Masterclasses return to Flashback Theater Co. (FbTC) for summer 2026! 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 subsidized Acting Workshop from Steve Cleberg: Power of the Basics. 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 Winstead, 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, Power of the Basics, is a new development from local theater legend Steve Cleberg. Cleberg has identified three questions which help actors quickly and effectively get to the heart of any scene or show. This class is a great starting point for new actors looking for a structure with which to approach their work, or more experienced actors looking to get back to the basics. Using the tools from this class, you’ll take the stage with confidence and clarity!
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 Winstead, 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,” Winstead 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.”
2026 Summer Masterclasses
The Business of Auditioning: A Headshot and Resume Intensive
July 31st & August 1st, 2026
Led by Sommer Winstead with a mini-headshot session from 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 Winstead. All participants will receive a 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.
Power of the Basics: a Free Acting Workshop
August 1st, 2026
Led by Steve Cleberg
Steve Cleberg provides a basis for understanding the art of acting in this free workshop. This workshop is for all actors, whether you are new to tackling the process of acting or need an excuse to return to the foundation. Steve Cleberg will guide participants to use Three Questions to understand the heart of the craft. Through exercises and scene study, participants will walk away with a clearer understanding of what it takes to be an effective actor.
Pricing
The Business of Auditioning: A Headshot and Resume Intensive – July 31st & August 1st
Price: $85 per artist
Deadline to Register: July 25th
Power of the Basics Price: A generous donor is underwriting the cost of this workshop for all participants
Deadline to Register: July 29th
Lunch Forum: Participants who are interested in this workshop have the option to add on the lunch forum for Business of Auditioning for $15.
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 Winstead 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.
Mark Latham is an Associate at Linkes Photography, where he specializes in crafting and capturing visual narratives that weave together emotions and colors, with stories they tell. With years of experience, Mark has continually refined his skills, always seeking new perspectives and pushing creative boundaries. His approach to photography is grounded in a deep appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us, using the lens to capture and reveal the honesty and rawness of each moment. Mark is dedicated to framing these moments with care, aspiring to be an architect of the beauty he sees in the world.
Steve Cleberg was the Director of Theatre & Film at Somerset Community College for 34 years before retiring in 2020. As a Professor of Theatre Arts, Cleberg taught Acting I, II and III. He also taught Acting for the Camera as well as such courses as Stagecraft, Introduction to Theatre, Introduction to Film, Filmmaking Workshop, Fundamentals of Play Production, Dramatic Writing Workshop, Introduction to Dramatic Literature and others. He has directed and acted in over one hundred plays.