News Release

(left to right) Ashley McCormick, Josh Rodriguez, and Leanne Pearl

Cerro Coso students outside The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood
(back row, left to right) Rick Tobias, Jennifer Donaldson, Rene Soto, Heather Cornett, Leanne Pearl, Savanah Liszka, and Tom Lowe.

(middle row, left to right) Brittany Throckmorton, Josh Rodriguez, Ashley McCormick, and Megan Bracken

(front row) Tricia Arnts

IWV Campus

Drama Club Trip

Ridgecrest, CA – June 22, 2006

At the end of May students from Cerro Coso Community College set out for a two-day trip to Los Angeles to learn about the entertainment industry. Their first stop was TVI Actors Studio in Sherman Oaks. TVI is an Actor's Training Center focused on helping actors make the transition from student to professional. The studio, with locations in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, was founded by Alan Nusbaum, former agent to such stars as Sandra Bullock and Courtney Cox. Cerro Coso students participated in a Business Workshop and a Cold Reading Workshop at the TVI Studio. Workshop leader, Stacey Moseley gave an honest and inspiring presentation on "breaking into the industry" in which she shared her own experiences in the business. She also led the Cerro Coso students in an on-camera Cold Reading Workshop. Moseley handed out sitcom scripts and gave the students fifteen minutes to rehearse. After the rehearsal period, Moseley read opposite the students and offered each student a personal critique. A working actor herself, Moseley has appeared recently in such television programs as Crossing Jordan, The West Wing, and The Division.

After the TVI visit, the students had an opportunity to explore Hollywood Blvd. A viewing of the hit musical Hairspray at The Pantages Theatre rounded out the evening. Students returned to Ridgecrest on Thursday, June 1st.

The trip was sponsored in full by The Cerro Coso Drama Club and the Associated Students of Cerro Coso (ASCC). The Drama Club raised funds for the trip throughout the school year by putting on a Variety Show, performing Improv at The Forum Theater in Lone Pine, and by holding numerous bake sales. Walmart also offered the club a generous donation of $200. The club is open to all Cerro Coso students with an interest in theatre and entertainment.

To learn more about The Drama Club and Cerro Coso Theatre classes and events, contact Melinda Fogle Oliver at mfogle@cerrocoso.edu.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Joann Handeland, Director of Facilities Development and Public Information (760) 384-6230