Patricia Helsel
Courses Taught
Voice and Articulation: Students are assigned a project to create a working model of the vocal anatomy. One creative student had his classmate do a full-scale drawing on his neck and face depicting the larynx and resonance areas.
Michigan Technological University
Acting I:
Teaches basic techniques of acting to include script and character analysis, internal and external approaches to performance, and basic use of voice and body.
Voice and Articulation:
An applied study of the use of voice. Students will work to develop a stronger, more articulate and dialect-free speech appropriate for professional careers. Spring course offering will be in alternate years beginning with Spring 2009.
Acting II:
An advanced studio course designed to permit application of various acting techniques. Students will learn to combine acting skills and script analysis to develop multidimensional characters.
Vocal Techniques for Media:
Students will learn vocal approaches to specific types of speaking situations, including radio commercials, instructional videos, announcing, cartoons, and theatrical productions. Students will practice vocal projection for a large theatre/auditorium, as well as microphone technique for electronic media.
Audition Techniques:
Students learn to prepare for the many types of auditions they may encounter in the professional world of performance through simulated audition situations, from the theatrical cattle-call to the screen test in film.
Movement for Performers:
Develops physical flexibility and strength, beginning with discovery of the body's physical center. The student will learn to create characters by focusing on posture, movement in space, and kinesics.
American Pronunciation and Expression:
The purpose of this course is to improve speaking skills, specifically for students whose primary language is not English. Students learn the American English symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet as a communicating tool for understanding dialect and pronunciation. The class is devoted to developing clear diction as well as conveying precise meaning through vocal inflection and facial expressions.
Career Development:
Provides students the opportunity to attend professional events which contribute to the development of their careers. Students will experience seminars, workshops, performance opportunities, competitions, and may perform services and interact with professionals at such events as KCACTF, AES, USITT, and URTA.
Presentation Skills: A study and practice of delivery skills in the communication process. Students strengthen communication skills on all levels from interpersonal to public speaking.
Professional Presentation:
Provides students the opportunity to present at professional events which contribute to the development of their careers. Students will prepare and present design, technical, or performance projects, papers, and/or posters to be viewed and critiqued by professionals at such events as KCACTF, AES, USITT, and URTA.
Readings in Dramatic Literature:
An examination of dramatic literature with an emphasis on theatre production. Students will examine a selection of plays each semester. Students can repeat the course up to four times; each semester examines different plays.
Musical Theatre Performance:
Provides specialized experience in performance styles of the musical theatre through scene-study and process from sheet music to the stage.
American Musical Theatre:
A multimedia examination of the development of American musical theatre from the late 1800s to the present, showing how this native theatrical form grew and how it mirrored the society of its time.
Northwestern Louisiana University
Oral Interpretation
Fundamentals of Communication
Voice and Diction
The University of Louisiana at Monroe
Voice and Diction
Beginning Acting
Scene Study
Audition Techniques
Stage Dialects
Musical Theatre Performance
Musical Theatre History Survey
Enjoying Theatre/Introduction to Theatre
Public Speaking
Fundamentals of Communication
Utah State University
Beginning Acting
Voice for Theatre (3 courses in series)
