The Directors recently announced their new role operating the Music Box Theatre in the Loring neighborhood of Minneapolis. Presenting a wide range of events the organization has begun transforming the venue into a modern day variety house for the community. Visit wwwthemusicboxtheatre.org to learn more about current programming and events.

Originally named the Loring Theater, the Music Box on Nicollet Avenue and 14^th  first operated as a silent movie and vaudeville house in the 1920s. Known for years as the home of Triple Espresso, the 440-seat auditorium has been almost vacant since 2008, with the exception of a few occasional rental events. As a historic landmark, the theater’s latest reincarnation promises to bring a diverse range of artists and performers to the stage, acting as a new performance platform for the Twin Cities.

The Directors, which is the parent company of The Directors Studios, is producing its first film this spring for a new start-up company, ACTivation. With a working title of Set to Spark, by Trista Baldwin, this will be the first film in a library of online content that ACTivation will make available to teachers, parents, community leaders and other youth influencers.

The 20 minute film will follow three high school freshmen girls who attend their first party with a group of older guys. We’ll see how body image and sexual competition get in the way of their friendship, causing each of them to behave differently depending on the situation. The film (and all ACTivation content) will provide youth influencers with a jumping off point for discussion of important social issues concerning teens.

Steve Barberio, director of the film, and Baldwin have cast the film with experienced young actors. Ali Rose Dachis graduated from the Guthrie Theater/University of Minnesota BFA program in 2009, Avi Aharoni is currently an apprentice at Children’s Theatre Company and Andrew Lentz recently appeared in the Cohen Brothers film, “A Serious Man”. Myrna Rae and Sanyu Lubogo are in the theatre program at the St. Paul Conservatory of Performing Artists.

Barberio has selected Kevin Obsatz of Video Haiku to be the film’s Director of Photography and Erica Zaffarano to be the Art Director. Others on the production team include Tim Wilkins, Kim Teplinsky, Michael Croswell and Molly Thorpe. “We have a phenomenal team of artists and technicians working on this project,” Barberio said. “As our first venture into film and online media, we chose a group of experienced and talented artists to put the piece together.”

The screenplay will continue to be developed at The Directors Studios through the end of March, utilizing improvisation techniques designed to draw from the actors’ own experiences. The film will be shot on location in April and post-production is expected to be completed by mid-June.

Every major profession requires its practitioners to maintain their training. The law, public accounting, education and medicine are four fields in which professionals earn continuing education credits to maintain a license to practice. Should skilled, career actors approach their work with any less discipline? We think not.

The team at The Directors Studios has brought together several of the finest voice, movement, and acting instructors to reenergize the working actor. Whether you’re in a show or auditioning for one, you will maintain and strengthen your skills as a performing artist.

Voice & Speech with Lucinda Holshue
6 Mondays, Feb 22 – Mar 29, 5:00 – 6:30 PM
$120

Acting the Song with Michael Pearce Donley
6 Saturdays Feb 27 – Apr 3, 3:00 – 5:00 PM
$160

European Clown with Noah Bremer
6 Saturdays Feb 27 – Apr 3, 3:00 – 6:00 PM
$235

Active Analysis & Psychological Gesture with Tom Cornford
Mar 23 – 26 12:00 – 4:00 PM, Mar 27 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
$260

To enroll in training at The Directors Studios  call 612-746-1372 or email reserve@tdstudios.us.

FISH! The Musical is a fun, interactive, and one-of-a-kind Broadway style production that is based on the four practices of The FISH! Philosophy. In this hilarious play, three employees of a typical staffing company overcome their state of apathy and rediscover passion for work through FISH!

Performing one day only at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium in Saint Paul on Saturday October 10. For ticket information call 651.690.6700.

Thanks to the FISH! The Musical cast and crew for all the fun and for rehearsing at The Directors Studios!