Caroline Thomas' Total Theatre Lab: graduates spotlight

graduates spotlight

	Valentina de Angelis starring with Campbell Scott in the film Off the Map. 'When Valentina was twelve, she participated in a kids' class that improvised a show about 9/11. Later Caroline wrote it into a play with music called The Kids' Happy/Sad Show. It was presented by TTL in 2003.
	Sara Jeanne Asselin started studying acting with Caroline a year ago. Her career has really taken off since then. This month her play The Rise And Fall Of Miles And Milo was one of the hits of The New York Fringe Festival. Reviews for both her writing and acting were glowing: “The fact that the audience winds up laughing at itself is [writer Sara Jeanne] Asselin's greatest triumph...” (offoffLine.com) and “Asselin is the standout as Miles. Her mixture of girlish excitement and horror... is priceless." (nytheatre.com). Check it out at:: myspace.com/RiseandFallofMilesandMilo.
	John Cotugno & Tami Reynolds, Watch for the upcoming independent film, Johnny Appleweed, starring John Cotugno & Tami Reynolds. These talented TTL alums were also the writers, director and producer - respectively - of this uproarious comedy with a seriously dark side. Check it out at:www.operationjohnnyappleweed.org. Oh by the way, Caroline appears in it also.
	David Duchovney, having graduated from Yale wrote a book and was set on being a writer. His girlfriend dragged him to Caroline's acting class at TTL. He enrolled and it became a career changing experience.
	James Gandolfini, back in the late 80's had an audition for the Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire. With Caroline's help, he was cast as the understudy for Mitch and later took over the role. Mary Collins, his agent from HWA, discovered Gandolfini while she was sitting in on a class at TTL.
	Kari Floren started her career as a model. After graduating from TTL, she worked Off-Broadway as an actress but found her true vocation as a playwright. Kari's comedy The Porch was produced at Altered Stages in June '07. From Anne Midgette's review in the New York Times, "...give credit to Ms. Floren: having achieved her set-up, she manages to hold attention and bring everything to a firm conclusion with a big surprise twist.
	Niketi Kontouri who started out as an actress/singer has become one of the foremost directors of The National Royal Theater of Greece. Her work at TTL fostered the talent and emotional depth that resulted in her critically acclaimed 1996, production of Medea at City Center. Returning in 2002, her production of Antigone was hailed with similar acclaim. 'She creates seamless pieces of work that hold you hypnotized...." New York Times.
	Alicia Minshiew* can be seen these days, expressing a variety of emotions as Kendall in All My Children. It was the Integrated Acting Process that gave her the ability and the courage to create this role.
	Susan May Pratt, having completed the soon to be released Throwing Stars, is one of Caroline's favorite accomplishments. She has appeared in numerous TV, Film and Stage productions including, Ten Things I Hate About You, Center Stage, CSI, Ghost Whisperer, Law & 0rder and Charmed*.
	Laura Prepon* is the lead in the new TV Show, October Sky. However, it was her role as Donna in That 70's Show that catapulted her to fame. It was Caroline who prepared her for that audition.
	Nicole Potter attended TTL's first acting class and has completed a successful career with the experimental Irondale Ensemble. Now an editor at Allworth Press, she is responsible for the publication, Movement for Actors. It includes a chapter written by Caroline, which explains the integration of voice, movement and acting.
	Zoe Saldana* was brought to class by Susan May Pratt during the filming of Center Stage. It was there that she rehearsed her role as Brittany Spear's roommate in Crossroads. This actress has four films coming out within the next two years, including the long-awaited Avatar. Her credits include roles in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, The Terminal, Vantage Point and Drumline. Television audiences will remember her from the critically acclaimed Six Degrees.
* visit the graduates testimonials page to read what these former students have to say about working with Caroline Thomas.