and Viewpoints – a technique for building ensembles and creating movement. Specifically, we will explore our collective response to the concepts of success and evaluation. Our goal is to gather and develop images, ideas, questions, situations, and characters through the practice of movement and improvisational exercises. Participants can expect to learn about the Eight Secrets of BNW Creativity, as well as an approach to collaborative creation. The material collected will be used as research for new performance works, and may lead to future collaborations with workshop participants.

Ellen Mueller was raised in Fargo, ND and currently lives and works in Tampa, FL. She received a BA in Theatre and Art, and a BS in Design Technology from Bemidji State University. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Studio Art with emphasis on performance at University of South Florida. For more information about recent projects, please visit EllenMueller.com


Audition Details:
Tuesday, January 6, 2009, 7pm – 9pm

University of South Florida
Fine Arts/FAH Room 280
4202 E. Fowler Avenue
Tampa, FL 33620


Instructions:
Wear clothing appropriate for movement. Please bring a headshot, or a snapshot that clearly displays your face. No prepared material is necessary. The audition will consist of movement and improvisation exercises, and may be conducted individually or in groups as the schedule allows. If you have any special talents, musical skills, etc, please be prepared to share them. You will be asked to indicate which of the two workshop dates you are available for, or if you are available for both. To reserve an audition slot, please email Ellen at emmuelle@mail.usf.edu with your availability between 7-9pm on January 6, 2009. If you are interested in the project, but are unavailable on this audition date/time, please feel free to contact Ellen to make alternative arrangements.

Lightboxes at the USF Fine Arts Building

If you get a chance, check out the lightboxes on the north side of the USF Fine Arts building. I have a piece on display from the manual for "The System." Also on display are works from Chris Otten, Robb Fladry, and Jordi Williams. They look pretty cool after dark...

We were selected for the grant!

We were selected for the grant!

In November, I, and a group of 3 other students, applied for the 2008 – 2009 USF Graduate Student Challenge Grants for Building Research Partnerships Across Disciplines. Our proposal was entitled, "Fanaticism, America, and Sustainability." We proposed to research the status of fanaticism in America, and how fanaticism correlates to the sustainability of populations and the environment. Our sample population is 18-38 year old Americans. We will explore how their beliefs about environmental sustainability affect their fanaticism, and vice versa.

It sounds kind of dense and academic, but I'm excited because I'll be using my portion of the grant money to address these issues in a collaborative performance piece. We'll start out by doing a few improvisation workshops, and create from what we discover there. I'm very excited to have the resources to rent a decent performance space, costumes, props, production equipment, etc.

The other grad students on my team are:
Robb Fladry- Studio Art/Electronic Media
Jeffery A. Hinzmann - Philosophy
Elizabeth Victor- Philosophy

Old School Mentioned In ReadyMade Magazine

The latest volume of ReadyMade Magazine includes a recommendation of the Old School book!

Published last summer, this little book was created in concurrence with an exhibition at UPPERCASE Gallery and includes my drawing, Focus Here.
The book is filled with a lot of great art, including work by my friend Tonja Torgerson. It is great to see it getting press months after its debut. More information about the magazine's mention can be found here.
Information about Old School and how to purchase it can be found at UPPERCASE's online shop. If you haven't already checked it out, I really recommend you do.
[thanks Tonja for this great post!]