Greta Wohlrabe

Download Curriculum Vitae here.

DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF TRAINING:

Purdue University, Masters of Fine Arts in Acting 

• Vocal Production, Vocal Physical Preparation, Stage Dialects, Classical Text and Acting for the Camera with Richard Sullivan Lee
• Meisner Acting Technique, Professional Issues in Theater with Kristine Holtvedt
• Creating a Character, Theatrical Characterization, Period Style for the Actor, and Commedia dell’arte  with Richard Stockton Rand
• Script Interpretation, Modern Theory and Criticism with Dr. Anne Fliotsos
• Advanced Directing with Gordon McCall
• Terminal Project, Professional Showcase Tour

Eugene O’Neill National Theater Institute Spring Semester:

A fourteen-week study away program in either the fall or the spring in Waterford, CT. Classes are held seven days a week from 9am to 10pm with a 7:30am warm-up six days a week. This rigorous, conservatory-based approach to theater training exposes students to a broad range of theater styles and techniques. Coursework is rooted in five primary disciplines: Acting, Directing, Playwriting, Design and Movement and Voice. Two weeks of the semester are spent abroad. In the spring, we train at one of Russia’s most elite theater schools, the St. Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy. I studied intensively with master teachers and also saw a wide range of theater and visited museums and cultural sites. The St. Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy is located in the very center of the city. It was established in 1779 and is in the oldest and largest theater arts school in Russia. The Academy’s principal approach is based on the Stanislavsky System, especially his later theater techniques which are not widespread in the States. The faculty of working professionals trained us in acting, movement and voice.

• Acting: David Jaffe and Michael Cadman. Concentrating on improving craft as an actor and on strengthening intelligence and imagination as an artist. In-depth scene study covers a variety of plays and periods: Shakespeare, Sam Shepard, Moliere, Arthur Miller, Chekhov, Charles Mee. Guest artists also taught specific workshops in improvisation, ensemble-generated theater (Erica Schmidt), auditioning, and acting for the camera (Elaine Bromka).
• Directing: All students direct scenes and short performance pieces, learning skills of directing through table-work and practical exercises. It also teaches being a confident artistic leader that is adaptable to the needs of the script, the space and the actors in the room.
• Playwriting: Donna Dinovelli: Developing skills as a playwright and a play-listener. Assignments range from kitchen-sink American realism, to abstract themes, to radio plays and musicals. The course culminates in Playwrights Week, dedicated to readings and staged readings of student plays.
• Design: Using both classical and contemporary plays, we were challenged to explore the individual perceptions and interpretations of the text in physical form and were challenged to find clear ways to communicate visually.
• Movement and Voice: Vocal technique and production, along with dance and movement techniques: Tai Chi (David Chandler), Droznin Russian Movement (Rachel Jett), Biomechanics (Kathleen Baum), Yoga (Marya Ursin), Improvisation, Dance and State Combat (David Chandler). Voice classes: Linklater method, Dialect Work and Singing.
• Final Project: (Directed by Erica Schmidt) Each semester ends with an ensemble project which allows students to participate in all areas of the production, including acting, directing, writing, design, and choreography. The material is compiled, collaged and adapted from a wide range of plays, novels, and poems. The project is selected specifically for each class. Ours was about Identity. We wrote the entire performance ourselves, using no found text.
  Workshops:
• Viewpoints: A movement-oriented workshop to build the strength of the ensemble, sharpen improvisation skills and heighten each performer’s awareness of movement and use of space.
• Mask Workshops (Per Brahe): Improvisational storytelling and mask-making; Balinese Mask and the acting techniques of the great Russian actor, Michael Chekov; and Lecoq neutral mask.
• Business of the Business: Agents who cast for television, theater, and film provide students with first-hand information about networking, auditioning, resume writing and the realities of the business.

Wheaton College: B.A in Theater and Dramatic Literature

• Beginning Acting (Stephanie Burlington Daniels)
• Introduction to Theatre
• The History of Western Theater
• Intermediate Acting and Advanced Acting (David Fox)
• Introduction to Costume Design
• Shakespeare
• Modern Drama
• Restoration Theater and Beyond