The Cast!

I'm delighted to announce our cast! 


Fierce. Passionate. Talented.

V-Day New York City, Triad Theatre (The Vagina Monologues)

May 22, 2011 at 3pm

May 24, 2011 at 7pm

Important: Cast members! You should have received this memo via email, along with the script.

If you didn't, please contact me right away. 

AndreaBertola@gmail.com

In order of appearance...

WE WERE WORRIED: THE CAST

INTRO TO HAIR: ANNETTE
HAIR: JULIA

THE WEAR AND SAY LIST: THE CAST

INTRO TO THE FLOOD: CINDY

THE FLOOD: FRANCES

THE VAGINA WORKSHOP: KIRA

VAGINA HAPPY FACT: SUE

INTO TO BECAUSE HE LIKED TO LOOK A IT: JULIA

BECAUSE HE LIKED TO LOOK AT IT: AVEL

VAGINA NOT-SO-HAPPY-FACT: CINDY

INTRO TO KAMBRI'S TESTIMONIAL: JUSTINE

KAMBRI'S TESTIMONIAL: KAMBRI

MY ANGRY VAGINA: TAY AND QUENNA

INTRO TO MY VAGINA WAS MY VILLAGE: DANA

MY VAGINA WAS MY VILLAGE: JUSTINE AND OLIVIA

INTRO TO COOCHIE SNOORCHER: LISA

THE LITTLE COOCHIE SNORCHER THAT COULD: CAROLYN

MY SHORT SKIRT: TALIA, LISA, DANA

INTRO TO RECLAIMING CUNT: FRANCES

RECLAIMING CUNT: JESSICA

A SIX YEAR OLD GIRL WAS ASKED: CINDY AND SUE

INTRO TO THE WOMAN WHO LOVED TO MAKE VAGINAS HAPPY: TALIA

THE WOMAN WHO LOVED TO MAKE VAGINAS HAPPY: ERICA

INTRO TO I WAS THERE IN THE ROOM: CAROLYN

I WAS THERE IN THE ROOM: ANNETTE

INTO TO MYRIAM (SPOTLIGHT MONOLOGUE): KIRA

SPOTLIGHT MONOLOGUE: CINDY, AVEL, JESSICA AND THE CAST 

Auditions!

V-Day: The Vagina Monologues

Audition Announcement!!

We are proud to be a participant in the V-Day New York City 2011 campaign. We have been granted the rights for a V-Day benefit production of Eve Ensler’s award-winning play, “The Vagina Monologues” to raise money and awareness for local organizations that work to stop violence against women and girls. Directed by Andrea Bertola.

Want to be on stage? Come to this meeting!

Have fun, explore the script, be empowered

and meet cool women willing to take a risk!

Looking for a diverse group of women.

(All ages, ethnicities, and types are requested)

Bonus!

No acting experience necessary, we’re looking for real women to portray real stories in a professional production. Some participants will be allowed to read from note cards. You will be challenged to test your limits in evoking truthful emotions for a dynamic performance.


Audition Details:
Date: April 3, 2011
Time: From 1 pm UNTIL 5 pm.*
*This will be a group audition, please arrive promptly at 1pm.


Location: 
CAP21
18 West 18th Street, #6
New York, NY

If you want to be a cast member, please make your best effort to join us!

Performance dates:
5/22/11 @ 3pm
5/24/11 @ 7pm

Performance venue: 
The Triad Theater

PLEASE RSVP "YES" IF YOU PLAN ON AUDITIONING....

If you are unable to attend, please contact Andrea at AndreaBertola@gmail.com


Also- If you are interested in being involved behind the scenes...contact Andrea.

Ensemble Building Activity

STUPID HUMAN TRICKS

AIM:    To practice ensemble building with young students by sharing and teaching unique talents/quirks. 

OBJECTIVE: To share and learn to celebrate their unusual tricks and then teach them to their classmates. Every student has an unusual trick they can do! It's a unique little quirk, which makes them special.    

STUDENTS WILL:

• Share their unique tricks in a goofy talent show setting.
• Learn how to be a patient teacher
• Be open minded to learning something that seems impossible
• Have pride in their unique "quirks"
• Learn to look vulnerable in front of their peers when performing a new skill/trick that is difficult/hard to master.
• Be a supportive audience for each other during a vulnerable presentation.
• Approach a "silly" activity with seriousness.

PROCEDURE:

Explain to students, “This activity is called, "Stupid Human Tricks". 

