Natasha Yannacañedo
Address
Columbus Circle Station
PO Box 20846
New York, NY 10023
Phone 646.391.6136
Email natasha@nyactingcompany.com
Website www.nyactingcompany.com
Education
Master of Fine Arts in Acting, American Conservatory Theater, 1997-2000
Graduate Program in Theater Arts, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1996-1997
Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts with Honors, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1992-1996
Summer Training Program Certificate, American Conservatory Theater, 1995
Teaching Experience
Private Acting Coach since 1996.
Fundamentals of Speech, a course that teaches the practice of extemporaneous speaking. Students receive an analysis and correction of individual speech problems. Taught at St. Francis College.
Character Development, a course designed for actors that want to develop their character building skills. Course includes in-depth work on a contemporary scene and exercises in creating character. Course taught through the N.Y. Acting Company.
Introduction to Acting, a course designed for beginner actors to teach the fundamentals of acting. Course includes two contemporary scenes, one monologue, text analysis, and the fundamentals of building a character. Course taught through the N.Y. Acting Company.
Intermediate Scene Study, a course that focuses on the importance of breath, playing the objective, listening, given circumstances, and being in the moment. Students work in-depth on two contemporary scenes. Course taught through the N.Y. Acting Company.
Monologue and Cold Reading Intensive. A course designed for actors to work in-depth on monologues and cold reading audition technique. Course focuses on the following elements: the importance of breath; being in the moment; imaging the other; the passionate pursuit of an objective and playing actions to achieve that objective; the pre-beat; the fundamentals of building a character; and making quick, bold choices and applying them to the work.
Performance Lab III, a course designed for young adults to develop their performance skills.
Taught at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey.
Intermediate Scene Study. Teaching Assistant at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Taught vocal and movement warm-up and coached the scenes along with the instructor. Coached students privately outside of the classroom.
Teaching Artist Residency through Artsgenesis at PS-254. Native Americans in Queens Tapestry with Acting and Movement. Blind and visually impaired children, kindergarten through third grade.
Teaching Artist Residency at Madison Junior School. Taught Acting to 7 th graders. Because many of the students had behavioral issues, course focused on the importance of listening and playing actions. S cene work, acting exercises, and improvisational games were used to teach these skills.
Teaching Artist Residency at Madison Junior School. Taught Acting to 8 th graders. The course focused on the importance of taking risks as an artist. Freewriting exercises were used to write autobiographical monologues and were later performed for the class. Also, improvisational games, acting exercises, monologue and scene work were an integral part of this class structure.
Performance Lab I, a course designed for children in 4 th through 6 th grade to develop their performance skills. Class culminates in a performance. Taught at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey.
Acting Workshop. Volunteered and taught at the Bay Area Girls Center in San Francisco, California to teenage girls. Workshop designed to build self-confidence and promote active listening in the moment.
Fundamentals of Acting. Taught semi-private acting class to twelve-year-old girls. Covered a broad range of material, focusing primarily on improvisational skills and scene study.
Voice and Movement and Improvisation. Taught children at the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. Directed A Midsummer’s Night Dream and The Zanies.
Introduction to Acting and Dance & Movement classes. Teaching Assistant at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Took attendance, corrected essays, and privately coached scenes. Wrote the narrative evaluations for the students. (Narrative evaluations at this University are used in lieu of grades.)
Core Writing Class. Writing Assistant at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Tutored University students to improve their writing skills.
ESL II and Spanish for Spanish Speakers. Teacher’s Aide at Santa Cruz High School.
John Muir Deaf and Hard of Hearing Pre-school class, Berkeley, California. Teacher's Assistant. Supervised three and four year old deaf and hearing-impaired children using speech and sign language as the communication mode. Assisted in developing their English receptive and expressive language skills. Some of the children were multi-handicapped.
Personal Tutor/Assistant. Supervised a multi-handicapped, hearing and visually impaired child.
Directing Experience
Directed several Acting Showcases over the past five years in New York City.
Directed Blood Astounds Me at NY Artists Unlimited in New York City.
Assistant directed national PSA voiceover for the Federal Highway Administration.
Directed various performances at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey for their conservatory.
Directed teens in productions of A Midsummer’s Night Dream and The Zanies at the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival.
