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LATTE Theater hosts Acting Training Intensive for Young Adult Performing Artists
This Saturday, LATTE's Acting Training Intensive offers young adult creatives a chance to be mentored and meet with industry professionals!
LATTE’s Acting Training Intensive offers young adult creatives a chance to be mentored and meet with industry professionals, including: Auditioning Tips and Tricks with Daniel Millhouse, Stage Combat and Choreography artists Tristin Hall and Chloe Streif, Unmasking the Villain with the Pfluger Empathy Movement Method with Felicia Pfluger, founder of LATTE Theater, Your Song as Your Monologue with Kaitlin Fron, and learn Relaxation and Core Muscle Building with Donna Prenta. This coming Saturday, September 6th, the workshop symposium starts at 9:45 AM - 4:30 PM. Read on for a detailed look at the sessions and presenter bios!
WHEN? Sat, September 6th, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Enjoy a day in a supportive, fun, laid-back environment, about acting and careers in the performing arts from industry professionals. Sack lunch, water bottle, clothes to move in, and your enthusiasm. $50 for the full day.
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Text (708) 655-0989
Sign up: www.lattetheater.com
Find out what's happening in La Grangefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
WHERE? 9008 Fairview Dr. (Parking Lot Entrance of Cornerstone Church)
SCHEDULE:
9:45 Arrival. Sign in Improv for young adult creatives. Quick mandatory meeting for parents of creatives under 18.
10:00 On Auditions - Daniel Millhouse
How to stand out from the crowd to Get the Roles You Want!
About Daniel:
Daniel Millhouse is currently the Interim Associate Artistic Director for Buffalo Theatre Ensemble and an Assistant Professor at the College of DuPage. At the College of DuPage, Daniel has directed eight productions with College Theater. Recent directing credits for College Theater include Arsenic and Old Lace, Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Doo-Wop, and It’s Only a Play. Previously, Daniel worked as an Adjunct Professor at the College of DuPage, the CCPA at Roosevelt University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (where he was awarded the University Housing Honored Instructor Award). Along with teaching and directing, Daniel has worked as a professional actor throughout the world. His primary theater credits include shows with Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Michigan Shakespeare Festival, Great Lakes Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and The Shakespeare Project of Chicago. You may have also seen him on an episode of Chicago Fire or in the Call of Duty video game franchise. You can hear his voice on podcasts as well, including The Vanishing Act and The Onion’s: The Topical. He received his MFA in Acting/Directing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his BS in Theater Arts from Eastern Michigan University. Millhouse is grateful for this opportunity to work and collaborate with everyone here at LATTE Theater.
11:15 Stage Combat, Combat Choreography, Realistic Reactions - Tristan Hall and Angela Rak
Gearing your fight to elicit comedy, action, or adventure, this session deals with consent with your stage partner, and Stage Combat falls, punches, and slaps. Learn choreography based on the emotion, dramatic and comedic level you wish to transport your audience with.
About Angela:
Angela Rak is a Chicago-based actor and teaching artist. She studied theatre and creative writing at North Park University, and now teaches through her stage combat teaching company Counterfeit Combat, as well as with Sarah Hall Theatre Company. Though Angela didn’t start acting until she was a teenager, she now loves working with young people to help them find what they love and grow in those areas!
About Tristin:
Tristin Hall is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Chicago. They specialize in Fight and Intimacy Choreography, where they lead performers through high-stakes moments with integrity and care. Their choreography has been seen in a smattering of theatres in the area, including Northlight, Chicago Shakespeare, Steep, Raven, Timeline, Strawdog, and Bramble Theater - among others. Tristin is also the founder of Gladiator Fight Night, an interactive theater experience where trained combatants battle one another to see who will take the crown and become Champion. Coming September 22nd!
12:30 Sack lunch. (Hard Boiled Egg Allergy)
1:15 Unmasking the Villain - Felicia Pfluger
Explore how antagonists contribute to the stage and how you can portray these characters with depth and emotional wellness. Command your physicality using the Pfluger Empathy Movement Method.
About Felicia:
Fueled by a lifelong passion for the performing arts and a deep belief in the transformative power of theater, Felicia Pfluger founded, developed, and shaped LATTE Theater from 2009 to nurture talent and foster personal and professional growth in a safe and inspiring space for theatrical exploration and growth with LATTE's theater intensives.
The Pfluger Empathy Movement Method is at the heart of Felicia's approach. This is a unique actor training philosophy developed to cultivate holistic development in performers. This fun, deep, yet lighthearted method emphasizes helping each to find their own style and voice through the lens of the physiological, psychological, and breathing markers of Empathy.
Beyond work with LATTE, Felicia is a Chicago playwright. Felicia has adapted 20 classics, such as Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, 12 Angry Jurors, and Spoon River, as well as original plays like The Porch Light, Common Ground, and Love in War. Felicia welcomes collaboration through the transformative power of the arts.
2:15 Your song as a Monologue - Kaitlin Fron
How to be in control of your monologue, whether it be with music or vocal intonations, and how to create an emotional arc that draws the audience in. Explore and master musicality to fit your needs and have nuance in your vocal intonations in regular speech.
About Kaitlin:
Kaitlin Fron is a voice and piano instructor specializing in voice instruction for all ages and beginner to intermediate piano. Her vocal training is in classical and musical theatre styles. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Millikin University and a Master of Arts in music degree from The University of Iowa. She trained at the Red Mountain Theatre Company (formerly Summerfest) and the Midwest Young Artist Program. Previous voice instructors include Darla Brooks Mosteller, Dr. Katherine Eberle, Frances Daniels, Susan Sondrol-Jones, Dr. Benjamin Middaugh, and Kristi Tingle Higginbotham. Previous piano instructors include Dr. Grace Huang and Susan Cobb. As a performer, she has sung Amelia (Amelia Goes To the Ball), Emmie (Albert Herring), Flora (The Turn of the Screw), and Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte) among others. Following her MA degree, she spent a year as a character performer, portraying many beloved princesses, mermaids, and magical friends with The Enchanted Princesses. Kaitlin studied both adult and pediatric vocal pedagogy and also specializes in piano instruction for children with a variety of learning needs. Having learned with a minor visual challenge herself, she encourages everyone that they can learn to be great musicians so long as the Student, Teacher, and Parents work together to create student-specific learning plans.
3:15 Water break and recentering
Take a little break and do some self-care. We're here to answer any questions you may have.
3:25 Relaxation Exercises and Neutral Body Postures
Learn how to protect your body given the rigors of stage and character creation. Lean into relaxation techniques to help you balance all you need to do and all you wish to become on stage!
About Donna:
Donna Prenta is a 500-hour RYT Yoga teacher. She has been a student of Yoga for over 20 years, with a passion for the mind-body connection. Through the practice of Yoga, profound healing occurs. For over 8 years, Donna has shared her intelligence, gentleness, and compassion with students in her classes. Her youngest student was born with Down Syndrome. Donna has a special gift for working with special needs. She has also received a certification of intuition under the direction of Dr. Christine Page. (N.I.C.A.B.M.) 2001-2005. Her Sankalpa (intention), for students, is to “ignite the spark” that lives in each soul.
4:30 AUDITIONS
For those interested. Want to be in the next LATTE Performance Company? Stick around and read with other cast members in a low-key, no-stress atmosphere for our fall show. Join us for a relaxed, laid-back talk on the program and how you would want to grow with us on stage. Potentially reading a scene together. Both inexperienced and experienced actors are welcome, as we cover a great deal of ground in these fun yet extensive workshops.