1. We explain what a 'stupid human trick' is: “Everyone has an unusual trick they can do! It's a unique little quirk, which makes you...you! There are no excuses! Everyone has something!”
2. Give students some examples:
1. Body Tricks: double jointed body parts, wiggling your ears, touching your tongue to your nose
2. Athletic Tricks: splits, flips, handsprings, stand on your head,
3. Knowledge Tricks: say the 50 president's names in less than a minute, sing the alphabet backwards, recite the "I had a Dream Speech"
4. Misc: Shakespeare Sonnet in another language, drinking water from a straw up their nose, etc..

3. Explain the rules:

• The trick has to be performed in ONE MINUTE or less.
• Have 2 - 3 kids show examples.
• They will pair up with someone they have NOT worked with yet.
• They will practice together for 5 - 7 minutes.
• They have to teach their partner their "trick". 
• This is the key lesson: Even if it is a body trick that would be impossible to teach...they must commit, modify and work together to teach each other the trick to the best of their ability.
• They must practice presenting their trick as an "act". Beginning, middle and end. (Intro, Trick, and Bow)

4. Group comes together as a whole and we present as many partners as possible.

• Remind students that they are on stage and they must commit to presenting their tricks as a full scale scene.

FOLLOW-UP:Discus why this activity is relevant to our work in the theatre: (Working together, patience while learning something difficult, being vulnerable on stage, presenting the trick as a finished scene).

Ask the students:  “Was it harder being the teacher or the student? Why?”

“How did it feel to present a trick that you haven’t mastered yet?”

The Nine Word Play

THE NINE WORD PLAY

(30 minutes or more)

AIM: How do we create a performance piece using language and staging?

OBJECTIVE: To allow young students to experience a mini version of the theatrical process of creating performances using language and physical movement.

STUDENTS WILL: Select nine words as the text for a performance piece and stage, rehearse and perform them.

            PROCEDURE:

1.         Ask the students to partner into groups of three.

                        2.         Tell them that each group will create a Nine word play.

                                    Each member of the group is responsible for writing THREE

                                    words each giving them a total of NINE words.

                        3.         The FIRST word for each person must be their FIRST NAME.

                                    The SECOND and THIRD words must be words that they associate                                      with themselves. Words that tell us something about them.

                        Example           ANDREA     ITALIAN    PSYCHIC

                                                               MATT    SKATEBOARD    PUNK

                                                               LAUREN      THEATER    PINK

                        4.         Now that they have the LANGUAGE or the text for their play

                                    as a group they must decide how to stage it. What performance

                                    style do they want to use.

                                    Examples:  Musical,  Classical,   Abstract,  Realistic dialogue  etc.

                        5.         Tell them they must put it on its feet. How do they want to stand?

                                    WORK TOGETHER and move as they say their words.

                        6.         They can say the nine words in any way they wish, as many times as

                                    they wish. They can say each other’s words, repeat them, and break

                                    them up, say them together as a chorus etc.

                        7.         Model with two volunteers an example of a nine word play.

                        8.         Give them ten to 15 minutes to work then share each group’s

                                    presentation.

SUMMARY: You have just gone through a mini version of the theatrical process

from creation to execution. This is how plays are made; we start with a theme,

create the language or the text of the play then stage it physically in a space.

Diagnostic Activities

3 easy-to-facilitate classroom diagnostic activities!

Elements of Diagnostics:

-        a short activity

-        all students are involved

-        interactive

-       the opportunity for the teacher to “step out and observe”

Diagnostic 1: “I’m going on a picnic and I’m going to bring…”

In this exercise, the class sits in a circle and everyone must add on to the picnic list, remembering what the students ahead of them are bringing as well. For an introductory exercise the students can preface their object with “My name is Andrea and I’m going to bring an alligator”. (Alliteration activity).

What can you observe in this diagnostic?

-        students ability to engage in the activity

-        memorization skills

-        creativity

-        patience…while waiting for their turn

-        Confidence. How do they react when they forget an object?

-        Who seems to be actively trying to remember what everyone is saying, before their turn?

-        Shyness. Do they look at their classmates in the eye while they repeat their object or do they look at the floor?

-        Attention seekers. Who “milks” their turn?

Diagnostic 2: Create a tableau.

In this exercise, the class is told to create a tableau of a specific scene. For example “a day at the beach”, or “the circus”. They join the scene one at a time and freeze in the “still-life” picture.

What can you observe in this diagnostic?

-        students ability to engage in the activity

-        Initiation. Who jumps right in? Who waits til the end?

-        Balance. The ability to hold a frozen position for a period of time.

