VIP PRE-SCREENING RECEPTION:
VIP ticket holders are invited to attend the pre-screening reception filled with music inspired by the film (Britney Spears, Jamiroquai, *NSYNC), step-and-repeat event photography, and sponsored bites, drinks, and giveaways.
ABOUT THE FILM
The American Ballet Company is not for the fainthearted, it’s for the most gifted and beautiful ballet dancers alive. But you’ll need more than mere physical prowess and determination to succeed. You’ll need to deliver the goods at CENTER STAGE. Jonathan Reeves (Peter Gallagher, American Beauty), the ballet company’s director, is evaluating this young tight-knit group of students as they face the growing pains of their ambitions, romances and heartbreaks which prove to be both invigorating and difficult. The results are a celebration of beauty, bodies, and ballet.
This film is rated PG-13.
EVENT DETAILS:
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2024
6:00PM VIP Reception
7:30PM Doors Open
8:00PM Screening and Q&A
at the Herbst Theatre
War Memorial and Performing Arts Center: 401 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco
Y2K-inspired dress code encouraged!
CO-PRESENTED BY:
MEDIA SPONSOR:
WORKSHOP WITH AMANDA SCHULL: ACTING FOR DANCERS
Saturday, September 14 @ 12:30-4:30pm
Smuin Center for Dance (1830 17th St, San Francisco, CA 94103)
Registration is now closed.
This workshop, led by stage and screen star Amanda Schull, will focus on acting for dancers. Dancers are familiar with depicting characters in full-length or story ballets using the fusion of music and physicality. However, dancers are rarely encouraged to consider their characters as a three-dimensional person beyond the choreography. This workshop will help to focus character development and encourage dancers to work toward accessing deeper, more authentic choices for their acting on stage. It will help dancers find individual choices that can lead them toward creating a unique take on what may be a centuries-old role. This workshop will also discuss other forms of acting for stage and camera. Amanda will share tips and anecdotes from her 20+ year career on stage and screen.
Prior to class, participants will be sent 3-4 short scenes to familiarize themselves with. They will each choose one scene to workshop in the class with Amanda. Sharing is not mandatory, but highly encouraged.
This workshop is sponsored by Smuin Contemporary Ballet:
ABOUT THE SPECIAL GUESTS
Amanda Schull, Actress and former San Francisco Ballet Dancer
Amanda Schull was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Schull began ballet at the age of 3 and continued her training at Indiana University under the direct tutelage of Violette Verdy before becoming a student at the San Francisco Ballet School. It was there during rehearsal for the year-end program that Schull was asked to audition for the lead role in the ballet film CENTER STAGE directed by Nicholas Hytner. After filming the Sony Pictures cult classic, Schull returned to The San Francisco Ballet where she danced with the company for seven seasons performing featured roles in Balanchine’s WHO CARES?, BALLO DELLA REGINA, JEWELS, SERENADE, Helgi Tomasson’s ROMEO AND JULIET, GISELLE, THE NUTCRACKER, FOUR SEASONS, and Alexei Ratmansky’s LE CARNAVAL DES ANIMAUX. Schull also guest performed lead roles in COPPÉLIA, SLEEPING BEAUTY, GISELLE and THE NUTCRACKER.
After retiring from professional ballet Schull began her acting career in earnest booking memorable guest starring roles on such TV shows as COLD CASE, BONES, PSYCH, NIKITA, GRIMM, TWO AND A HALF MEN, MACGYVER, HAWAII FIVE-0, NCIS, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, ONE TREE HILL, MURDER IN THE FIRST, THE RECRUIT, and LONE STAR: 911.Schull has recently been seen as tenacious New York attorney Katrina Bennett in the USA legal drama SUITS, which received a resurgence in popularity when the show made its way to NETFLIX. Schull also starred in the SYFY series 12 MONKEYS based on the hit film of the same name.
Feature film credits include a lead role in MAO’S LAST DANCER, based on the autobiography of the same name by renowned ballet dancer Li Cunxin, directed by Academy Award Nominee Bruce Beresford. Featured scenes opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Warner Bros.’ J. EDGAR, directed by Clint Eastwood. Leading roles opposite Milo Ventimiglia in the thriller DEVIL’S GATE, and opposite John Travolta in the action feature I AM WRATH.
Schull can also be seen as the female lead in many HALLMARK original movies such as LOVE, ONCE AND ALWAYS, PROJECT CHRISTMAS WISH, ONE SUMMER, MARRY GO ROUND, THE BLESSING BRACELET, and FAMILY PRACTICE MYSTERIES: COMING HOME.
Photo by Annie McElwain.
Lady Camden, RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 Finalist
After a rollercoaster journey of self-discovery while creating iconic TV moments, Lady Camden has become one of the true breakout stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14. Actor, dancer, choreographer… this gal is one busy lady! While she spends most of the year traveling the world kicking, pirouetting, and pas-de-bourse-ing she proudly calls the gayest city in America home: San Francisco.
Before stepping into the Werk room Camden began her career as a professional ballet dancer at Sacramento Ballet and Smuin Ballet before becoming a freelance choreographer and an acting teacher with First Take Acting. Since finishing as the runner-up of Season 14, Lady has gone on to tour with Werq The World, produced music, and continues her choreographic work in the ballet world. What’s ahead? The public release of her documentary “Lady Like”, more music, more touring, and solos shows. Stay tuned. The orchestra is warming up!
Photo by Maximillian Tortoriello.
Tony Bravo, San Francisco Chronicle Arts & Culture Columnist
Tony Bravo is the San Francisco Chronicle’s Arts & Culture columnist. He primarily covers visual arts, the LGBTQ community, style and pop culture. Bravo is also the host of the live interview program “Show & Tell” at Four One Nine and is a contributor to the Chronicle’s Total S.F. coverage and special events series.
VENUE ACCESSIBILITY
The Herbst Theatre is located at 401 Van Ness Street inside of the Veterans Building of the War Memorial. For accessible entrances into the Veterans Building, there are curb cuts directly in front of the building on Van Ness Ave and around the side of the building in the cul de sac off of Franklin Street. Two elevators are in the lobby on the Van Ness Street side to get into both the Horn Bar and up to the Herbst Theatre Dress Circle and Balcony.