Directed own adaptation of Borderlands: La Frontera for Women’s Ensemble Theater in Santa Cruz, California.
Directed Friends of the Family, a new play in development for a Play Development Workshop in Santa Cruz, California.
Philosophical Interests and Course Development
Acting is many things. Acting is the truth of humanity distilled. It is also the passionate pursuit of an objective and playing actions to achieve that objective. I create a nurturing, non-competitive environment for actors to work on their craft; this supportive atmosphere allows one to take risks and grow as an artist. Vulnerability is necessary and vital for good acting. Acting takes tremendous courage because the actor must be willing to expose the depths of human experience. Working through fear and inhibitions can be the most empowering part of being an actor. What excites me about acting is that acting is about the human experience so the potential for growth is infinite. It is the task of the actor to tell the play's story--to propel the forward action of the play. I believe in giving the actor the tools and skills they need to accomplish this task. I teach my students the importance of breath and to trust their bodies. I believe in unleashing impulses, getting out of one's head, specificity, staying open and present to the moment, and the ability to respond spontaneously to what your partner is giving you. Script analysis is imperative in the craft of acting; this informs the actor's entire process and can not be neglected. Relationships and given circumstances must be integrated into the work; I teach actors to examine the text and make informed choices. I teach warm-up exercises to bring the actor into a state of being where their instrument can experience maximum creativity, imagination, and relaxation. Character work is the layer I add after the actor's instrument is open and breathing freely. I believe in empowering actors and after exposing them to many methodologies, I encourage students to discover and create their own method of acting that works for that unique individual.
Course Possibilities
Character Development, Performance Lab with Movement and Acting, Introduction to Acting, Introduction to Theater, Intermediate Scene Study, Advanced Scene Study, Introduction to Acting Shakespeare, Monologue & Cold Reading Intensive, Imaginative Movement, Women's Words (Scene Study of Contemporary Women Playwrights), Lorca Scene Study, Jose Rivera Scene Study, Latino Playwrights Scene Study, Performance Workshop, Acting for Dancers, Fundamentals of Speech, Public Speaking.
Company Membership
Judith Shakespeare Company, winner OOBR award 1996 is a not-for-profit theatre ensemble dedicated to discovering what lies at the heart of a great play through the exploration of its language; and to re-examining the roles for women in classical theatre. Company Member.
Theater in the Flesh, a collaborative, ensemble movement theater company dedicated to pushing the boundaries and expectations of contemporary theater. Company Member.
The Tango Company, a New York based Argentine Tango dance company. Acting Consultant & Company Member.
Teatro: La Raza. Organization's purpose is to support and promote Latinos in the arts. President & Company Member.
Union Membership
SAG, Screen Actors Guild
AEA, Actors’ Equity Association
Training
Acting: Dennis Krausnick, Lee Breuer, Virginia Ness Ray, Timothy Douglas, Gregory Wallace, Melissa Smith, Joan Mankin, Larry Hecht, Chris Herold, Kevin Jackson, Olympia Dukakis, Ellen Novack, Joanna Merlin, Brian Lohman, Sheila Kelley, Carey Perloff, Falk Richter, Joanna Merlin, Simone Girgea
Voice & Speech: Jeffrey Crockett, Deborah Sussel
Singing: Peter Maleitzske, Stephanie Weems
Movement & Dance: Priscilla Regalado (Dance), Mel Wong (Dance), Gregory Hoffman (Combat), Phil Soltanoff (Viewpoints), Frank Ottiwell (Alexander), Jared Sakren (Mask), Jeffrey Bihr (Suzuki), Lorna Fordyce (Tap), Arina Issacson (Clown), Cecilia Saia (Tango), Roberto Reis (Tango), Bill Irwin (Clown), David Shiner (Clown), Bonita Bradley (Imaginative Movement), Kathryn Roszak (Period Movement)
Miscellaneous
Passed CBEST.
Dramaturgical work for Blood & Honey.
Fingerprinted for New York Department of Education.
Diversity Council Member at the American Conservatory Theater
Volunteered for B.A.M.M., teaching teenage girls self-defense
Team Leader AIDS Walk New York, Judith Shakespeare Company
Team Leader AIDS Walk San Francisco, American Conservatory Theater
References and Letters of Recommendation Available Upon Request