-        Sustainability. Are they commited to their pose, or do they get distracted watching where their classmates fit it?

-        Creativity. Who thinks outside of the box?

-        Space awareness

-        Do they add-on to another student's activity? Or do they start their own, in solitude?

-        Patience.

-        Class dynamics

Diagnostic 3: The numbers game, “Buzz”

In this exercise, the class stands in a circle. The 'mission' is for students to be aware of their classmates and count as high as they can.  The rules are: they say buzz on any double numbers or numbers with “3” or “7” in them (13, 17, 22, 30-39, 11…etc), and that causes the movement of the circle to reverse.  If someone messes up, you start from 1. They game gets tricky when you reach the 30s…and the direction switches every single number.

What can you observe in this diagnostic?

-        student's ability to engage in the activity

-        listening skills

-        counting skills

-        quick thinking

-        Ability to follow several directions at a time.

-        Confidence. How do they react when they mess up?

-        Patience. How do they react when someone ELSE messes up?

-        Awareness. Are they ready for their turn?

Another 5-Star Review on Yelp!

www.Holiscious.com

Another glowing review! I love hearing from happy website clients! Shayna Hiller, owner of www.Holiscious.com left the following review on Yelp:

"Andrea is so reliable, knowledgeable, and creative. She offers such comprehensive, cutting-edge service... I couldn't ask for more! I owe alot of my business to her for designing such a unique, eye-catching website!"

Thank you, Shayna! (For those of you looking for a Health Coach... Shayna is unbelievable!)

Need a website? 

Contact: Andrea@thenewyorkwebsitedesigner.com

In Loving Memory...

Nicolina "Nanny" Bonfiglio
January 28, 1929 - February 24, 2011

In loving memory, my eulogy for my Grandmother...

On behalf of the children and grandchildren of Nicolina Bonfiglio, I want to thank you all for joining us today in celebration of her life. We honor her in this bon-voyage gathering to wish her well in her journey to the ultimate reunion in the sky. Oh, what a reunion that will be!

Everyone in this room had a special relationship with Nanny. She used to call me her shining star. I know she had some nicknames of her own. Nanny, Nan, Nelle, Niki, Nicolina, Mrs. Bonfiglio, Nelly the Cat, Nelly the Original, Aunt Nelly, Mom… and now we can all be united in calling her our guardian angel.

She didn’t waste one minute in letting us know that she is up there watching over us. We all know how much she loved the lotto. She was notorious for playing numbers with special meanings. It was for this reason that we paid close attention to her time of passing: 8:35pm. Many of us played the number the next day, in her honor. Well, in true Nanny “style”, 8-3-5 came up in her beloved pick-3 lotto… not even 24 hours after her passing. I’d like to publicly apologize to Nanny for dropping the ball and not getting a ticket in NJ where the number came up. I know she rigged that one just for us. [Pause, smile]. In any event, I feel like we won anyway. She sent us a sign. It was her way of saying that she is going to take care of us. She’s up there, she’s ok… and she finally hit the jackpot.

Nanny got a ton of lotto tickets at her 80th Birthday party!

Today, I look at her penchant for the lotto with new eyes. The lottery is a symbol of hope. We hope for the best, but some of us get lucky in the draw and some don’t. By all accounts, you would say that Nanny had a tough life filled with many hardships. Her struggles made her an incredibly strong, resilient woman. These are the very qualities that many of us cherished in her. She was like the little engine that could. God help anyone that tried to get in her way! She defied doctors for years. She was a fighter. She was courageous. She was proud of her strength. I am in awe of her strength. We all are.

In one of our last conversations she whispered to me, “Andrea, I know I seem tough on the outside; but I’m really a softie on the inside.” She talked about how she felt she had to be strong to protect the family. It was her deep love and devotion to our family that kept her strong. It kept her going. She only wanted the best for us and she fought tooth and nail to make sure we had it. What she lacked in riches she made up for with passion. She once told me, “True wealth is what you are, not what you have. You can inherit money, but never wisdom or respect.” She held strong to her ideals, her opinions and her beliefs. Some would call it stubbornness. :-) I like to think of it as strong-willed.

If she was with us right now, I know she would want to pass on some words of wisdom. One last time. We all know that she ALWAYS had to have the last word. Even when I would call her on the phone, we would go back and forth with our goodbyes. She always had to be the last one to say goodbye. So, as one final goodbye I’d like to share her Christmas toast. I believe she knew, in her heart, that it would be her parting words to our family. 

