May 25 – June 1
July 14 – 21
This workshop is a unique opportunity to develop your own material in a community of fellow artists, led by Shannan Calcutt.
At the heart of this workshop is a commitment to show up for yourself and your collaborators. Over the course of six days, you will have regular opportunities to share your work and hone your process with Shannan and your cohort. The magic of Make a Show is how everyone’s whole-hearted participation elevates each individual’s creative journey.
The enrollment for this workshop is capped at six participants. Having a group of this size means that everyone has ample opportunities to work on their material with Shannan, with their peers, and on their own. This focused environment catalyzes creativity—and productivity. Last year, for example, everyone generated heaps of new material, and some artists have premiered their work in the months since the workshop.
During the fall of 2024, the Barn will facilitate digital gatherings, via Zoom, for participants in Make a Show to continue sharing their work and strategizing about next steps as they work toward festival applications, a premiere, a tour, and more.
This workshop is open to theater and performance artists working in a range of disciplines, from acting and clown to acrobatics and stand-up comedy. You are not expected to arrive with a full draft of your show—in fact, you could start from a simple idea. You are expected, however, to arrive ready to work, to give your time and attention to your colleagues, and to contribute to the group not only as an artist but as an audience member, collaborator, and cheerleader.
At the completion of the workshop, you will know more about your show, including a plan to continue its development through to production. You will also have a renewed sense of what you are capable of as an artist (hint: it’s more than you think) and strong bonds with an ambitious—and fun!—creative community.
Applications Are Closed.
Applications for this workshop are now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied.
Cost
$1,750
The registration fee includes single-occupancy housing.
There is no early bird discount or deposit-only scholarship available for this workshop.
Should you be offered a slot in the workshop, you will have four weeks to pay a $750 deposit. Your remaining balance will be due upon your arrival at Celebration Barn.
Shannan Calcutt
A multi-award winning artist, Shannan Calcutt is sought after as a performer, instructor, director, writer and show creator. She has played an eclectic range of venues from Saskatoon’s Wash ‘n Slosh Pub to San Francisco’s Bimbo’s 365 Club to the Sydney Opera House. For fifteen years, she performed her iconic breast implant routine, Scotch Baggies, for millions of spectators at Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity. Her critically acclaimed solo shows won dozens of five-star reviews and were broadcast on CBC Radio and Canada’s Bravo! network. CBC declared her “a national treasure.” Calcutt has designed comic acts for Cirque du Soleil, Spiegelworld, the philanthropic event One Night for One Drop, and Berlin’s Friedrichstadt-Palast. As one of the world’s leading instructors in clown and play, Calcutt’s superpower is creating courageous playgrounds where artists can play big, risk gloriously, and fail better. She is the creator of Shannan’s Oath, three simple vows that inspire community, connection, and confidence. Shannan is the director of Spiegelworld’s Superfrico (Las Vegas), associate director of The Hook, and is currently the resident director at The Atomic Saloon Show. She lives with her family in Las Vegas.
Learn more about Shannan at shannancalcutt.com.
