Workshops
I…realized how much my directing style has been influenced by you. You model such a generous, intuitive, and organic method that really empowers the creators to feel that they have a voice in the process. I feel lucky to know you as a friend, collaborator, and now I realize as a mentor. Thank you!
“Every show went great! The things I learned…have really served me well when facing even the most challenging audiences.”
“Thank you again for a fun and useful workshop that was also inspiring.”
“I felt you put us all at ease right off the bat and made the workshop fun with all of your antics. I learned a lot and can’t wait to try some of it out soon.”
Julie founded and directed The Maine Opera Atelier, and The Maine Singers Atelier, an ongoing workshop for aspiring singers.
Julie and her students in RioJulie has been teaching acting, clowning, Commedia Dell’ Arte, stage movement and mime since 1972 while a theater major at Emerson College. Since graduating recently from University of Southern Maine School of Music, she has been coaching vocalists on interpretation and performance. Since founding Maine Opera Atelier in 2007, Ms. Goell has written and directed a new adaptation of Gluck’s “Orpheus,” and created two touring programs for her students “Songs of Longing and Desire” and “Love Lost and Found.” The programs blends sublime lyric opera highlights with zany intermezzos and “mopera” (found-object puppetry-meets-opera).
Ms. Goell recently completed teaching, performing and directing residencies at University of Maine, Colby College and University of Southern Maine. Ms. Goell forges a special relationship with her students, based on artistic respect and a lifetime of experience in the field as a performer, director, and creator of original works of theater. She is known to bring the best out of her students, helping to identify and ignite their performer’s spark.
During recent teaching residencies at Colby College, Ms. Goell directed “Servant of Two Masters” and “The Fantasticks.” Her productions have garnered nominations for Irene Ryan awards in acting. Two of four new one-acts she directed in the past year have received awards.
Aside from a busy directing career, Ms. Goell teaches professional development workshops in Eccentric Performance with her husband Avner Eisenberg at the Celebration Barn Theater in South Paris, Maine. She travels and teaches master classes, most recently in Hawaii, California, Massachusetts, Andorra, France, Sapporo, Japan and Rio.
Freelancing as a director, Ms. Goell specializes in comedy and farce and more recently, opera. In 2003 after a residency in the Puppet Arts Program at University of Connecticut, she devised and directed a full-length puppet play with live music, “By the Willow,” which received UNIMA and Ottowa Fringe awards. Known for strong, live music elements in her staging, Ms. Goell frequently creates her own scores. She can be seen holiday season directing the stage band for The Phyzgig Festival in Portland, Maine. Her recent “Commedia Della Basque” leapt across cultural boundries, receiving standing ovations in Santa Cruz, Munich, Madagascar, Aleppo and Marakesh.
This winter she was in London, devising and directing “To Have And To Honk” which now tours. Returning to the States she directed the premiere of “The Goddess Tour” by feminist playwright Carolyn Gage, for Maine New Play Festival. Most recently she staged Purcell’s “Dido And Aeneas” for the Bowdoin College Music Department and looks forward to doing more opera staging.