On December 25th, 2010 she said:

“I want to thank you, God, for letting me share this day with these beautiful people. Each and every one of them has a special place in my heart, for things they’ve said and done through the years. And thank you for my two sons and my daughter; my daughter-in-law and my son-in-law; my seven grandchildren; and my new grandson (Nicole's husband) Michael. And I want to thank you for all these blessings. Watch over them God, because I’ve been doing it all these years…and I’m getting a little tired now, and I know my days are numbered.“

Well Nan, it’s time for you to rest now. I think I speak for all of us when I say, “Thank you." Thank you so very much. The lottery is a symbol of hope, and we got the luck of the draw. We hit the jackpot with you in our lives. You are one-of-a-kind. You light-up our lives, like you light-up a room. Now you’ll light-up the skies as you sparkle and shine, like you always have. I love you, my shining star.

Three generations: Nanny, Mom and me. 

Your Loving Granddaughter,

(Always and Forever)

Andrea

                                     

The Vagina Monologues!

I am proud to be a participant in the V-Day 2011 Campaign.  We have been granted the rights for a V-Day benefit production of   Eve Ensler’s award-winning play, “The Vagina Monologues” to raise money and awareness for local organizations that work to stop violence against women and girls. 

In 2010, over 4000 V-Day benefit events took place, produced by volunteer activists in 130 countries around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls both locally and globally.  In 2011-- I will be organizing one of thousands of events around the world, channeling creative energy into making a difference as part of the V-Day Campaign.  It is our intention to make V-Day 2011 a huge success.  This will be possible, in large part, through the assistance and generosity of volunteers. 

Five reasons why YOU should participate in the production:

1. Mother

2. Girlfriend

3. Sister

4. Friend

5. Daughter

Do you want to get involved????

You need to have time, patience, love working with people, and you shouldn't be shy!

We need lots of help, women AND men!!! Roles to be filled:

PR

Crew

Publicity

 Marketing 

Social Media

Stage Manager

Assistant Director

Production Team

Program Design

Administration

Music Director

Hair & Makeup

Ticket Sellers

Tech Crew

Fundraisers

Treasurer

Etc.

....and actresses! (Looking for diversity! All ages and types!)

Contact me or leave a message in the blog comments!
Andrea@thenewyorkwebsitedesigner.com

-Andrea

Website Testimonial...

From Charlotte Hiller, www.charlotteswebofwellness.com :

"Whew.... I put this off long enough! That is, getting onto my new website and actually putting words on the pages. Thank you to Andrea Bertola for creating such a great site. If you'd like her help in setting up a website, please call or email me and I'll be happy to give you her email address. She's incredibly talented!
-Charlotte"

Get a free website quote!

Check it out: 

http://andreabertola.blogspot.com/p/contact.html

New feature!

Enjoy!

Teaching Philosophy Statement

“My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy,

And we should treat it with the same status.”

-          Sir Ken Robinson

As a creative arts educator, I aim to support the growth of imagination and creativity in our youth by fostering a learning environment where it can blossom. My goal is to inspire students by teaching theatre through the use of creative drama which encourages students to engage their imaginations. The use of creativity and imagination makes drama a fun way to motivate students to learn while generating developmental synapses that simultaneously occur during creative play.

I believe that fostering creativity is the essential ingredient to the foundation of learning. Much of my teaching philosophy is based on the lectures given by New York Times best selling author, Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity. In 2003 he received a Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth the II for his services to the arts and education.  I agree with many of his sentiments when he speaks of how the value of the creative arts is greatly underestimated in many of our public school systems. If we are supposed to be preparing our youth for their future roles in society, I can not think of one profession where creativity does not play an essential part; considering professional careers such as: business management, architecture, advertising, marketing, public relations, science, engineering, and teaching.  Creativity cultivates problem solving techniques used in all of these occupations; it is an essential part of innovation and invention.

The most influential benefit of educational theatre is its unique ability to cultivate student’s personality growth while promoting self confidence. When students step into a role and learn to think as their character would think, they learn how to be empathetic. For example, a student learns these important skills about empathy and relating to other people, not only through recreating character relations in scene work, but through the theatrical collaboration process as well. For a student to be successful at his craft he must be socially aware and in tune with his own emotions, because acting is based on reenacting human impulses and behavior. Through this increased social awareness students can gain perspective of interactions between people and the impact that their actions have upon others. Theatre also has the potential to develop other important skills in its students such as: language, motor skills, memorization, and communication abilities through the study of playwriting and re-enacting the text. Students learn body control, coordination and discipline by learning how to express themselves using voice, hands, face and body.

