Kerry A. Onxley was accepted as a recipient of The Juilliard
School’s Directing Workshop for Theatre Educator’s in New York City. Only 15 participants across the United States
were selected for this prestigious honor.
Onxley attended the school in July.
The program entailed an intense theatre study using workshops and
rehearsal sessions led under the guidance of professional mentors and the
artistic director of The Juilliard School.
The sessions were based on Shakespeare’s language structure and
spontaneity. Using Shakespeare
materials, the study concentrated on preparing to rehearse, research and text
analysis. Unique directing styles were
also reviewed.
Onxley applied for the theatre schooling in February, 2012
and was notified in May, 2012 that he had been accepted.
Participants were also given the opportunity to direct
Juilliard students in a variety of scenes. For 2 days, members directed
Juilliard students in the balcony scene, the fight scene and the lark scene of Romeo and Juliet. Participants were divided into small groups
with a mentor for each group to evaluate every directing decision made by the
participant.
The Juilliard School is
located in the Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts in New York City and is a performing
arts conservatory which was established during 1905. The
school currently trains about 800 undergraduate and graduate students in dance,
drama, and music. Notable stars as
Kelsey Grammer, Robin Williams, Christopher Reeve and Kevin Spacey have
graduate from this famous institution. Accepting only 18 students
per year with tuition at $55,000.00 per semester, it is the premier school in
theatre training in the world.
According to Onxley, “The Juilliard School was the most
intensive study of any subject matter I have ever encountered. The training was invaluable and will be
everlasting. I will bring home from The
Juilliard School so many innovated ideas and new methodology I can use every
day with my theatre students.”
Onxley is the Director of Theatre
at the Westlake High School Theatre Department and has worked as a theatre
specialist for the Calcasieu Parish School System for 26 years. His acting
student Joshua Ledet recently was a finalist for American Idol. He co-wrote the theatre arts curriculum for
the Louisiana State Department of Education and serves as an evaluator for the
Talented Arts Program for the state. He
has been involved in the leadership tier with the Educational Theatre
Association, an organization dedicated to the high school thespians, for over
20 years. Additionally, Onxley is artistic director for
The Children’s Theatre Company.
