Led by actor, director, teacher, and WMPI mentor, Daniel Pettrow, this hands-on workshop is designed to empower young artists with the tools and confidence they need to speak effectively in front of any audience. Whether introducing themselves in front of audiences, participating in interviews, or leading collaborative projects, artists must communicate with clarity, presence, and authenticity. Participants will leave the workshop with stronger communication skills, increased stage comfort, and more confidence - essential tools for thriving in both artistic and professional arenas.
To attend this virtual workshop, register in advance with this link.
Through guided exercises, participants will develop:
Physical Presence - Importance and strategies of eye contact and how to speak to large audiences.
Mental Focus & Mindset - Cultivate techniques to manage performance anxiety, stay present, and connect with audiences genuinely.
Content & Clarity - Observe and identify skillsets of great communicators, prompts for writing effective speeches, articulating artistic intent, and speaking from a place of purpose.
Daniel Pettrow is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist, actor, director, and teacher. He is the Director of Performance and Communication Training for Heifetz International Music Institute. Daniel frequently focuses on new and experimental creations while fostering collaborations with artists from different disciplines. Recently, Daniel created an original ritual dance-theater performance titled A Respectable Death, inspired by his late brother, David Pettrow. A Respectable Death premiered at Center for Performance Research in April 2024, and was presented at the National Theater of Bretagne in Rennes, France, in January 2025. In 2021, he created the film and art show Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Hot Season (in collaboration with Afghan artist Kubra Khademi) which premiered this year at Fondation Fiminco in Paris, and Collection Lambert in Avignon, France. In January 2021, Daniel created the short film Wolf and Duck as part of the Guggenheim’s Work and Process Artist Virtual Commissions. For the last twenty years, Daniel has worked closely with renowned French director Arthur Nauzyciel: Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Bob in Splendid’s, Cal in Black Battles with Dogs, Roberto Zucco in Roberto Zucco, and staged readings of Hetero and Jan Karski: My Name Is Fiction. In 2016, Daniel worked with legendary Italian director Romeo Castellucci, performing in Julius Caesar: Spared Parts. In 2019, Daniel collaborated and performed in the dance-theater production Herz Schmerz with choreographer John Heginbotham, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, which had its premiere at Baryshnikov Arts Center. Daniel is a frequent collaborator with Dance Heginbotham: You Look Like A Fun Guy, Herz Schmerz, The Principles of Uncertainty, and One-Man Show. Daniel also dances the role of “The Wolf” in Isaac Mizrahi’s production of Peter & The Wolf for Guggenheim Works & Process (2012 - present). Daniel is an associate actor with New York City- based experimental theater company The Wooster Group: Hamlet, Vieux Carré, and Who’s Your Dada?. He is a frequent collaborator/director with choreographer Anabella Lenzu: No More Beautiful Dances, The Night That You Stopped Acting, In Pursuit of Happiness, Pacamama, and Sangre & Arena. Film: In Stereo, Sweet Parents, The Cult of Sincerity, The Last Adam, Psychopathia Sexualis, Kathy T, My Uncle Sidney. TV: Red Band Society, Good Eats, Don’t Know Jack, Road Trip.