From the standpoint of teaching core academics, I aim to use drama to teach the art of theatre while expanding the learning in my students other areas of study. The method I use to achieve this is to require my students to research all aspects of the piece and its author when preparing to perform scene work.  Students will study the biography of the playwright to determine the message that the author is trying to convey.  They need to study the time period in which the play takes place; historical events that may effect a character’s actions; geographical and cultural influences on the characters; and any other significant symbolic references. The objective being that by reenacting pieces from a different time, place or culture, students will better understand the importance of the lessons on these subjects. For example if students are studying American History, it might help them to better understand the signing of the Declaration of Independence if they got to act out a scene between John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson from the musical: 1776. In essence, they will feel as though they have “lived” through the experience putting themselves in the shoes of these historic figures.

Beyond understanding the core academic and developmental benefits of theatre and the creative arts, one of my greatest strengths as a theatre arts educator is the fact that I have an extensive background as a working professional, fully integrated into the theatrical industry. While teaching is my passion, I am also a Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) eligible actress and Off-Off Broadway Producer. It is evident in my teaching style that I hold a high level of respect for the craft, and I demand that my students are ambitious with their work. I’m passionate about creating an engaging learning environment that teaches theatre appreciation and the fundamentals of various acting techniques. 

Custom Christmas Card

Are you looking for custom christmas cards this year? It's not too late! Did you know that Website Designer NYC also offers graphic design services? I'll use my graphic design skills to make a custom christmas card that is unique! No one will have a card like yours!! Check out this project that was just completed. The client provided me with a professional photograph taken of her children this past summer. The challenge was "winterizing" the image to make it seasonal for a holiday card. Here is the original image:

(click image to view larger version)

The first step was turning the green grass into a blanket of white snow. The next step was changing some of the details to add a bit of the "Christmas" feeling. The slide was changed to red, the details on the baby's shirt were also changed to red. The most difficult part of this project was changing the rainbow colored lollypops to Christmas colors. Finally, some falling snow was added as well as a festive holiday greeting! Viola! The finished product:

(click image to view larger version)

Are you looking for a custom holiday card?

Contact Andrea: Andrea@thewebkey.com

Websites for Singers

Websites for singers! Are you a singer in search of a custom made website? Your website needs to be as unique as your personality. Laura Parker came to me after reading positive reviews on my Yelp page. She is a professional opera singer that was looking to promote herself with her own custom made website.

Laura wanted to be able to post pictures, resumes, videos and audio clips on her site. Being that I have my masters in Theatre and a background in acting, I knew EXACTLY what Laura needed to be able to market herself in the performing arts. (Websites for actors, websites for singers, and websites for artists are my favorite websites to design!)

We talked about incorporating a blog into her website, so that she could post current news and general "musings". I also mentioned that a blog is the best tool she could use to help her with her search engine rankings! As far as the "look and feel" of her website, Laura wanted a clean, feminine design. Check out the finished product: http://www.lauraparkersoprano.com.

She said, "I looked at all of the yelp web designers, and after talking to Andrea on the phone, I knew we would be a great fit. Her intuition is absolutely incredible; she was able to capture my personality and my vision as if she'd known me forever. She's fast, efficient, and so easy to work with for a great price. I would recommend her to anyone, especially fellow artists and those in creative industries. I adore my website!"

Thank you, Laura and best of luck with the launch of http://www.lauraparkersoprano.com

To make it a full-circle story... Laura posted a great review on yelp for The Web Key: Website Design.

Graduation!

Graduation at Radio City Music Hall!

Certificate of Distinction awarded to Andrea Bertola

On May 10, 2010 Andrea received her Masters in Educational Theatre from NYU.   She joined over 1,300 masters and advanced certificate graduates in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development Valedictory Celebration. The Theater at Radio City Music Hall was filled with proud and enthusiastic parents, grandparents, spouses, children and friends. The ceremony concluded with a rousing rendition of a Steinhardt favorite, "New York, New York" by the Steinhardt Music Theatre Ensemble.

Andrea was proud to be awarded a New York University Certificate of Distinction during the ceremony. Andrea was selected as Alternate Student Speaker to bring greetings on behalf of the class of 2010 at the 24th annual Steinhardt Valedictorian Celebration. This honor recognizes outstanding academic achievements, leadership and service to the New York University Community.

On the stage at Radio City Music Hall!

As a member of the dais party, Andrea marched in the processional and was seated on stage during the ceremony at Radio City Music Hall. It was an unbelievable experience that will not be soon forgotten.