Masterclasses return to Flashback Theater Co. (FbTC) for the 2024-25 Season! Throughout this past year, Flashback Theater Co.’s Professional Training Ground has offered an exciting lineup of Masterclasses from teaching artists with regional and national expertise. The fun continues this summer with the return of FbTC’s popular masterclass The Business of Auditioning, as well as a new masterclass called Emotional & Physical Prep for Theatrical Work. All FbTC masterclasses are suggested for adults and young adults over the age of 14. 

August Masterclasses

The Business of Auditioning: A Headshot and Resume Intensive has been a mainstay of Flashback’s Masterclass programming for almost a decade. For many performers, getting involved at Flashback, a professional theater company, can feel daunting. This masterclass was created to help break down some of the barriers associated with entering the business. Led by Director Sommer Schoch, participants receive guidance in putting together a headshot and resume, help finding audition material, and even have the opportunity to participate in a mock audition. Many veteran artists got their start at Flashback by participating in this masterclass.

This year’s new offering, Emotional and Physical Preparation for Theatrical Work, was created to prepare theatre artists for challenges they might tackle in the rehearsal room. The masterclass focuses on helping theatre artists understand their role in the process, and the emotional, physical, and professional tools they might need while working on stage. The class will be led by Director Sommer Schoch, local actor Bailey Patterson, and local yoga instructor Tina George.

What is a Masterclass?

A part of FbTC’s Professional Training Ground, a masterclass is an intensive workshop, usually held over one or two days, that offers artists the chance to learn a specific skill from an experienced, or master, artist. By attending masterclasses at FbTC, artists can develop a toolbox of skills that widen their horizons and improve their performances. 

“My first experience with masterclasses was when I was working as a Graduate Assistant for the Opera Department at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati,” recounts Sommer Schoch, the founder of FbTC. Working professional artists from all over the country were brought in and spent a few hours with the students, enriching their understanding of the craft through immediate hands-on immersion in one or two specific techniques. “It was obvious to me that our local performers are hungry to learn and one focused day of learning is easier to schedule than an ongoing class,” Schoch continues. “Plus a one or two day workshop has the added benefit of being able to ask guest artists from further away to share their expertise.” 

What is the Professional Training Ground?

The Professional Training Ground is an arm of Flashback Theater’s educational programming, designed to strengthen the work of local performing artists. At Flashback Theater Co, we believe that theater education is a lifelong pursuit, and our artists thrive when given the opportunity to continually develop their skills and technique. When our artists get better, our productions get better, and those who started as beginners are able to take on new roles as teachers and leaders, creating a thriving artistic community that can be sustained for years to come.

No one understands this better than Bailey Patterson, the coordinator of the re-envisioned Professional Training Ground. “I owe everything I know about professionalism, inside the theater and out, to Flashback.” says Patterson, “Over the years I have learned how to be an actor from the bottom up, how to coordinate events, and how to succeed in professional environments. My first masterclass with Flashback was the Business of Auditioning back in 2017. I still use the skills I learned at that masterclass in every audition room I walk into. I am so excited to be able to bring the education I received to a new generation of theater artists in our community and beyond.”

2025 Summer Masterclasses

The Business of Auditioning: A Headshot & Resume Intensive
August 1st & 2nd, 2025
Led by Sommer Schoch. All participants will receive a voucher to book their own mini headshot session with photographer Mark Latham.

Flashback Theater’s Professional Training Ground returns with a weekend of theatre education to prepare you for all your upcoming auditions and performances! In our yearly Business of Auditioning masterclass, prepare your resume and headshot for the audition process with this masterclass led by Director Sommer Schoch. All participants will receive a voucher to book their own mini headshot session with photographer Mark Latham. You will learn what a director is really looking for on a resume, tips for the perfect headshot, and how your audition materials should showcase you at your next big audition.

Emotional & Physical Prep for Theatrical Work
August 2nd, 2025
Led by Sommer Schoch, Bailey Patterson, and Tina George

Dive into the work you will need to do to make a work of theatre its best with The Emotional & Physical Preparation for Theatrical Work Workshop. Start with a Breath Work and Movement session with local yoga instructor Tina George. Learn from seasoned director Sommer Schoch about self advocacy and awareness as an actor or production team member as well as how to build the trust required to create a great show. Learn the art of the choice and how your acting, design, and creative choices can elevate a production. Finally, end with an acting technique session led by Bailey Patterson and discover how personal memory driven acting and motivation driven acting can work for you. 

Pricing

The Business of Auditioning: A Headshot and Resume Intensive – August 1st & 2nd
Price: $85

Emotional & Physical Preparation for Theatrical Work – August 2nd
Price: $60

Bundle Price to register for both Business of Auditioning AND Emotional & Physical Preparation for Theatrical Work: $125

Deadline to Register is July 31st

Register online by visiting flashbacktheater.co/education/masterclass/

Financial Assistance is Available. Please register by July 1st to be considered for Financial Assistance.

Location

Flashback Theater
209A E Mount Vernon St
Somerset, KY 

About the Artists

Sommer Schoch is the founder and Producing Artistic Director of FbTC. In a decade of Flashback history: she has directed 18 productions; overseen the development of programming that drives artists to develop their skills and talents through masterclasses, workshops, and new play development; and established connections to a community that values experiencing art in our world. Before FbTC, Sommer graduated from Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music with dual Master’s degrees in Arts Administration and Business Administration.

Bailey Patterson is an actor and The Education Coordinator at Flashback Theater Co. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Kentucky. At UK she played Will Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love. She also appeared with the Studio Players as Mary Debenham in Murder on the Orient Express. She has appeared in 13 productions at FbTC. Some of her favorite roles include Rosalind in As You Like It, Celine in The American Parade, and Lydia in the Christmas at Pemberley series.

Tina George is a certified Yoga & Pilates Instructor who teaches weekly at The Shine House of Somerset. Yoga saved her life, and she strives to share her experiences both on and off the mat. She hopes to inspire others to discover the magic within themselves, their bodies, and every aspect of their lives. She first trained locally through an Anusara-based certification program developed by Jenny Williams of Embody Yoga and Pilates. Prior to that, she had also studied Pilates under her guidance. Her second certification combined both yoga and Pilates, a blend she considers nothing short of magical. In the past few years, she’s renewed her certifications, this time with an emphasis on recovery. She’s advanced her credentials to become a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) and added Reiki to her toolbox. Whether you’re stepping onto the mat for the first time or returning after a break, know that healing, transformation, and magic are always possible.